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TO THE EDITOR
The era of the ladies
Two honourable ladies have been ruling the destiny of Bangladesh for the last 15 years. The accumulated pent-up feelings were well articulated and recounted by a couple of blunt commentaries in the Daily Star of Oct 12.
The problem is that our Dhaka politics is subjective, and personal-ity/charisma oriented, since the birth of Bangladesh more than three decades ago. The approach and style have to change. A shake-up is required for updating, otherwise the wise political leadership, and politics itself, might go into hibernation (note the plight in the different continents).
The feedback system within the political parties is weak, amateurish, and does not get top priority during policy-making decisions. There is no respect for the electorate; because leaders find that they can get away with it.
The campaign for vote-banks is motivated and not people-oriented; because politics today has become big business, rather than quiet and steady public service in the background.
There is too much dependence on the microphone, the loudspeakers, and mud-slinging. The finger is never pointed inwardly.
Note the pathetic image of the opposition: lame, walking on crutches, like a chronic patient, inward-looking, and full of negative propaganda. Attend the parliament every working day, and let the people judge. There are too many sermons without the mount! The gift of the gab is like a 100m runner competing in a marathon!
We Bengalees like to talk, and talk. It is a matter of pride that a grocer, rickshawala or a hawker can tell you elaborately how to run the country. There is a vast difference between criticism and analysis. Commonsense cannot be used as a tool for forward long-term planning. We have good brains, but tend to be ruled by the heart. Entrepreneurship is virtually absent in local politics (no risk, no gain). We are still traditional in approach -- the insecurity syndrome is still bugging us (how much bugged is Bush?).
The premature election campaign started by the regime is hollow, ama-teurish and cosmetic, judging by the law and order situation, the price hike of commodities, the indiscipline ruling all sectors of the society; and the perpetual tug of war between the two major parties (no forward progress, perhaps the art of 'upwomanship'). The hidden agenda is the lust for power.
The top leadership is surrounded by sycophants. It is air-conditioning with the ventilation duct closed, and no TV surveillance cameras in operation. Politics should be open-ended (note the change of foundation in the recent elections in Germany). Now the game of politics is changing fast globally, but no change in approach or philosophy is discernable in Dhaka (which means covered in the vernacular). Where are the political tides in this delta region? How to remove the millions of tons of political silt? Can't use as a fertiliser!
The future of our stale, polluted, bhejal politics is shaky. Time for a change. The two ladies may how decide voluntarily to retire and save their positive images (if possible) -and let the budding nation be ready to take-off. Mahathir and Jyoti Basu
retired voluntarily. Violent tactics do not pay in the long run. The future of the Middle East is at stake with the divide-and-rule policy of Yankee foreigners in Iraq.
Bad politics is sending another message to the masses on the very future of so-called democracy in the third world under developed countries, that self-survival is the prime motive in public service. Make way -- and come back, backed by the people.
A Mahasen
Dhaka
Mainstream Muslims and Islamist extremism: The author replies
My article, “The rise of Islamist extremism: Are mainstream Muslims blameless?”(The Daily Star, October 5, 2005) provoked only two letters in the newspaper. The following paragraphs are my response. Neither of the writers of these letters wished to mention me by name. In what follows I shall return the favour . I agree with the author of the first letter (October 10, 2005) that mainstream Muslims are responsible for a great deal of what ails the nation today. They are undoubtedly responsible for much of the ills he mentions: social injustice, corruption, political double talk, and so on. But he does not really mean it, does he? Hence his “They are blaming mainstream Muslims for the problem that they created”. Who are the “they” here? One wonders. The writer appears to have some other group in mind, including the likes of me allegedly occupying a “convenient spot”. Perhaps a clearer identification of the “they” would be helpful for a healthy and welcome debate. What disappointed me more, however, is that while the writer had a long list of ills of the society, Islamist extremism does not appear on it. The problem of religious extremism is of such critical importance that it, like the prospect of death, should have concentrated his mind. Apparently it has not.
The second letter (October 12), written by a former member of the armed forces, flabbergasted me. Its writer contrasted my article on Islamist extremism with an article in the same issue of the Daily Star on the so-called Tuesday Group, put me down as one with an “international mindset”, and
hailed the author of the other article as a “proud Bangladeshi”. (Incidentally, I share many of the concerns of the author of the article on the Tuesday Group.) Not content with this, the writer went on to pronounce this: “Self respect breeds patriotism. Patriotism is the hallmark of all morality. Educated immoral people are the enemies in the patriotic guise”. There are other dark hints. This is indeed strong stuff and the writer leaves little doubt about who his target is.
In our national history there is a long list of what is undoubtedly unpatriotic as well as immoral: the murder of the father of the nation and head of the state by a group of misguided members of the armed forces; the inability of the nation to punish the culprits for the crime; action by both main political parties in the country that amounts to invitation to foreign countries to interfere in our domestic politics; rampant and growing corruption in the country; and acts of Islamic fundamentalists who are opposed to the very ideology that laid the foundation of the nation. The list could go on. In my article I made a plea for self criticism and critical inquiry into religious dogma and orthodoxy as an essential step to fighting Islamist extremism in the country. It is distressing to see criticism and call for such inquiry equated with lack of self respect and dubbed unpatriotic.
Patriotism is a noble virtue. But apparently it comes in many colours, as the letter itself illustrates, and can be invoked for many different reasons. Most importantly, it can be used as the last refuge, as a famous diatribe of Dr. Johnson's reminds us. As for the “international mindset”, it need not be anathema to the patriot. In fact, a truly international mindset is a good antidote to prejudice, ignorance, chauvinism and bigotry. In a fast changing world, we should have more of it, not less.
It is time to dig out our heads from the sand and see the rise of religious extremism in the country for what it is.
Mahfuzur Rahman
New York
Let's hit the road on bicycle
With the oil price soaring, we should consider good old bicycle as an alternative vehicle.
Bicycle has a host of benefits. It
costs little, requires no fuel, and needs little knowledge to maintain. It is the most environmentally friendly vehicle after horse. Cycling is a very good cardiovascular exercise. And it is fun! Besides, bicycle is the most efficient vehicle yet in terms of input output ratio.
Unfortunately, in our country riding a bicycle is considered a sign of poor and rustic lifestyle. This is in contrast with rich countries of Europe where it is associated with sporty ways. Likes of Mercedes, BMW are falling over each other in making bicycles to give their brand and 'active' image. A Mercedes mountain bike sells for around $4,500!
To popularise cycling, both government and private involvement is needed. Would celebrities such as cricketers, TV stars, and other aware people of society come forward to promote it? I would also request government to encourage its officials to use bicycle as part of recent austerity measure. To facilitate riders, government can also mark sides of roads for bicycle.
Ashish Ahsan
Dhaka