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EDITORIAL
Cronies and plunder of public money
The reported colossal scale of corruption scandal concerning topmost politicians and their client tycoons and magnates has taken the nation by surprise. People now shudder what spiteful ugliness lay behind the polished veneer of the Bangladesh politicos. Their loss of face is now immense. However, time is not yet ripe to banish them from the scene as lawsuits are afoot.
With the exception of one or two newspapers, over the past few weeks, all dailies and a few weekly journals of the country have been dishing out stories of extreme and incredible embezzlement, degeneracy, depravity, corruption, fraudulence and duplicity concerning hunger for big money to the tune of Crores and millions of Takas of top and major leaders of both BNP and Awami League. Though the source and authority of these news items -- some even verge on sheer indecency -- are anonymous, nevertheless these are destroying the images of the two party chiefs, Khaleda and Hasina. In all probability the duo will find exceptionally hard to recover from this indignity smudging their reputation as politicians. What is most surprising is: in matters of money hunting there was unbelievable nexus and collusion between Awami League and BNP -- none was behind the other. It was a no-holds-barred carnival of loot and plunder TIB could not find trace of. And the bribe taking business was spread beyond the borders. One such story tells about Awami League's link with Pakistan spy network ISI.
There cannot be two opinions about what the Army chief General Moeen U Ahmed said recently that the country had been riddled with corruption and there had been extensive looting, which prompted the current drive against the corrupt ones. Recently the Election Commission (EC) has made a move to impose a ban on receiving funds from foreign sources to run political parties or their election campaigns.
"No political party shall receive any donation or funding from any foreign country or organisation or a person who is not of Bangladesh origin," the EC said in its draft proposal. The proposal was recently drafted as part of its ongoing initiative for electoral reforms to ensure financial transparency in the activities of political parties.
Major political parties including Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami have reportedly been collecting funds from foreign sources for a long time particularly to run their election campaigns. A number of AL and BNP leaders detained on charge of corruption have allegedly admitted to taking money from foreign sources to run their party's election campaigns.
Lord Acton's assertion that power corrupts has attained a proverbial status; but even in Bangladesh there were shining examples of incorruptible political leaders holding high offices and top positions. Actually it is dishonest people who seek an opportunity to make money by means of doing politics. The hunger for wealth degenerates into a ravenous greed, and then it becomes an incorrigible addiction. Cure for it has to be found for the sake of the nation's survival, and the interim administration is advancing towards that goal.
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Dalits converting to Buddhism
Scourge of caste in
India: Cracks are widening
AMM Shahabuddin
As the time-honored adage goes: "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then gentleman?" It is a hard question, no doubt, to the present-day leaders, both secular and non-secular, of India, 80 per cent of whose population of over one billion, are Hindus and perhaps one third of which belong to that so-called 'untouchables' (Achchuts) or Horijans who had been hanging at the lowest rung of the society for centuries for no fault of their own.
So the inevitable is bound to come and it had already arrived there showing its ugly face here and there. As they say, 'what must be, must be? Even after sixty years of independence from British rule, the Indian leadership had never found time to look downwards to find out on whose shoulders they are sitting although they achieved laudable success in different socio-economic and political fields, including historic achievement in nuclear field.
India began its journey as an independent state under the leadership of Pandit Nehru, as the first Prime Minister of India, with the promise of making India a secular state, based on healthy relationship amongst the Hindus, Muslims and other minority communities living in India. Perhaps Nehru also did not dare to put his hand in the hornet's nest to reform the Hindu society to bring up on the shore the almost drowned 'scheduled caste' Hindus. He skillfully shunned the dangerous path, giving more attention to build up the new state. And the new leadership that followed the Nehruvian rule, became more callous to this social evil. They all ran for secularism, no doubt, whether it was Nehru-Gandhi's Congress party or the newly formed political parties, including the Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP), regarded as the most powerful rival of congress.
