Lessons from 60s could aid progress

Lessons from the glorious movement of the 1960s could have helped Bangladesh move forward, speakers told a dialogue yesterday.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the event to hold a discussion on Prof Rehman Sobhan's latest book, “Untranquil Recollections: The Years of Fulfilment”, at Brac Centre Inn in the capital.

The speakers said there was great consensus and unity among politicians, academics, the civil society and students in the 60s that led to the independence of Bangladesh.

“Youths had protested against the social injustice in the 1960s. They had mobilised public opinion and built up consensus in favour of democracy,” said eminent lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain.

He said Prof Rehman stood firm against the social injustice at that time even though he was just in his mid-20s.

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at the CPD, said the 60s was the golden decade in Bangladesh's history when tolerance prevailed amidst social injustice.

“There was a great combination of thoughts, thinkers and politicians in the 1960s and this combination helped the creation of Bangladesh,” he said.

The discussants hailed Prof Rehman for his works in exposing the economic disparity between West Pakistan and East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. They termed him a public intellectual who specialised on a myriad of issues, especially politics, economics, history and philosophy.

Gowher Rizvi, international affairs adviser to the prime minister, said, “The role he played was quite phenomenal.”

Senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmed said he was the real motivator in unearthing the disparity. “Two economic theories in two parts of Pakistan were his brainchild,” he said.

Prof Manzoorul Islam of Dhaka University said Prof Rehman was inseparable from the history of Bangladesh. “As I read the book, I felt like meditating. It is a revisit to history,” he said.

Sultan Hafeez Rahman said the book contained elements of politics, history, economics and philosophy.

MM Akash, who teaches economics at Jahangirnagar University, said it was a complete book which narrated the history of Bangladesh from 1957 to 1971.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said Prof Rehman acted as a bridge between academics and political activists in the 60s. “We used to take elements from him and make people understand,” he said.

The speakers also talked on Prof Rehman's humour and his capacity to narrate history in a simple way. 

Replying to questions from some of the speakers, Prof Rehman said he and others were able to put the idea of socialism in the election manifesto of 1970 and movement for freedom not because they had influence over Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“He (Bangabandhu) was a person who had a need for such ideas as he was mobilising people for greater wars. He responded to his need, otherwise our ideas would have ended up in the waste basket,” he said.