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The old song, the new song ...

Shahnoor Wahid
THE time to listen to songs has come. Our fate seems to depend on how good we are as listeners in this country where people even wail in tune. Oh, we had plenty to wail about. Now, once again we are hearing some old songs as well as some new songs, sung by our anointed leaders, who are amazingly good at it. They have been good at it because their business depended on how good they were at singing songs -- lullabies to be precise -- to keep the people in deep slumber.
So, after a long time we heard that old song again, that hit number titled "Unnayaner Jotuar " (Tsunami of Development). We used to listen to this song day in and day out. Well, we noticed that the lyrics remain unchanged,
the singer remains unchanged, and the tone and tune remain unchanged. In fact, the song surfaced suddenly the other day, which was reminiscent of the olden days.
Days when a section of people in the name of protecting, ate up everything that came their way: haor, river, canal, air, earth, forest, graveyard, school field, temple land, playground, children's parks, hill and so on. And while they went on ravaging the country, we were forced to listen to the song, "Unnayner jowar."
Then came up a new song titled, "Shorno Jug" (Golden Decade). It is being sung by
leaders who had been sleeping like the seven sleepers of Ephesus, and like them woke up to find an entirely changed world. They are finding it difficult to adjust in the changed, new world. Therefore, to convince the people about their past deeds they have started to sing the song that tells how they had created a country where gold was as cheap as dirt, and that is why it was called the golden decade (they amassed plenty of gold, no doubt about that).
The other new song is about not going abroad for treatment. It has become a smashing hit right after release. It tells of a whole new concept, a whole new approach, a whole
new strategy to become a national hero and befool the people. Here is a little background story about the latest song.
You see, when our brothers and sisters are in power, and when they sneeze twice, they go to Bangkok, Singapore, India, London and New York for treatment, saying the health care system in Bangladesh is not modern and adequate enough for them. The sycophants scream hoarse that it is not good enough for the "Sirs" and "Madams," who work so hard to make the party workers millionaires overnight. So, off they go on such health trips, taking along two maids,
daughters-in-law, grandsons, granddaughters and five special assistants. Sometimes even younger sisters or mothers-in-law of the sons come along with pockets-full of credit cards.
But look around now with two wide eyes, and listen with your ears open, dear people of the republic, see how the new song sounds. The song says they are not interested to go abroad for treatment! They have suddenly discovered that there are good doctors and treatment facilities in the country so they need not go abroad. They now believe the doctors here are as "good enough" for them as "good enough" they are for the commoners.
So, that was all about songs. Today, all on a sudden, these "people" have come to realise that this is their very own country and that they have everything rooted here. Therefore, they must not leave the country for any reason, not even for treatment. Very good! In fact, very considerate of them! But, wait!
The people of the republic want to know about those monthly trips abroad with suitcases full of "unchecked
luggage” when they were in power. They want to know who earned and paid for the foreign currency spent on such trips. They want to know who paid the bills in foreign hospitals of the prime ministers and ministers while they were in power?
Now, what do we make of the songs, old and new, that we suddenly hear after a long time? There is only one explanation. Those in hibernation are now waking up from their self-induced sleep. The fangs and nails are growing bigger again, waiting for the ice to thaw, so that anarchy can begin once again, with no regulatory bodies to track them any further. As a result, raw courage is coming back to the camps that thrive on people's misery.
The change in the use of language is noticeable. The stance has changed. The voices sound clearer and faces seem happier. Brow-beating has started, even if in a measured way, on the presumption that things are slowly turning around with the bright side facing them. Brickbatting to start soon?
Shahnoor Wahid is a Sew Assistant Ed ‘or of The Daily Star.