BJP, was always under the cloak of secularism, but it had served as a powerful den of rank Hindu nationalists, dominated by the RSS, Shivsena and Vishwa Hindu Parishad cadres who formed the very basis of BJP, led by fiery brands like LK Advani. According to them, too much 'leniency' shown by the Congress to the minorities, particularly the Muslims, who formed about 18 per cent. of the total Indian population, was working against the interests of the majority community. So BJP discarded the congress policy of what they called 'minoritism'. But the questions is: which 'majority' community, the BJP means whose interests had been in danger because of 'minoritism' followed by congress? Is it not the Brahmins, led by upper class Hindus, minus the untouchables', the Dalits, the downtrodden underdogs of their community? These are the wretched people who had been living and working for centuries under inhuman conditions. It is, therefore, no surprising that they had started showing their 'teeth', as evident in recent incidents in India's financial capital, Mumbai.
Mockery of democracy?
Even in this 21st century there is no visible sign of on the part of Indian leadership to bring about a change in the fate of these unfortunate people. But the recent 'burst' of the sleeping 'volcano' had cast a gloom, shaking to the bone recently in Mumbai when at a peaceful gathering of several thousand 'Dalits' said good-bye to their age-old religion in which they were born and brought up and embraced Buddhism. Buddhism is a liberal religion preached by Bhuddha, a prince who left the palace to preach his new religion ensuring equal rights and status for all. This is considered the first 'revolt' against 'Brahminism' and all that it meant.
It may be mentioned here that such 'mass conversion' had taken place openly in the past from time to time in India. Nearly 10,000 Dalits changed their faith to Buddhism in October last alone and the October conversion was to mark the anniversary of the historic conversion of late 'Achchut' leader, Dr. Ambedkar, a low-caste Hindu who had made a name in India's history as a jurist and constitutionalist, playing a key-role in drafting India's constitution.
In fact, Dr. Ambedkar brought a new life to his community, literally showing them a most convenient 'escape-route' to free themselves from their age-old 'rigorous imprisonment' by first himself converting to Buddhism. The conversion of low-caste Hindus into Buddhism from time to time in groups of thousands at a time has now become a regular process. It won't be surprising if such bulk conversions of Dalits to Buddhism would rise much faster than expected in coming months and years. It is indeed a wake-up call for the Indian leadership to save Hindu society from total disintegration and the country from further chaos.
Gujjers up in Arms
In this context, I would like to mention also the incident that had led to chaotic situation in Rajasthan recently, forcing police to fire on the rowdy mob, killing dozens of the demonstrators. Two police officials were also killed in the mayhem. But it was not organised by the untouchable Hindus but by an ethnic community, Gujjar, mostly nomadic shephards. About 20,000 Gujjars were out on the streets demanding their share in government jobs and government assistance for development. As the demonstrator blocked the roads to force the officials to accept their demand to "classify" them as being in the lowest rung, so that they could get due share of government jobs and aid reserved for such groups.
So, while the untouchable Hindus were embracing Buddhism through a peaceful process in Mumbai and other parts of India, the Gujjars resorted to rowdy demonstration demanding their share of government jobs and aid for the benefit of their deprived community. Although the two events occurred in two conflicting scenario, one in peace and another in violence, the basic issue that brought the two groups on the streets was the same - a sense of deprivation, frustration, and century old slavery of the upper class. So where is the end of this tragic story? Only time will tell. I am tempted here to quote from a recent article by that renowned India columnist, Kuldip Nayar who, inter alia said: "Man, however long he remains shackled, asserts his self in one way or the other."
While the India Congress leaders are trying hard to show before the world and people at home that they are still following a secular policy set by Pandit Nehru six decades ago, their rival BJP, although moving on a different track, raising identical slogan. Some even point out that a Muslim as President of India, a Sikh as Prime Minister and a 'Harijan' (Dalit), Dr. Ambedkar, playing a key-role in drafting Indias constitution, are glaring examples to show where secular India stands! On the other hand, BJP and its front-organisation, like RSS, Shivsena, Hindu Parishad, are trying hard to gain mileage by trumpeting 'Hindutva' as their main political objective and promising to make India secular.
The "trailer show" of BJP's secularism had been enjoyed by all when they blindly destroyed the 18th century Babri Masjid, resulting in the death of thousands of people, mostly Muslims. And BJP leader Advani, a staunch preacher of 'Hindutva', never hesitated to visit the grave of M.A. Jinnah's, the founder of Pakistan, during his last visit to Karachi. Perhaps Advani's eyes were on Muslim 'vote bank' at home to prove how secular he was. So they blow hot and cold at the same breath to achieve their goal, but never utter a single word about the emancipation of the untouchable Hindus, being trampled under their feet. So the ostrich-like policy towards the Dalits/Harijans by both the congress and BJP is bound to be disastrous in the long run.
