TIB report draws wrath of lawmakers

The shameless display of rage at the TIB report by; lawmakers in parliament is, sadly, not surprising in the least. For all our vaunted talk of democratic values, we as a people remain fundamentally incapable of stomaching any criticism.
Seasoned political leaders called for punishing TIB for alleged sedition and malfeasance. As children we are taught that anything short of unquestioning obedience to parents and teachers is tantamount to immorality of the highest order, and no measure of the most respectful, well reasoned constructive criticism is welcome. Therefore, whether we like it or not, our culture reinforces from the very beginning the idea that dissent and criticism equals disloyalty and rebellion. Those politicians in parliament are simply reflecting the culture around them. Until such a time that criticism can be handled maturely in our homes, offices, and colleges, I am afraid that our democracy will continue to be a merely procedural one.

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In a real democratic system, a government usually resigns when such accusations become general, especially when supported by reputed watchdog bodies. The internationally recognised corruption watchdog TIB also threw a challenge by saying that necessary data are available to prove their claim. It was interesting to observe how Tofail Ahmed and Sheikh Selim came down very hard on TIB with their protests, but with no stantive evidence to challenge the TIB claim. On the contrary, they virtually threatened TIB. How can a government still be in power after such report by TIB, which says 97 percent of the 149 sitting MPs surveyed were involved in "negative activities" while 70 percent of them were engaged in "criminal activities? Is not it a shame for our MPs and, particularly, leader of the House and head of the government g to continue in power? I hope she would understand the seriousness of the issue and save the nation from such a shame. Or else, we have to dig a hole in the ground to hide our shame.
Sheikh Monirul Islam, Opee
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