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Thoughts of a liberated man

Sheikh Sabruzzaman and Syed Abdus Samad examine a writer's mind
Reviews And Ripostes is basically a collection of newspaper columns by the writer published in the period 1996 -2005. The author says in the foreword: “The essayist is a self liberated man, sustained by the childish belief that everything he thinks about everything that happens to him is of general interest. He is a fellow who thoroughly enjoys his work, just as people who take bird walks enjoy themselves." The essays in this book contain the writer's perception of various national as well as international affairs and issues during the last decade, which was eventful. They span a vast domain of subjects like the historic water sharing treaty, the decisive role of education, Political Rhetoric: Use and Abuse, Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge, strategies for redesigning government, etc. It is a vast canvas. Mahbub Husain Khan wields a facile and multicolored pen which flows like the rivers of Bangladesh. His style is simple, lucid and attractive. It pulls readers toward the many themes he articulates in this collection. His concern for contemporary issues and their analysis are in a sense very original.
Khan's experiences as a civil servant, journalist, development analyst, researcher and teacher combine magnificently to give the book a rare blend. Throughout the book we get the benefits of the keen observation of the author about recent incidents occurring around us as well as subjects of general interest like industrialization in the private sector. In one such article he recommends the following: withdrawal of all private investment licensing and sanctioning procedures; transformation of all government agencies relating to private sector development, such as the Board of Investment, from a regulatory to a promotional role. This of course is wise counseling. But the decision makers perhaps have other ideas. On market economy Khan writes:... "what guidance and control this machinery must have so that it will serve and not impair the public interest. ..’When people are economically deprived, the most readily available recourse is escape from harsh reality by way of criminal violence”. Well, all may not agree with this but it is inescapable that the parallel or the underground market develops largely because of this. His articles on Indonesia, the US presidency, General Pinochet, Lanka-Bangladesh ties, Koreas, China are well researched and make very interesting points. They also bring out the global man in Khan.
As the writer has long experience of writing columns in various newspapers, he has described his subjects with rare clarity, transparency and efficiency. The book is a very good blend of experience and wisdom. And the most important and attractive thing about this book is its simplicity of thought and clarity. They lead the readers through the maze of some very serious subject matter and events of contemporary history with ease like a good road map. The compassion and detachment of the author in handling such a diverse universe of themes are indeed remarkable and extraordinary.
This book has wide and in-depth coverage of contemporary national and international affairs which are never easy to evaluate since they impinge on one's objectivity and impartiality. But Mahbub Husain Khan has done this with remarkable candor. His brief stint in the Civil
Service of Pakistan (CSP) might have provided some insight in this respect. He realized that nothing much can be achieved by the government, or any government for that matter. And hence he quit very early and devoted himself to research, development and writing. The government might have lost an outstanding civil servant but the world of intellect gained a priceless member. It is not easy to measure the welfare implications of this. However, the fact that the author continues to write and inspire is in itself a benefit whose attendant costs must be worth bearing by society. We all know what an outstanding mind he possesses and, as the savants tend to say, a human mind is a terrible thing to waste and more so when such a mind is exceptional in what it contains.
There are some essays on our national affairs like “Who'll Protect us from Our Protectors?", "Lethargy in Administrative Reforms", “Truth and the Freedom of the Press", “Nagging Thoughts of Law & Order”, “Education and Human Resources Development”, etc., which are well analysed. At the same time, there are some essays related to international affairs, such as “The Beleaguered US President", “Indonesia-a Nation Crying for New Leadership", “Birth of African Union”, “After Arafat Who?”, “Fifty Years of the People's Republic of China” and so on. But most of the essays of the book are on domestic affairs like our socioeconomic situation, government policies, law and order, infrastructure, environment, corruption prevailing in our country etc. Some of those essays express grief about the social disorder, corruption-especially corruption in government sector. According to him we, the common people of our country, are helpless everywhere; we are just victimized by the present order which is a legacy of more than 300 years and stubbornly refuse to change. In the essay, “The New Millennium: A Depressing Beginning for Us” he
has said, “Dies the victim, Dies the City. Nobody flees Dhaka, because of accounting malpractices or share scams. People run from murder and fire. Those who remain express their fear in words of impotent anger.” Some of the essays are very much informative also. In the essay, “Impediments to Increase FDI in Bangladesh”, the writer has presented much concrete information regarding the prospects of investment in our country, its barriers and remedies of the barriers, etc. His deep sense of angst at the malfunctioning of many of the institutions of the state and the market which limit growth and advancement convey the author's impatience. But he knows that things do take a long time before they actually change.
There are some essays on the environment, like “Waiting for Environment-Friendly Autorickshaw”, “The Disappearing Greenery of Dhaka”, “Save the River Buriganga”, etc., On the other hand, some are related to the prevailing education system of our country —“The Decisive Role of Education”, “Higher Education and The Private Universities of Bangladesh” and so on. Most of the essays show the frustration, disappointments and lamentations of the writer about the present situation, though his erudite pen captures some positive aspects in them as well. Although the essays are not coherently arranged, there are inter-linkages and intertemporal sequence among some of them nonetheless. The essays remind us about the “Waste Land” of T. S. Eliot. If we cast our eyes on the essays, we will find that most of them bewail the devaluation of the moral values of the present generation, malpractices of power,c continuous deterioration of law and order and socioeconomic environment. But then most of the countries of South Asia are in the same league. Lack of proper governance for decades, decadence of the system of education and moral values, economic recessions, extreme forms of inequality in the distribution of income and wealth, market failures and injustice of the legal-juridical system have all combined to make the present scenario what it happens to be. It would take horrendous efforts to disentangle them and they can be done only in the very long run when, according to Lord Keynes, “we are all dead”. But we want it now and we of course want to live. That seems to be the underlying message of Reviews and Ripostes.
We may agree with the writer that common people have nothing to do but suffer all the negative fall-out of flawed policy and poor governance. But then we must remember Thomas Jefferson's dictum: “Those who would enjoy the fruits of liberty must bear the fatigue of defending it." We may bemoan the degeneration of South Asia into a racket run by an elite for the benefit of the rich and the powerful citizens. But then the cult of efficiency alone cannot be a substitute for democracy and justice. As the French would say: il faut lutter (We have to fight). And then the immortal lines of Percy B Shelley from his poem, “The West Wind”: “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
We may just be beginning to see the end of a rather long winter.
SHEIKH SABRUZZAMAN AND SYED ABDUS SAMAD ARE CRITICS