Darkness under lamp
So the proverbial 'darkness under the lamp' continues. As they say "they devil can quote scriptures for his own ends." The present-day Indian leadership, belonging to two opposing camps, secular and non-secular, seem to be very close to each other in following the devils' traditional policy of quoting 'scriptures' to serve their political strategies, their aim being to cross the bridge to occupy the most coveted 'power-house' and the most lucrative 'musical chair.' They never think of what danger is gradually looming larger with the increasing 'erosion' in India's body-politic due to bulk and steady conversion of the Dalits to Buddhism. They should try to put their own house in order first then look beyond to mend their fences.
Therefore, it is the proper time for the Indian leadership to call a spade, a spade, and face the ground reality. But if they allow the smoldering fire in their 'basement' to continue to grow and take a dangerous shape, then only history would tell what shape future events would take.
AMM Shahabuddin is a retired UN official.
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Wedlock and born losers
Maswood Alam Khan
You can bring about a million dollar smile on a mother's face if you, as a matchmaker, can arrange a good boy to marry her daughter-short in height and not so fair in skin-who waited for years and almost gave up the idea of marriage!
Immediately after giving birth a mother can't wait to know the sex of her baby. If it's a boy she smiles her thanks to God; if it's a girl tears mist her eyes. If it's a dark boy mother doesn't care; if it's a dark girl, mother starts counting the day when she would be matured and also over the length of her conjugal life once she is somehow married.
Dark skin of a girl in our society is a stigma. Number one demand in the wish list of a socially well placed bachelor window-shopping for his future bride is fair or brown skin of a girl; other numbers are: her height not below 5 feet, her waist not more than 28 inches, her solid career to supplement postnuptial family budgets, she and her parents have to be devout in their religion, her parents must have a permanent address in the metropolis and nobility of her ancestors' lineage. And, an extra number: given fortune smiling on him, if only the girl's eyes were a little frolicsome or a little bluish like those of Aishwarya Rai twinkling as seen in the TV advertisement of Lux soap!
Marriage market has strong demands for a brown, slim and tall girl. Then, where will our dark-skinned and petite girls go? What happens to her mind when she realises she is unwanted for no fault of her own? How do her parents cope with her unmarried daughter? Why did God colour her skin darker and tailor her femora shorter?
Rabindranath Tagore too had his heartaches over one of his daughters' marriage and her conjugal life. Finding himself helpless in assuaging his daughter's pains Tagore bewailed his misfortune and couldn't quite reconcile divine providence's role as a one-eyed referee on an uneven playground in a caricatured game between males and females, with females invariably made the born losers.
But God cannot afford to err on the side of males. A little observation of the animals' behaviour in wildlife makes it clear that we humans rather erred on the wrong side of Nature. Birds or tigers while choosing their mates discriminate only against the weak and in favour of the strong, not so much on other skin-deep beauties. In wildlife it is always a male who has to show off his frills, beauties and strengths for a female to pick and choose and decide how she can best pass her gene down for future generations. In the distant past the software of our human mind was perhaps attacked by an alien virus to corrupt our attitude in choosing our spouses on colour bias.
Of late, the deep-seated virus seems getting debugged. The pan holding females in the weighing scale now is getting heavier than that holding males with the balancing rod tilted towards females. Females are excelling in every sphere; call it education, politics, professional careers in corporate world, steady jobs in garment factories or feats achieved in piloting jumbo jets or identifying a peculiar thread of chromosome in the nuclei hidden inside our DNA.
Like shoppers in 'Goroor Haat' (livestock market) who check for the required minimum number of bovine teeth before buying sacrificial cows on the eve of Eidul Azha, unmarried career women (bachelorettes in American English) in our society nowadays appoint their representatives to choose their grooms from among the hordes of interviewed bachelors, thanks to professional approach of matchmakers in marriage bureaus now in roaring business in our country.
