No country for indigenous people

Discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities are increasing day by day; and if such a situation persists, the country will not have any such group of people left, said Dhaka University Prof Robaet Ferdous yesterday.

Bengalis and the indigenous communities fought side by side during the Liberation War to get rid of the age-long oppression and misrule, but fate of these communities remains almost unchanged even after 48 years of independence, he added.

The noted academician made the observations while presenting a keynote paper on the ethnic minorities’ rights situation at a discussion in the capital.

Indigenous Peoples Development Services (IPDS), a non-government organisation, in association with British High Commission Dhaka, organised the event titled “Enhancing Political Participation of Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh” at The Daily Star Centre.

Prof Ferdous said many countries -- including Australia, India and even Pakistan -- progressed significantly in terms of ensuring rights of minority communities, but Bangladesh -- on the other hand -- is lagging far behind.

In Bangladesh, land, houses, temples and even burial grounds of these communities are being grabbed along with forests, on which their livelihood mostly depended, he said.

Those are being occupied by influential people, forcing them [people of minority communities] to leave the country.

“Indigenous people have become minorities in their own land,” he added.

Blaming the government for the situation, Prof Ferdous said these people have been pushed into a process of becoming landless in the name of development.

If such a situation prevails, no indigenous person will be left in Bangladesh. From minority, their number will turn to zero. They will only be found in researches, archives and museums, he said.

To protect rights of these communities, he suggested that the government formulate a separate act for them; reserve seats in the parliament and local government polls to ensure their political representation, and recognise their identity in the constitution.

Speaking as chief guest at the discussion, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said the rights of indigenous people could not be established yet as the state has a different mindset towards them.

He urged people to continue the fight for their rights and take part in mainstream politics, which will help uphold their demands.

Convener of the Parliamentary Caucus on Indigenous People Fazle Hossain Badsha said, “We don’t want to see a Bangladesh divided by religion and ethnicity, as it is against the spirit of the Liberation War.”

Lawmaker AKM Fazlul Haque, IPDS President Sanjeeb Drong and Jatiya Adivasi Parishad President Rabindranath Soren, among others, spoke at the programme.