While coming back home the borrower came across a saint and apprised him of the incident. The saint advised the lender to go back to the borrower and offer an apology by revealing that it was, in fact, the lender who took Taka 20000 (not, 10000) from the borrower. Interestingly enough, the dead child of the real lender came alive once he uttered this double lie.

One might ask: "How come?" Yes, that is the order of the day in the Iron Age (kali joog) we are in. I may sound utterly pessimistic. I, however, cannot be optimistic in a society where the rulers of all ages, not the people, just cannot unlearn colonial thinking and the use of mediaeval mechanisms to silence dissent, let alone the opposition.

I am further prompted to add that those days are, perhaps, not far off when there may not be a significant number of people available to speak the truth in fear of being mocked at and punished for being straightforward. Yes, this society been has been turned by the power-mongers, whosoever they may be, into a brutish one where equal punishment is awarded to plunderers and burglars.

This is not to mean that Sheikh Hasina is above reproach, but to convey the bare fact that the masses are not so foolish as not to be able to distinguish between a fact and a farce. Though the chief adviser started his mission with a vow to uproot the 3 Ms, money, muscle and misuse of power, the show while arresting Hasina was an epitome of muscle and misuse of power against an already captive woman.

Admittedly, after years of confrontations and bloody clashes, the country has been experiencing a spell of peace. Thus, the people tried their level best to remain happy despite the unbearable and uncontrollable price-hike. The people were hoping for a true change to take place, and were also ready to consign the 3Ms to the museum.

Despite enjoying huge support, the two ladies, too, were in danger of being thrown into the dustbin of history. The government was enjoying a happy ride. There was not even a ripple of discontent among the people about the government's stringent action against the corrupt. Rather, the arresting of criminals and the corrupt strengthened the government's position.

However, such a cheerful ride of the government, perhaps, became excruciating for the forces against rationality. Thus, the spectres of command politics, a term rightly used by Mahfuz Anam, decided to show off their prowess. Admittedly, the general people who had been famished during the previous 4-party regime have nothing to be joyful about Hasina's needless arrest.

However, the forces that were keen to get the January 22 election staged must now be laughing up their sleeves. Sceptics, however, are vocal in their claim that Hasina was going to pay for foiling the January 22 election. If the real intention was to punish Hasina for widespread corruption, why were, then, no credible cases against her?

If Hasina was so corrupt -- I do not imply that Hasina is impeccable -- why was there the need to manage or concoct an extortion incident 10 years old? If Hasina looted thousands of crores, why were there cases of only a few crores? Interestingly, the amount of "extorted" money in Tarique Rahman's case was Taka 1 crore. Is it a message that Tarique Rahman was more honest than Sheikh Hasina?

If the real idea is to destroy Hasina's public image, then the real controllers of things should have tried to make the masses, whom they regard as brainless and speechless animals, believe that it was Hasina and her party rather than the 4-party alliance who were in power during 2001-2006, and looted public money at will!!!

Yes, they have the batons, and the masses are bound to give credit to whatever they profess!!! Their propaganda machine is also on, and they have plenty of cohorts established during the golden age of BNP-Jamaat regime to whom they supplied the audio CDs of Awami League leaders' confessions regarding Hasina's involvement in great scams.

A person asked me the other day: "Did Falu, Nasir, and other BNP arrestees not mention Khaleda's name in the interrogation cell?" I could not answer him properly. Interestingly, even the die-hard fans of the previous 4-party regime did not show impudence by bringing out joyful processions and distributing sweetmeats following Hasina's arrest.

Is the "Right is might" situation to remain a mirage, though it was claimed by learned people that "right is might, and ever was, and ever shall be so."

Kazi Khasrul Alam Quddusi is Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Chittagong University.