Bangladesh Defense Forum
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The mystery of who takes the decisions in the government, how and why
The interim government is the outcome of the mass uprising. The expectations from this government are massive. A large section of the people were ready to lend their cooperation to the government. However, from the way things look, it seems that the government is not paying attention to the...
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The mystery of who takes the decisions in the government, how and why
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house at Dhanmondi 32 has been razed to the ground with a bulldozer Prothom Alo
The interim government is the outcome of the mass uprising. The expectations from this government are massive. A large section of the people were ready to lend their cooperation to the government. However, from the way things look, it seems that the government is not paying attention to the tasks that should have been their priority.
Our concern lies in the fact that in certain instances it seems that the government does not exist in the country. The government that has emerged from the mass uprising has authority as well as responsibilities. But the government's activities display a discrepancy between its authority and its responsibilities. This was also evident in the destruction of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house on Dhanmondi Road 32 and similar incidents all over the country.
We saw the destruction began with an announcement. Similar demolition took place in different places throughout the country. Initially the government said nothing. The manner in which bulldozers and other tools were used for the demolition, it was evident that government organisations were involved. The army has been given magistracy power, but they remained silent.
Many of those who called for the structures to be destroyed, are involved with various organisations of the government. After the damage was done, the chief advisor issued a statement calling for the destruction to stop. Three matters come to light in this entire incident. There was inattention on one hand, inaction and mystery. The mystery was , who is actually taking decisions in the government, how and why?
The justification being offered on Facebook by supporters of the government, the manner in which the advisors are speaking, sometimes create conflict. The consequence of this is that these actions which are being taken to, as announced, wipe out Awami League's existence from the country, are actually facilitating Awami League's rehabilitation or return.
The government must not tolerate any sort of discrimination, be it gender discrimination, racial discrimination, religious discrimination or any other form of discrimination, and take an active stance against any action that fosters such discrimination.
The incidents that are taking place are creating questions on an international level concerning the credibility of the present government. We are also concerned. In which direction is Bangladesh being led? There are assaults and attacks on baul songs, mazars (shrines) and sculptures. Who are the ones launching these attacks? What is the government doing to stop them?
The mass uprising took place with the aspiration for a Bangladesh free of discrimination, but is this being reflected in the interim government's performance? Quite contrary to the aspirations of the mass uprising, there are visible trends pointing to politics of discrimination and suppression, use of force and fear, creating alarm and attacks against creativity.
Had the Sheikh Hasina government, which was toppled in the mass uprising, been elected and democratic, then India would not have been able to enforce its dominance over Bangladesh in this manner. This was only possible due to the autocratic rule. This autocracy was a huge blessing for India. Giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi and carrying out all sorts of anti-Bangladesh propaganda is an outward expression of their fear that the dominance India had established over Bangladesh, will come crashing down. The more the anarchy and violence is unleashed in Bangladesh, the more effective will these be as tools for the BJP government.
From the statements and actions of Sheikh Hasina and the beneficiaries of her rule, it is evident that they do not have an iota of regret or remorse. If they take up a conspiracy, then the people of Bangladesh must thwart that. It is the interim government that has the main responsibility in this regard. But if the government's inattention leads to an increase in politics of violence and discrimination, if the people's security is at stake, then it will not be possible to tackle their conspiracies.
The government is not taking any palpable action regarding matters that required priority attention such as controlling the price of essentials. Had the government taken initiative and yet failed, even then people would have some understanding of the situation. The law and order situation, attacks, destruction, nothing is being controlled. This has led to a prevailing sense of insecurity. And as a result, there has been a significant wane in public support for the interim government.
An important point here is that it is being said that the angered public are carrying out these attacks. But the angered public has not done anything on its own. Certain persons and groups are deliberately provoking the public. Local and foreign elements could well be behind this politics and instigating this violence. It is the responsibility of the government to pinpoint this, resist this and clarify things to the people. The government's inaction in this area is a cause of concern.
Operation Devil Hunt naturally brings to mind past roles of the joint forces. The record of such operations by the joint forces under various governments is not very good.
During Awami League times, there was a formula to use the courts, the police and the joint forces and we are seeing a repetition of this now. Even the language being used is the same. The contradictory statements being made by the government remind us of the past government. They should have broken away from the mould. But this government seems to be reinforcing the mould.
The people may have certain specific demands from the government. Firstly, the government must make clear what they want to do. A consensus among those in the government must be made clear. Secondly, the various political quarters, the political parties are none too pleased with the interim government. The government should take this matter seriously. No political party is supporting the recent spate of violence. The chief advisor of the interim government is not supporting it either. That means these things are happening in face of the inefficiency or inattentiveness of those in power. The shortcomings must be identified and action taken accordingly.
Thirdly, the government must not tolerate any sort of discrimination, be it gender discrimination, racial discrimination, religious discrimination or any other form of discrimination, and take an active stance against any action that fosters such discrimination. There are indications of things that happened in the past like extrajudicial action, harassment, DB picking up persons and concocting stories.
If the government takes the decision that we will not follow the old ways, then half the problem is solved. The persons and institutions concerned must keep in mind the circumstances under which the government took over power and what responsibility has been bestowed on them.
The government must carry out the responsibility of coming up with reports for reforms. Given the emerging situation, it seems that the government's main task should be to go towards holding a credible election as soon as possible. The sooner they have hold a credible election, the sooner we will be saved from the prevailing state of uncertainty.
