HAHBAG MOVEMENT OF 2013 AND SOME THOUGHTS OF AN EXPATRIATE BANGLADESHI
By: Enamul Hoque, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE1
Chandler, Arizona
" Democracy is the capstone of an edifice that had its foundation as the rule of law- to be precise, the sanctity of individual freedom and the security of private property rights ensured by representation, constitutional government. It means that violence, rule of warriors and despotic chiefs, the conditions of riots and tyranny give place to parliaments where laws are made and to independent courts in which over long periods of time those laws are maintained. That is Civilization – and in its soil grow continually freedom, comfort, and culture. When Civilization reigns in any country, a wider and less harassed life is afforded to the mass of people. The traditions of the past are cherished and the inheritance bequeathed to us by former wise or valiant men becomes a rich state to be enjoyed and used by all. The central principle of Civilization is the subordination of the ruling class to the settled customs of the people and to their will as expressed in constitution…." Winston Churchill
If one reads it carefully, one may understands the state of conditions of Bangladesh very well and see how much deviations Bangladesh politics had gone through from making a country a citadel of freedom and liberation for which we all fought a war. It is amazing that the vulpine political leaders and their inebriated yet malodorous workers are immersed in such corruption that it put the Gambino family to shame. From these types of political leaders and corrupt cronyism, we cannot expect anything good.
The Shahbag Movement or so called "Bangla Spring" is a spontaneous outburst of one class of patriotic youth that had been politically active. While it appears to be tawdry, I personally believe that it is at best bucolic equipoise as it only include one set of concern while corruption, nepotism, extra judicial killings, intolerance and disrespect to others had affected the country in pandemic manner. If these young people fails to include the other critical issues to remove the ills of the country, I am afraid the movement might end up as failed one. The issue of putting the perpetrators of 1971 into a judicial system is beyond question and as this present administration had carefully orchestrated their penal procedures, this process should be allowed to be completed. If not, I am afraid that internecine and pell-mell type conditions will start to appear that will be the norm of the future society. Just selling ourselves on the judgment of the criminals that participated directly or indirectly in killing or planning in killing of people during our Liberation War will not rid the society of all the evils that exist at this point of time. By placing them under a prescribed and contracted judicial process, we are respecting the law but by asking for hanging of each and every defendants including others not yet under the judicial proceedings, we are displaying our utter disrespect to our own creation of law. And then by changing the legal system during the judicial process to include the demands of some people are materialized is nothing but calling for a pseudo-stable society. If this is done in this way, there will be end of official rule of law and anyone will be able to bring some people in the streets and fulfill their desire in this awkward manner. While I have respect for these young people and their uprising, I cannot support the blanket demand of hanging all the accused persons while we are also demanding a judicial process.
In this regard, I would remind ourselves the words of famous British Parliamentarian Sir Edmond Burke and French virtuous revolutionary Jean-Jacques Rousseau. At the onset of the French revolution Rousseau said that " Man is a 'Noble Savage' who is reluctant to submit to authority and only legitimate authority to which he can submit is the sovereignty of the people and the 'General Will'. General Will must be supreme and magistrate and legislators must bow down before it". To Rousseau, freedom is good but virtue is more important. Arguing against these notions of Rousseau, Edmond Burke had said that real social contract should not be between the Noble Savages and the General Will but a pact between the present and future generation. Burke warned against the professorial utopianism of Rousseau and said "At the end of the vista, you see nothing but gallows, assault on the traditional institutions that will end in a mischievous and ignoble oligarchy and ultimately military dictatorship". Surprisingly after execution of 17,000 Frenchman through judicial process, 12,000 to 40,000 executed without trial and 80,000 to 300,000 peoples' disappearances during and immediately after the French Revolution, French got military ruler to deeply involved in long war. Paris was a madhouse at that time. Jacobian Society was formed that precluded people from getting legal process and even people were barred to go to churches. French fell behind the other western countries never to catch up even now.
Are we destined to the same fate? Sri Lankan society had been decimated by their neighbor's undeclared war for 30 years, Nepal could not come out of desperate situation due to the non-cooperation of her neighbors, Sikkim was made calculated disappearance in 1972, Monipur and Nagaland was absorbed along with Hyderabad and other little Principalities. While fate of Bangladesh would not be that drastic, it should not be desirable to walk behind our big brother. That shade of the big brother will always impede the sight to the horizon or the future and as such, in case of change in course or if a curved path is there, the person behind will not be able to get prepared. We all should understand this simple fact. But if a little brother walks ahead of the big brother, he does not impede the sigh of the big brother.
Bangladesh is at a crossroad to leap toward in establishing herself to be a success and model country. In fact, last forty years collective progress has proven that it is possible to surpass our neighbors and some of the southeast Asian countries and emerge ourselves as real Bengal Tiger in economy, education, empowerment of women, alleviation of poverty and other social sectors. We had stepped up through first few rungs of the ladder to reach top of the Millennium Development Goal. Our goal should be to continue this climbing in a laminar yet fast pace so that poverty could be placed in a museum and we could ridicule the words of some world leaders regarding Bangladesh in 1970's. But any interruption in defying the established law and order and resorting to hartals, street demonstrations, and asking the General Will to rule or subjugate the law of the land is just calling to slip away from that first few rungs that the country had climbed from the bottom. It will be like the Hindu Philosophy that if you are at one of the rung above the bottom and is continuing your climb to achieve higher birth, one single misstep will put you not to the next lower rung but at the bottom to start over again. Then only your rebirth will be at higher stage. We should understand this simple metaphor and act accordingly with pragmatism and stop resorting to activities that cause economic and social disruptions. The economic and social impacts of these disruptions such as hartals and street demonstrations of the General Will only undermine the country significantly.
These hartals, street demonstration, student politics, and rule of the General Will may be necessary during the time when our people were being subjugated and economic suppressions were widespread. Now that the country is free and there will be no reason to believe that it will go back to its political boundary of 1970, I would call them at best a senile thought. If our map does changes, it most likely would take a form similar to the dreams of few Bengali leaders that initiated the armed struggle in the name of Anushilon Samity, "an undivided Bengal with Assam, Tripura". This Samity was initiated based on ancient Hindu ideology that flourished within the eastern realm of this old religion. The Anushilon samity was started by few elites of Kolkata under the sponsorships of Tagore family's elders and was transformed during the great division of Bengal from "Tatta Bodhini Sava" created by Jotirindra Nath Tagore. To continue the subjugation of the poor farmers via the Jaminders and the Indigo investors, the European educated elites of Kolkata did not want to lose their absentee land ownership and control of the economy in the then East Bengal. They also did not desire to have their subjects take education and cultural emancipation to surpass them. As such, the young Kolkata patriots took armed struggle to stop the division of Bengal which attracted revolutionaries from the eastern Bengal as well. However, this subject is not the scope of this short paper.
Going back to the hanging of the rajaakars, we have to be very careful to act in accordance with our emotions. I, as a Freedom Fighter who fought the long nine months war in the front, have been hopeful that before our lifetime, this judicial process will be started to resolve this issue. As such, I do admire present government as they started to do so. But there is no way I will support the judgment to be influenced or pressured by mere public emotions. If we do this way, it will break the very fabric of our institutionalized democratic infrastructure. If we do want to hang them, then it should be done quickly and only paper should be rendered to these people is that "you are razakar, you are murderer as seen in newspaper clippings of 1971 and some witness including the victims, and therefore, you are going to be executed". Then execute them quickly. I would not raise any question regarding this. But, if we look at the international, social, economic and political philosophy, it will be suicidal as in future at the change of the government, there would be some activities that will create more atrocities. Remember, whatever we do, one single party will not rule forever. Even in Soviet Union, things had changed. Once mighty CCCP ruled Soviet Union with iron fist and caused deaths to millions by gulags and by uprooting the people from Central Asia to Siberia and from Urals to Central Asia and they are gone. But they left behind some nations that cannot coup up with their past anymore and we are witnessing series of unending violence. Once we put them in constitutional judicial process, we all must respect the process and result.
I am not impressed by few things at the Shahbag Square: first, we are taking our children at this rally and have them shout "hang the Rajakars". This is very dangerous as these children is learning at an early age as how to be agitators in a free country and put capital punishment to people they even do not understand. May be few children of few rajakers might be there class friends and if so can we imagine what will be their reaction and psychology? To establish a noble, peaceful, and free society, it is our duty to teach our children the message of peace not the violence of the General Will. I also saw the University VCs are there to express their solidarity. This is also unwanted to break a disciplined administrative process and go on to mob role. No wonder, teachers are being beaten at Barisal, Mymensingh and female students at Jahangirnagar University had been raped at the knowledge of these administrators. I remember, in 1969, when the then EPUET students (specially first year students) were in the streets, Dr. Rashid and Dr. Naser whole heartedly supported the movement but they would not come out of their offices to show their support. But when Iqbal, Aziz and eight other students of first year engineering were arrested on January 19, 1969, VC and other teachers did visit the Central Jail to see them and food was supplied from our halls. VC had discussions with the then administration and they came out next day.
Last 22 years during the time of our democratic rules by the elected leaders, millions of dollars had evaporated from the country in the name of Hallmark, Destiny, Stock Market, Padma Bridge, imaginary construction of power lines, and Quick Rental power plants. These and extra judicial killings including border killings had done a horrifying job of eliminating one group of innocent and powerless citizens who somehow believed in their motherland. Crony and gimme politicians and agents of foreign countries are responsible for these activities. Even recently a worker named Biswajit was killed in front of police by the ruling party agents and pro-liberation forces (it seems that Biswajit was a rajaker or jamat guy as he was about 23 to 25 years old Hindu) or a blogger (Rajib) was killed in a densely populated area of Pallabi at about 9:00 PM. It is strange that no one witnessed these killings! I, as a freedom fighter is very disturbed by these activities that is rampaging the countries. There are pictures of killers and I can guarantee that someone witnessed Rajib's murder. In the same token, near Dhaka Stadium, 14 people was killed including wife of our President by throwing multiple grenades and why the judicial procedures are not in place still now? Why no one can utter a word regarding these extra judicial killings and with 160 million people in 55000 square foot area no one can be found as credible witness. We rather got a witness named Judge Mia and this mockery is mind boggling. We could not solve the disappearance of a political worker named Elias and no clue had been found regarding killing of Sagar-Runi.
I am not going to elaborate on the state of the infrastructures that needed so badly to attract investment and job creation and the issue of environmental degradation that are causing billions of dollars in lost revenue as people are sitting in the street during traffic jam, getting sick by inhaling polluted air and by drinking contaminated water, and could not get drinkable water. We are not addressing these issues which are and will ruin the country.
I hope and wish that we put our energy in right course to establish a society that we all wanted during 1960's and 1970's. The founding leaders are gone as some of them had been killed, some just died of their age. Their dream we all should pursue and act pragmatically. We need peace and responsible yet objective freedom and nobility that an aspiring nation desires.
One day a Brahmin found Buddha sitting under a tree and the sights of his serenity, stillness, and self discipline filled the Brahmin with awe. The Buddha reminded him of a tusker elephant; there was the same sense of enormous strength and massive potential brought under control and channeled into an extraordinary peace. The Brahmin had never seen a man like that before. "Are you a god ,sir?" he asked. "An angel ... or a spirit?" No, the Buddha replied. Buddha had revealed that it is possible to live in peace in this painful world, in control, and in harmony with one's fellow creatures.
"Let all beings be happy! Weak or strong, of high, middle or low estate,
Small or great, visible or invisible, near or far away,
Alive or still to be born-may all be perfectly happy!
Let nobody lie to anybody or despise any single being anywhere,
May nobody wish harm to any single creature, out of anger or hatred!
Let us cherish all creatures, as a mother her only child!
May our loving thoughts fill the whole world, above, below, across, -
Without limit; a boundless goodwill toward the whole world.
Unrestricted, free of hatred and enmity!"
Nirvana
PEACE.
1 Mr. Enamul Hoque, P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE is a civil engineer currently resides in Chandler, Arizona, USA. He actively fought the Liberation War first as a scout under General Moinul Islam Chowdhury, then at Sylhet Border under General Nasim and last four months in Ashuganj as supporting forces for the Bangladesh Navy Frogmen Group. He has been awarded numerous social and professional achievement awards including prestigious ASCE's John C. Park Award for his outstanding contribution to advance the profession of civil engineering. He also established a Girls College near his village in Raipura Upzilla which houses 250 students with astounding performances. He has won numerous awards from the state of Arizona and US Department of Housing some of which was broadcasted in Public Broadcasting System Television especially his technical innovation and philanthropic work. He is the first Bangladeshi in USA after whom a state land grant university, Arizona State University named geotechnical laboratory "EM Hoque Geotechnical Laboratory".
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