Editorial

Of human frustration

The PM was perhaps right when she pleaded her ignorance about the existence of militants in Bangladesh prior to the symphony bomb blasts across the country on August 17, 2005. I say so because prior to that ominous day Banglabhai of today was seen to have been enjoying the privilege of a 'very respectable person' at least with the local administration. The Superintendent of Police, Rajshahi was even reported to have played host to this 'bandit' in his office to work out 'strategies' against the so-called 'sharbohara' insurgents in the northern region. Banglabhai's active cooperation with the law and order enforcing agencies eventually saw a good number of apparently innocent rural families ransacked through many a predatory measure taken directly by the criminal. The episode turned out to be a literal 'myth' with the State Minister for Home Affairs who even went to the extent of joking with the media making a parody of Banglabhai with 'Englishbhai' etc. In a jovial mood and expression Mr Lutfuzzaman Babar discounted press reports and rejected the existence of any such character at Bagmara, Rajshahi. At that time the Prime Minister (who holds concurrent charge of Home Ministry) didn't appear to have any feedback from her state minister on such an "insignificant and unimportant" matter.

The former US ambassador in Bangladesh, in his parting statement to the electronic media, insisted that Banglabhai was an 'Islamic militant' already making substantial headway towards building an Afghan-style 'Taleban regime' in the country. The ambassador was also reported to have requested the Prime Minister to intervene immediately before things went out of control. Indeed she reacted quickly and ordered for immediate arrest of the hoodlum at any cost. Reward of a huge amount was readily declared on his head. Before the police could go into fresher action the notorious bandit went underground to avoid interception of the police. Virtually he and his assistants were granted enough time to make final dents to their organisational mechanism. The formal emergence of JMB on August 17, 2005 with simultaneous bomb blasts at 63 out of 64 districts gave the big jolt. Suicide bombers took, among others, many lives including those of judges, lawyers, and general members of the public.

When the Prime Minister says that she or her government was not aware of the existence of militants (Islamic militants precisely) prior to August 17, 2005, she doesn't tell us how then and why she asked for immediate arrest of Banglabhai long before August 17. One might wonder if she didn't consider Siddiqul Islam alias Banglabhai as an Islamic militant capable of terrorist activities creating serious law and order situation in the country. However, if she didn't think Banglabhai was at par with the ferocious 'Islamic militants and terrorists' and equally dangerous her orders for rounding up the man would bear unacceptable contradiction of one's own conviction. To yet another question of the journalist representing Time Magazine she revealed that when she took over charge of the government in late 2001 the law and order situation in the country was very bad. The people were in perpetual fear and couldn't sleep in peace. She added that she and her government inherited 'terrorism' from the predecessor government of the Awami League. We have an irreversible self contradiction from the prime minister occurring perhaps very unknowingly.

Thomas Gray, the great English poet (1716-1771) famed for his 'Elegy written in a country churchyard' said in one of his poems: "Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise." In our case here the initial pleadings of ignorance appears unfortunately to have been mere pretensions rousing consternation. A little bit of diplomacy in place could perhaps salvage the PM's stance, instead of going for a political gimmick to put the onus of responsibility on her predecessors.

We have had echo of frustration in her statement when she said that at times she thought of relinquishing her position being pinched by human instincts. But she couldn't leave because of the trust and confidence reposed with her by the people whom she couldn't disappoint etc. Frustration is the inevitable product of failure in one's endeavours. In this case, the loud bragging on the 'tide of development' paralleled to the ever-compounding human miseries on the economic front make the claim mere empty clamour having nothing to do with reality. Perhaps here the shoe pinches and hence the prime minister feels disheartened. And that's why she vents her wounded feelings in frustration. This is indeed human and there is none to blame.

Yet one can very rightly allude to the none too effective role played by the administrative machinery of the government. In spite of the early indifference to act in time to contain the Islamic terrorists her ability to prove in recent times earned her credit and commendation at home and abroad. The whole nation awaits the end results of the legal proceedings against Shayek Abdur Rahman, Banglabhai and other JMB militants. Meanwhile, due to extreme highhandedness of the police and other law enforcing agencies at Kansat, the image of the government has again been pitiably riffed through. Belated though the commotion there has subsided on the commitment of the negotiating committee of the government to meet the demand of the people in one month.

But the relief offered in the news above was overturned in 24 hours at Chittagong stadium by the police headed by DC Ali Akbar. This time the whole nation and the world at large had witnessed on the electronic media the unprecedented excesses of the police force on the journalists/photojournalists beating them brutally with rifle buts, batons and boots. The DC himself was seen mercilessly beating the old photojournalist Al-haj Zahirul Haque. Can it be a part of the conspiracy the prime minister often refers to? Perhaps not. But truly these unfortunate and deplorable episodes could be the real and undesirable elements compounding the frustration.

Kazi Alauddin Ahmed is a management consultant.

Comments

মার্কিন প্রেসিডেন্ট ডোনাল্ড ট্রাম্প। ছবি: এএফপি

ইরানে মার্কিন হামলার প্রস্তুতি শেষ, অপেক্ষা ট্রাম্পের আদেশের

ট্রাম্প ইরানে হামলার পরিকল্পনা অনুমোদন করেছেন, কিন্তু দেশটিতে হামলা চালানো হবে কিনা সে বিষয়ে চূড়ান্ত সিদ্ধান্ত নেননি।

২ ঘণ্টা আগে