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The quintessential diplomat

Syed Muazzem Ali
***It was precisely for this high reputation that Kibria, in preference to our official candidate, was selected by the then UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim for the post of Executive Secretary of Escap. The post carried the rank and status of under secretary general, and Kibria was the first Bangladeshi to attain such a high-level post in the UN system.***
ON this day four years ago, the country lost one of its outstanding sons, Shah Abu Mohammad Shamsul Kibria, in a dastardly grenade attack in Habiganj. His death has been an irreparable loss to the nation. If Kibria were alive today, he would have been the happiest man on earth to see that that his dear party, Awami League, under the able stewardship of Sheikh Hasina, had triumphed at the just-concluded Parliamentary elections. What a valuable asset he could have been to the nation at this important juncture!
Kibria was a multi-dimensional genius. He was a meritorious student, standing first in most examinations, including the
CSS; he was an internationally recognised diplomat, a brilliant political strategist, a valiant freedom fighter, a language movement activist, and a highly successful finance minister. At the same time, he was a loving husband, an affectionate father, a caring senior colleague and, above all, a humble and polite gentleman. To his junior colleagues in the foreign service, Kibria was a role model.
It is a pity that no proper investigation had been conducted by the previous governments to identify and punish the murderers of Kibria. Some petty criminals were arrested and prosecuted; but for the sake of justice and fair play, a full and proper investigation should be undertaken to identify the real culprits. In the face of the highly adverse situation under the BNP rule, his widow, our dear Asma Bhabi, and
their children, Reza and Nazli, had steadfastly pursued a non-violent campaign demanding proper investigation and justice. They deserve our full sympathy and support
I had the privilege of knowing, and working very closely with, Kibria for nearly four decades. I spent the critical days of our nationhood together in Washington DC, with this fierce nationalist and patriot. It was Kibria, Enayet Karim and AMA Muhith who had jointly inspired the Bengali officials of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC to leave the embassy en bloc and declare our allegiance to the provisional government of Bangladesh, thus creating history. After Calcutta, this was the largest "mass defection" in favour of our national cause during the war.
The "Bangladesh Mission" in Washington DC, that we founded, became the epicentre of our round-the-clock lobbying and public relations activities in the US. Kibria's contributions in all the activities of the mission were invaluable, and his sense of judgment and assessments were always accurate.
During those critical days, I shared the same office room with Kibria. He taught me how to mount a political campaign, convince important people in the US
Congress and government, and motivate common American people to our cause. At the end of the day, I would discuss with him the course of events and he would give me his assessment. What impressed me most was the depth and dimension of his knowledge, and his deep sense of patriotism.
After our independence, he was transferred to Dhaka and, as a founding member of the Foreign Ministry, he played a major role in the setting up of the Foreign Office and our missions abroad. Kibria served as the foreign secretary during 1979-81 and, being stationed in Dhaka at that time, I had the good fortune of working very closely with him.
Nearly three decades later, one can still see Kibria's touch in all the activities of our Foreign Office. It was Kibria who pushed forward the argument for the creation of a specialised foreign service cadre, setting up of a Foreign Service Academy, construction of the ministry's annex building, and finalisation of the ministry's detailed organisational structure. Kibria drafted the initial proposal outlining the justifications for the launching of the Saarc, and was the initiator of the proposal for the cancellation of debts of the LDCs by the OECD countries.
Kibria's capabilities were known all over the region and the world. Time and again he was elected to high posts in various international conferences. It was precisely for this high reputation that Kibria, in preference to our official candidate, was selected by the then UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim for the post of Executive Secretary of Escap. The post carried the rank and status of under secretary general, and Kibria was the first Bangladeshi to attain such a high-level post in the UN system.
During his long 11 years tenure at the Escap, he restructured the legislative bodies to protect the interests of developing countries, and made major and lasting contributions. In addition, he served as the Secretary General’s Special Representative on Kampuchea.
After his retirement from Unesco, Kibria could have comfortably settled in any developed country on his generous UN pensions, yet he chose to return to Bangladesh promptly. Soon thereafter, he joined active, politics and, because of his nationalistic and progressive ideas, Awami League emerged as his natural choice. Within a short period, he received due recognition from the party president and high-ups and was made the chief election coordinator for managing the
party's campaign for the parliamentary elections of 1996.
Kibria's efforts were successful, and Awami League, under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, returned to power in 1996 after long 21 years. Kibria was made the finance minister. His clear perception, honesty, undisputed intellectual superiority, and love for the greater benefit of the country and its people, especially the poor people, helped him to emerge as a highly successful finance minister. During his tenure, the country witnessed remarkable macroeconomic stability, with prices under control and the economy displaying high growth and low inflation.
.Kibria contested for a parliamentary seat from Habiganj, outside his natural constituency, in 2001, and was elected by a huge margin. He made important contributions in Awami League's new role in the opposition. To his opponents, he became a formidable challenge and they could not face him directly. So they took cowardly steps to eliminate him. They will surely get the punishment they deserve. On this day, the nation pays its tributes to one of its outstanding sons and prays for eternal peace for his soul.
Syed Muazzem Ali is a former foreign secretary of Bangladesh