McCarthyism incarnated!
IS it the first signs of replication of McCarthyism in Bangladesh? One is compelled to express the serious misgivings of a real threat to one of the very fundamental principles on which rests the foundation of this nation, namely freedom of expression. And freedom of expression also implies the right to disagree. The fear stems from the controversies that stemmed from the intention of taking Dr. Pias Karim's dead body to the Shaheed Minar and the character assassination that followed.
The way some people have taken upon themselves the right to question the loyalty of those whose views are not in accord with theirs, question their patriotism, and equate dissenting views with treason and being anti-Liberation, brings to mind the effort of a US Republican Senator, who in the 1950s went after alleged communists or communist sympathisers in the US administration, and whose name has come to be used to describe the practice of making accusations of 'disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence.' In our case, critics of the establishment are becoming targets of the self-appointed guardians of the spirit of the Liberation War with exclusive rights of patriotism. Are we to understand that critique of the government or the ruling party or its policies or leaders is an anathema and anyone who ventures to do so will be persecuted?
The bigotry has reached such a level that several eminent journalists including editors and university professors, who had empathised with Pias Karim, have been made persona non-grata in the Shaheed Minar. One cannot fail to note the line, between the religious bigots and these political bigots, for want of a better name, getting blurred.
The issue is more than that of Pias Karim per se. And it will persist long after the late professor has become a memory in our collective psyche. It the question of whether the right to differ and disagree will forever be removed as a precept and practice from this country. It is more disquieting when a group assumes the mantle of the sole repository of loyalty and patriotism and arrogates to itself the right to pass judgement not only on the position of a person on various national issues, which to them is antithetical to their views, but also condemn him for the alleged role of his father during the Liberation War. And in this exercise of castigating a person the most revered icon of our freedom -- the Liberation War -- has been used in the most disingenuous manner. That some ruling party members see in even the law minister's statement on Pias Karim a trace of conspiracy shows the level of political depravity that we have to encounter.
The reasons why the friends and relatives were threatened with obstruction by the Chhatra Sangram Parishad if Pias Karim's body were taken to the Shaheed Minar were that, according to his detractors, he had “taken a stance in favour of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir, made derogatory remarks about the Shahbagh movement which demanded capital punishment for war criminals, and made adverse remarks on the trial procedure of the International War Crimes Tribunal.”
Let us assume that all these accusations are correct. But does that allow a particular organisation or group to take on the role of the government? And the government, by keeping mum has demonstrated its acquiescence to the utterances and actions of the Chhatra Sangram Parishad. And when individuals or groups start playing god with the state turning a blind eye, the nexus becomes obvious.
But let us dwell on the accusations. First, the so-called derogatory remarks about the Shahbagh movement. Are we to understand that the Shahbag movement was so sacrosanct that all its utterances and actions are above board and beyond criticism? And anyone who dares to comment on the Gonojagoron Mancha will have his or her loyalty questioned, and will be targeted as a Jamaat - Shibir sympathiser? The outcome of the movement which started with so much of positivity and hope, its split up in three groups is testimony to the criticism that there were political motives behind the movement; this has disappointed a large number of its supporters.
The ICT had come under criticism by many others. Didn't the resignation of ICT-1 Chairman for seeking advice from someone who, reportedly, was part of the prosecution and living outside the country, denigrate the court itself? And in any case the comments were calling for improvement and reform and not impunity
Recent happenings are ominous. Not only the case of Pias Karim but in several other instances also the slander that the nonconformists have come under have demonstrated a very base form of witch hunt. One fears that the diktat of a student group acquiesced by the Dhaka University authorities have set a dangerous precedent that may well boomerang.
The writer is Editor, Op-Ed and Defence & Strategic Affairs, The Daily Star.
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