How is the BNP paying tribute to its founder?

What is the late president Ziaur Rahman most remembered for? And how do its present leaders and the party compare with the legacy left behind by the founder?

For those of us who had the privilege of participating in the liberation war Zia's role as a freedom fighter is the dearest. His independence announcement in Bangabandhu's name (that's what I heard myself) still resonates in my memory and my heart starts literally pounding when I recall how enthused, encouraged and proud I felt in those end March '71 days hearing his voice telling the whole world that our march for independence was on. While in Mukti Bahini camps throughout those heady days of 1971 stories about our sector commanders and exploits by these courageous, self sacrificing and enormously brave young majors were stuff of great delight and pride that gave us that sorely needed impetus and role models to fight the formidable Pakistani army. Those were days of innocent pride untouched by the polluting and corrupting elements of subsequent politics.

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Then there will be those who will remember him for abolishing BKSAL. Members of the press will consider his lifting of the ban on all but four newspapers as his most memorable act. His colleagues in the military will have their own glorious events to remember him by.

In our view (and we are discussing only two aspects) as a political leader his lasting memory in the public mind one that makes it extremely relevant today- is that of his personal financial incorruptibility. Even his staunchest critic and sworn opponent will concede that no blemish can be put on him in terms of personal financial gain while he was in power. The image of personally honest Zia and his financial incorruptibility reaches a level of incredulity when compared with the present day reality of BNP and its leaders. One is forced to ask the question, on the occasion of his death anniversary, as how the BNP leaders are paying respect to the man but for whose sacrifice, personal honesty and creating the BNP they would have been in total oblivion?

Are they not paying their respects by thoroughly, shamelessly and self destructively abandoning his stance of personal incorruptibility? Today there is hardly any cabinet minister (save a very few) who is beyond suspicion of corruption both by himself and by his or her immediate family members. Is this upholding Zia's legacy?

There is another reason for which the late President is remembered with the highest of respect- the stern manner with which he kept his family members and his relatives out of politics, business and all sorts of privileges of power. The stories of his relatives being completely sidelined while he was in office are known to many who had served with him or knew about the affairs of Zia's government from close quarters. It is said that his relatives were most discouraged to make contacts with him and could only visit his official residence with prior appointment, which were most reluctantly given. Stories assert that there were clear verbal instructions from him to inform him directly if anybody would ever claim any favour using his name. We have had people claim to us that Ziaur Rahman's relatives worked with them in the same office, which they came to know only after his death. The story that most impresses us deals with one of his sons failing in his class and being asked to leave school and Zia refusing personally or allowing anybody on his behalf to intervene with the school authority. The son had to subsequently be transferred to another school to continue his studies. Can any school dare behave like that with children of even a low level leader of BNP?

The party--Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)--that Zia formed runs the country today. How does the present day BNP, led by Khaleda Zia, compare with the BNP that her husband founded?

We feel compelled to raise this issue on the 24th anniversary of Ziaur Rahman's assassination because we think time has come to tear down the world of the sycophants, time servers and opportunists who make use of the public sympathy and love for our leaders only to line their own pockets and those of their families.

Let us start with the BNP. How many leaders of Zia's party today can claim that they are not sitting on piles of ill-gotten money? If there are any let him/her proclaim so, and show the courage of allowing impartial public scrutiny of their personal wealth? What greater tribute can there be for the leader than to prove their personal financial honesty which continues to be one of Ziaur Rahman's admirable legacy.

Will the PM take up the challenge of making public how many sons, daughters, cousins, nieces, nephews and other relatives of her ministers and party leaders are in big business and since when they came into their fabulous wealth? She could set a most admirable trend, and earn our eternal respect, if she would include her own family in that disclosure. Will any minister, any party leader take up this challenge? This one action would be a thousand times more powerful tribute to Zia's memory than anything that the party has done so far. We wait with bated breath for any takers?

We would like to cite two instances of the Prime Minister's own office to show the contrast between the government of the founder of BNP and that which is running the country now.

First is the story of the dismissal of Khaleda Zia's own secretary Nurul Islam whom she is said to have trusted and depended on. Suddenly his presence became unacceptable in the PMO because he started investigating the goings-on inside that office. Once stunning things started coming to light, the corrupt persons within the PMO took advantage of a memo Nurul Islam had sent asking for an investigation, on the basis of an anonymous letter, linking Tarique Rahman’s name to some deal. The PM should have commended Islam for the move, as it would have cleared Tareq's name if he were innocent. But instead it was Islam's head that rolled.

Second is the story of an official memo by no less a person than the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary, Kamal Siddiqui, asking PM's assistant personal secretary (APS) Shamsul Alam to explain as to how he managed to buy land with a house in Gulshan worth crores of taka and how he got the money for it. Till date no action has been taken on the memo of the Principal Secretary. Our information is that he is defying Siddiqui in the full knowledge of the PM. Quite a number of plots with houses were auctioned by Rajuk recently. The whole thing was done without due transparency and in violation of rules. Public impression is that many of these auctioned houses in Gulshan went to people in the PMO or connected with them. Even after repeated asking Rajuk is unable (read unwilling) to divulge names of who won those houses in auction, when and how the auction were conducted, how many people participated in them, at what price were they ultimately sold, etc. Given Ziaur Rahman's track record we can easily guess how he would have handled these incidents and compare that to how they actually were.

The relatively clean image that Khaleda Zia's government enjoyed during its first term in office stands shattered today under mountain high piles of corruption much of it reaching the very core of the highest centre of power. Ask any businessmen today and he/she will say that without support from the some fortunate 'sons' or their nominees no business deal can be made. From small to big business deals have to routed to special 'bhavans' to ensure success. The notoriety of two sons of one very powerful minister has reached a level where it has become the staple of other ministers' daily comments. Another son of another minister is said to run the ministry literally as his own. We think Ziaur Rahman must be turning in his grave to see the corruption that has eaten through the party he founded and at the dealings of many of his lieutenants and comrades.