In Darwinian chase for natural selection the strong are leaving behind the weak in the lurch and thousands of our bachelors and bachelorettes are still unmarried. Some bachelors had been busy bearing the full brunt of caring their mother and siblings after their fathers' premature death and are now too old to marry. Some pretty bachelorettes were too picky in sifting out their Mr. Rights among the prospects and can't really recollect when they missed the last train of marriage departed at the dead of night.
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LETTERS
Black money should go to people
Dear Editor:
It is not known why money is called black or white. It may be that black stands for bad and evil, while white stands for purity and cleanliness. From the above meaning wmoney thus collected under cover of darkness illegally is black. When it is earned legally and openly is white.
Let us see how Horace Greely a great thinker explained it. To him: "The darkest hour of any man's life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it". This is possibly one of the best ways of explaining black money and that of bad mental attitude of the person engaging in illegal method of getting money. Black-marketing, smuggling, adulteration, bribery, accepting graft, evasion of taxes etc. are some of the common things in our country. The illegal occupants of government land are also to be bracketed as black money/wealth holder.
All my efforts to write on the above subject made me to change it for a number of times to match it with the latest incidents of the high level corruption but failed and I prefer to leave it for others to work on it. Here I quote a very interesting saying of American President Theodore Roosevelt: "A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car, but if he has a university education he may steal the whole railroad". What he said more than half a century ago came true with the surface of what forest big boss did --- he has stolen the whole forest and made huge money. Insatiable greed made this forest chief so blind that he forgot the consequences and indulged in the corruption in a freestyle manner.
The fortune he thus made will now bring him misfortune and miseries for him and the family. I quote Mahtma Gandhi who rightly said "There is sufficiency in the world of man's need, but not for man's greed.
M. A. Alim,
Former banker,
Indira Road, Dhaka.
Reform in political parties
Dear Editor:
Recently politicians of two major political parties in their bid to beg favour of their party chiefs stated that, any reform in the party would have to be made by retaining the existing party chiefs only as their chiefs. This has totally disappointed the vast majority who expected at least there were some sensible leaders in the political organisations who for the sake of the country's welfare would seek for a change in the leadership in their parties.
We do not understand how a person of minimum patriotism could imagine of retaining a person as their party head whose family members, close party aides and the ministers are languishing in jail on alleged charges of extortion, corruption, theft of relief materials and so many other criminal activities. No one from the party appears to have ever questioned their leader how those criminal activities could happen right under the nose of that leader even by her closest family members.
The latest move by the leader of a political party in allocating her brother an important portfolio in the party unilaterally is a glaring example of continued intention to install family dynasty in the party leadership in total defiance of the sentiments both in the country and within the party itself. People already know the result of appointing a close family member of the party chief in a senior position in the party who wielded parallel power like that of the party chief, by surpassing every other eligible senior members in the party. The other senior party members had no guts to protest but to accept the same helplessly.
The leader of the other major political party has stated that, there was "suffocating situation" in the country in the absence of democracy. May I ask that leader what type of democracy she was referring to? Was it Hartals, blockade, killing of people with Logi and Baitha, arson and destruction of public properties? That was a suffocating situation for the public.
No reforms in their respective parties are possible so long they remain in the party leadership with dictatorial power.
Mohammad Ataul Hoque.
Foreign interference, UNO Charter
Dear Editor:
From time to time we observe and find that some foreign diplomats, leaders and visitors poke their nose into the internal affairs of our country. They make statements, hold press conferences, meet President, Prime Minister and Advisers to the caretaker government, political leaders, top government officials and any one they like and discuss our domestic, political, economic and foreign affairs. Even a low-profile foreign official of the rank and status of Assistant Secretary and Deputy Secretary can call on the top people here as and when they wish.
How many of our leaders, ministers, ambassadors, high commissioners and high government officials have access to the US President George Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other American and British leaders and high government officials in Washington and London and they dare to discuss the internal affairs of the USA and the UK?
Do our political leaders and government officials have the guts and courage to tell the leaders/government officials of foreign countries about their (foreign countries) excesses and abuses of power, blatant violation of universal human rights, illegal occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, indiscriminate killing of hundreds of Iraqis and Afghans in the name of insurgents, anti-state elements, Al-Qaida and Taleban supporters, blind support to Israel, creating enmity and hatred among the peoples to follow the policy of 'divide and rule' in Asia and Africa?
