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Commentary!

What he actually said

Accusing MPs cared not to find it out

Mahfuz Anam
We heartily congratulate Deputy Speaker Shawkat Ali for taking the stance that a respected scholar and founder of the Biswa Sahitya Kendra (World Literature Centre) should not have been spoken about in the House in the manner and style that the discussion took place day before yesterday. He said before castigating a man of his stature the members of parliament
should have checked the veracity of the report on which they were basing their accusations.
It reminds us of the well known Bangla folklore in which a man tells another that a bird has taken away one of his ears and the latter immediately starts running after the bird without putting hands over his ears to check whether it is actually the case.
Several MPs including Prof Ali Ashraf, who was presiding over the session, took umbrage at what Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed purportedly said, which they considered derogatory to the parliament and to the MPs. According to Prof Ashraf, what Prof Sayeed said was tantamount to contempt of the parliament and democracy, and that the parliament should summon him, keep him standing, and ask him to render unconditional apology to the nation. "It is a bad sign, and if we don't take action against him it will be bad for democracy," Prof Ashraf said. Others said there should be a motion passed against him, another suggested that he
be summoned and made to answer for his remarks. In the process they questioned his integrity, his honesty, and asked how he was spending the money he was getting for his Kendra.
In his so-called remarks they all smelt a conspiracy to undermine democracy, saying that intellectuals like him always enjoy privileges from undemocratic governments. "How can a man like him live in such luxury?" questioned an MP.
What privilege did he ever get? Will the MP concerned specify? What luxury does he live in? Anybody who remotely knows Prof Sayeed will vouch for the simplicity and austere nature of his life, and the untiring zeal, energy, and commitment with which he has built a
most unique knowledge centre for students and the reading public.
The basis of their umbrage was a newspaper report which claimed that Prof Sayeed had termed ministers and MPs as thieves and dacoits or something to that effect.
As the deputy speaker said, "It was not proper to criticise a man of his stature just on the basis of a newspaper report and without ascertaining as to what he actually said."
Bravo, deputy speaker. What a sobering voice. Before using the sacred floor of the parliament in the manner in which it was used, the MPs, so outraged, should have asked TIB for the transcript of the proceedings. Better still would
have been to call Prof Sayeed to verify from him as to the authenticity of the newspaper report, which was in dramatic contrast to others.
Without doing any such thing they started questioning the integrity of the man who has single-handedly revolutionised school and college education. His book reading programme for students of class VI to class XII, started in 1980, creates a prospect for a regular participant, for the 7 year period, of reading 200 "best books of the world” covering all the major fields of learning, including biographies of eminent and historical figures. His aim is to provide adequate reading facilities to students all over the country. Already his centre has more than 500 branches
with 1,00,000 students regularly participating in his book reading programme at any given time.
Over the years, millions of students have participated in it and they form today a solid foundation of the culture of tolerance that we are so proud of. He has done more to broaden knowledge of students than any other man in Bangladesh today.
What he said was that it is not corruption when a thief steals, but when a man who has undertaken to follow ethics, rule and the law indulges in stealing then it becomes corruption. As an example, he said when a minister or an MP who has taken oath to act in a fair and ethical manner fails to do so, it is corruption. It is clear
that he neither mentioned the word parliament nor did he say anything against the MPs or ministers.
It is amazing how little the accusing MPs knew about him and his work. A rudimentary knowledge about the Biswa Sahifya Kendra would have made these MPs hesitate before making the types of comments they made.
From Prof Abu Sayeed, the criticism spilled over on the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), with the MPs saying TIB should be investigated for its financial dealing, and one asking, "On what right does TIB report on the works of ministries?"
Interestingly we may recall a similar outburst by late Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan,
the LGRD minister at that time, who flew into a rage when a TIB investigation unearthed corruption in his ministry. He raged a storm, had TIB investigated including its trustees, and questioned, "What right did TIB has to investigate any ministry?" We know what happened to his government.
TIB's conflict with the ruling party of the day makes interesting reading. It was the last year of the first Sheikh Hasina-led government (1996-2001) when for the first time Transparency International (TI) termed Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world. A storm broke loose. TIB was castigated and accused of conspiring to topple the government. BNP was elated, and found the TI
report to be absolutely correct. Then BNP came to power, and for the four following years TI termed Bangladesh to be the most corrupt. Needless to mention what BNP did. But Awami League thought TI reflected the reality of the country.
Speaking truth to power is never an easy task. We congratulate TIB for doing that over the years.
As for Prof Abu Sayeed, let us assure him, though he does not need any, that thousands of his direct students, millions of beneficiaries of his centre, and the people of Bangladesh in general hold him in the highest of esteem, and believe him to be one of the guiding lights for the country at the present time.