* Anu Muhammad is a teacher and editor of the quarterly journal Sarbajankatha
* This column appeared in the print an online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house at Dhanmondi 32 has been razed to the ground with a bulldozer Prothom Alo
The interim government is the outcome of the mass uprising. The expectations from this government are massive. A large section of the people were ready to lend their cooperation to the government. However, from the way things look, it seems that the government is not paying attention to the tasks that should have been their priority.
Our concern lies in the fact that in certain instances it seems that the government does not exist in the country. The government that has emerged from the mass uprising has authority as well as responsibilities. But the government's activities display a discrepancy between its authority and its responsibilities. This was also evident in the destruction of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house on Dhanmondi Road 32 and similar incidents all over the country.
We saw the destruction began with an announcement. Similar demolition took place in different places throughout the country. Initially the government said nothing. The manner in which bulldozers and other tools were used for the demolition, it was evident that government organisations were involved. The army has been given magistracy power, but they remained silent.
Many of those who called for the structures to be destroyed, are involved with various organisations of the government. After the damage was done, the chief advisor issued a statement calling for the destruction to stop. Three matters come to light in this entire incident. There was inattention on one hand, inaction and mystery. The mystery was , who is actually taking decisions in the government, how and why?
The justification being offered on Facebook by supporters of the government, the manner in which the advisors are speaking, sometimes create conflict. The consequence of this is that these actions which are being taken to, as announced, wipe out Awami League's existence from the country, are actually facilitating Awami League's rehabilitation or return.
The government must not tolerate any sort of discrimination, be it gender discrimination, racial discrimination, religious discrimination or any other form of discrimination, and take an active stance against any action that fosters such discrimination.
The incidents that are taking place are creating questions on an international level concerning the credibility of the present government. We are also concerned. In which direction is Bangladesh being led? There are assaults and attacks on baul songs, mazars (shrines) and sculptures. Who are the ones launching these attacks? What is the government doing to stop them?
The mass uprising took place with the aspiration for a Bangladesh free of discrimination, but is this being reflected in the interim government's performance? Quite contrary to the aspirations of the mass uprising, there are visible trends pointing to politics of discrimination and suppression, use of force and fear, creating alarm and attacks against creativity.
Had the Sheikh Hasina government, which was toppled in the mass uprising, been elected and democratic, then India would not have been able to enforce its dominance over Bangladesh in this manner. This was only possible due to the autocratic rule. This autocracy was a huge blessing for India. Giving shelter to Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi and carrying out all sorts of anti-Bangladesh propaganda is an outward expression of their fear that the dominance India had established over Bangladesh, will come crashing down. The more the anarchy and violence is unleashed in Bangladesh, the more effective will these be as tools for the BJP government.
From the statements and actions of Sheikh Hasina and the beneficiaries of her rule, it is evident that they do not have an iota of regret or remorse. If they take up a conspiracy, then the people of Bangladesh must thwart that. It is the interim government that has the main responsibility in this regard. But if the government's inattention leads to an increase in politics of violence and discrimination, if the people's security is at stake, then it will not be possible to tackle their conspiracies.
The government is not taking any palpable action regarding matters that required priority attention such as controlling the price of essentials. Had the government taken initiative and yet failed, even then people would have some understanding of the situation. The law and order situation, attacks, destruction, nothing is being controlled. This has led to a prevailing sense of insecurity. And as a result, there has been a significant wane in public support for the interim government.
An important point here is that it is being said that the angered public are carrying out these attacks. But the angered public has not done anything on its own. Certain persons and groups are deliberately provoking the public. Local and foreign elements could well be behind this politics and instigating this violence. It is the responsibility of the government to pinpoint this, resist this and clarify things to the people. The government's inaction in this area is a cause of concern.
Operation Devil Hunt naturally brings to mind past roles of the joint forces. The record of such operations by the joint forces under various governments is not very good.
During Awami League times, there was a formula to use the courts, the police and the joint forces and we are seeing a repetition of this now. Even the language being used is the same. The contradictory statements being made by the government remind us of the past government. They should have broken away from the mould. But this government seems to be reinforcing the mould.
The people may have certain specific demands from the government. Firstly, the government must make clear what they want to do. A consensus among those in the government must be made clear. Secondly, the various political quarters, the political parties are none too pleased with the interim government. The government should take this matter seriously. No political party is supporting the recent spate of violence. The chief advisor of the interim government is not supporting it either. That means these things are happening in face of the inefficiency or inattentiveness of those in power. The shortcomings must be identified and action taken accordingly.
Thirdly, the government must not tolerate any sort of discrimination, be it gender discrimination, racial discrimination, religious discrimination or any other form of discrimination, and take an active stance against any action that fosters such discrimination. There are indications of things that happened in the past like extrajudicial action, harassment, DB picking up persons and concocting stories.
If the government takes the decision that we will not follow the old ways, then half the problem is solved. The persons and institutions concerned must keep in mind the circumstances under which the government took over power and what responsibility has been bestowed on them.
The government must carry out the responsibility of coming up with reports for reforms. Given the emerging situation, it seems that the government's main task should be to go towards holding a credible election as soon as possible. The sooner they have hold a credible election, the sooner we will be saved from the prevailing state of uncertainty.
* Anu Muhammad is a teacher and editor of the quarterly journal Sarbajankatha
* This column appeared in the print an online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir
