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A Missed Opportunity
Yet another death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has come and gone, leaving our people — or most of them — not much wiser about the implications of one of the tragic events of our history
It is a pity It could have been, indeed, different this year, with the return of democracy In the country and a slow but steady change tn our polit leal climate, the people seemed able to look at their history with a new sense of responsibility that comes with freedom from autocracy. At the same time — so we thought — major political parties, holding divergent views on the life and times of Bangabandhu. would reach out to one another to find a common ground in their understanding of the man whose contribution to the emergence of Bangladesh is second to none. It is through such an understanding that we would have eventually developed a broad national approach to our history and a non-partisan attitude towards our national heroes.
It is hard to say where exactly we failed in the way we observed the anniversary yesterday. But we failed. Was It an error of Judgement on the part of the government of Begum Khaleda Zia that it could not turn the occasion into a national one and. in the process, strengthen Its own base among sections of people who may not necessarily belong to BNP ? Sadly, we would answer the question in the affirmative. But was there also a lapse on the part of Awaml League that it could not discard its partisan angle in honouring a man who is more a national figure than a political asset for any particular political party ? Here, too, our answer remains In the affirmative.
With these lapses, it was hardly surprising that the observance of the anniversary yesterday was marred by lavish eulogies as much as by inflammatory denunciations, with a handful of discredited politicians seeking their own rehabilitation through the media.
Like all controversial political personalities. Sheikh Sahib evoked — and. now a historical figure. continues to evoke — strong emotions of almost opposite extremes among all sections of people. This is precisely what makes a dispassionate evaluation of Bangabandhu all the more important. Such an evaluation should take Into account not only his enormous contribution to our national emergence and to the liberation of Bangladesh but also his political blunders and failures which cost the nation so heavily. But. then, would such an evaluation be complete without detailed references to and condemnation of the tragic circumstances surrounding his killing and those of his closest family members?
We need this evaluation for our coming generations who should have as dispassionate a history as possible, no matter how ugly and unpleasant it may be In parts. But we also need this as a framework for our evaluation of other national figures of Bangladesh. It won’t be long before we observe other anniversaries and national days. Such occasions should not be allowed to generate divisive sentiments.
Indeed, such divisive sentiments — and the forces behind them — continue to be at work, ready to exploit every opportunity to weaken the prospects of national consensus on major issues. At this moment, one such Issue is the Indemnity (Repeal) Bill. By now. it Is clear that a cross section of leading politicians are agreed that the bill should go through without any hitch. This should indeed be so. However, it Is important that the two major parties — BNP and AL — reach an understanding not only on the passage of the bill but also on its aftermath. A step towards reaching such an understanding coula have been taken yesterday. But It wasn't — a case of missed opportunity.