Is interference by a country into the internal affairs of a foreign country right or wrong?
What does our 'Panchasheela' say? What does the UNO Charter say?
O. H. Kabir,
Dhaka.
Campus politics
Dear Editor:
One good thing that the present administration has done was the step to enact a law banning party affiliated student politics. Everybody knows the two main party's affiliated "student front" organisations in the education institutions are the breeding ground for terrorists, extortionists and hooligans. They are directly nurtured by the two major political parties to meet their political exigencies.
These groups become notorious as hired goons of the political parties, often shifting their allegiance to the party in power immediately after the election. These cadres under the disguise of students keep the general students under their thumbs. The University and College administrations become hostage to their notorious activities in the campus.
We have seen how some of "student" leaders entering national politics had indulged in looting and plundering national wealth after becoming an MP. In the name of student politics these groups made the campus areas a crime zone, involved in tender business, kidnapping, extortion, drug peddling, trading on hostel seat allotments within the campus. Outsiders don't dare entering the area after dusk. What an irony of fate.
Even some of the teachers were also induced to the unhealthy practice of party politics within the campus. Nowhere else including in India, students and teachers are used for political purposes. Vast majority of our students do not endorse such criminal activities and want peaceful academic atmosphere.
Student politics is welcome so long it relates to the students' welfare and such other activities concerning their studies and recreation within the campus.
I believe the present administration has the total support of the nation in curbing these illegal activities in the campus in the name of student politics under the guidance of the political parties.
M. A. Hoque
Ensure transparency
Dear Editor:
I fully endorse the view expressed in the letter's column in the Holiday on 25 May, 2007 on the above subject. The present drive against corruption is highly welcomed. The object of this drive will be all the more appreciated if all the advisers in the CG, ACC members, EC and all others concerned would voluntarily declare their wealth statements, bank accounts, tax statements etc. which will eventually bring confidence among the people of our country.
The present administration will then be able to face the simmering discontent prevailing in the minds of the people in this regard.
It will be highly appreciated if the ACC, task force, Bangladesh Bank and other intelligence agencies would carry out all-out investigation sincerely and honestly regarding the wealth (both at home and abroad) of the people in the above mentioned sectors of the administration.
A. R. Khan,
Lalmatia, Dhaka.
Weekly holiday: 2-day or 1½ day?
Dear Editor:
Two-day or 1½ day? Can LDCs afford a two-day weekend holiday when the system losses are very high in all sectors? The time consuming noting system in the Secretariat wastes a lot of time. Cut it down by 50 per cent (first phase).
We may review whether to go back to 1½ day weekly holiday.
Our essential projects are on 'holiday' - i.e. not working - for 15 years impeding normal GDP growth rate.
Are we practical or dreamy? We urban people don't work as hard as our rural folks.
A Mawaz,
Dhaka.
Campus reform, neglected issues
Dear Editor:
There is white paper on student ethics and politicisation of student unions.
The effect on future governance by the young generations would display some negative characteristics, retarding the proper development of the nation.
The implications should be spotted now - for corrective measures.
'Discipline' and 'indiscipline' have become relative terms in different camps. Now the Judiciary has been separated. Campus reform is another urgent issue which needs to be attended to.
Too many neglected issues in the society need attention.
A. Mahasen,
Dhaka.
MIG-29 deal
Dear Editor:
We come to know from the newspaper report that MIG-29 deal case would be revived soon in the interest of accountability and transparency of the Caretaker Government. In this connection I like to say that the weekly Holiday published reports on MIG deal on May 21, 1999 and July 9, 1999 respectively.
The Holiday correspondent stated in detail how a cousin MP of the then Prime Minister, Air-Chief and other Bangladesh Air Force officers and Noor Ali, a tycoon, were involved in the deal. The Holiday also published an ISPR clarification on May 28, 1999 which refuted the report. But the Editor of the Holiday disproved ISPR clarification making a note that the Holiday correspondent stands by his report.
I do hope the concerned officials will go through the report of the Holiday which will give all sorts of information on the deal.
A.M.K. Chowdhury,
West Masdhair,
Narayanganj.
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