For a better Bangladesh: eminent leaders visit New York Jahed Ahmed

SAN-Feature Service
SOUTH ASIAN NEWS-FEATURE SERVICE
New York, June 15, 2005

For a better Bangladesh: eminent leaders visit New York

By Jahed Ahmed

Will the situation in Bangladesh change very soon? Well, I donï¿½t know. But itï¿½s a healthy sign to see countryï¿½s secular and progressive forces getting united.

SAN-Feature Service : With the national election scheduled to take place in next few months, the latest visit of some of the prominent opposition leaders of the 14 party political alliances from Bangladesh to New York was quite significant.

A notable number of expatriate Bangladeshis had gathered to hear what alternatives if any, the leaders of the opposition parties had to offer. Those who flew to the USA from Bangladesh and spoke in several gatherings of expatriate Bangladeshis were Dr. Kamal Hussain, the eminent lawyer and the main architect of the countryï¿½s 1972 secular constitution, Ajoy Roy, a senior leftist leader; Suranjit Sen Gupta, former parliamentary adviser to the prime minister during previous government; Abdul Matin Khoshru, former law minister of the Awami legue government ; Rashed Khan Menon, President of Bangladesh Workersï¿½ Party, and Dr. Reza Kibria, a professor from Australia, who also happens to be the only son of late Shah ASM Kibriaï¿½the assassinated leader of Awami league and former finance minister.

ï¿½Iï¿½ve gained enough in my life, held several important positions at home and abroad. I donï¿½t have any personal ambition. And same holds true for those whoï¿½re sitting next to me,ï¿½ Dr. Kamal Hussain said, pointing his fingers at Mr. Ajoy Roy--a senior leader with affiliation to progressive politics, and Dr. Reza Kibria who--leaving behind a well paid and secure life in Australia--is now spending time in Bangladesh to raise peopleï¿½s voice against violence, corruption and injustice where he and his family have significantly succeeded to gain supports from commoners both with and without any political affiliations.

Picture: In New York: (from left) Dr. Reza Kibria, Dr. Kamal Hussain, Mr. Ajoy Roy & Mr. Abdul Matin Khosru Picture: Hakikul Islam Khokon/BAPS News

Nevertheless, the audience, just like their counterparts back home, was cautious and some were skeptical too. Having eye witnessed so many hollow and broken promises of the political parties in the past, Bangladeshi people now donï¿½t seem to get moved easily with just sweet political speech. This was reflected during the meetings .

Questions asked by the audience ranged from mild to a serious one. ï¿½Why couldnï¿½t Awami league bring ï¿½71 war criminals to justice?ï¿½ ï¿½Why didnï¿½t Awami league grant autonomy to the judiciary system?ï¿½ ï¿½Would you guys ban political use of religion if you gain power?ï¿½

One of the questions to which neither former AL law minister Abdul Matin Khosru, nor Dr. Kamal Hussain could come up with a satisfactory answer was one asked by Mr. Pradip Das of New York. ï¿½Why didnï¿½t Awami league repealed the infamous ï¿½enemy property actï¿½?ï¿½

Having not been a part of the previous AL-led government, Dr. Kamal Hussain, nevertheless, was in a safer position. Dr. Hussain and other leaders probably sensed it that gone are the days to lure voters with hollow promises. Time has come for the leaders to set their records straight.

Amid big applaud and cheers, Dr. Hussain at one point announced, ï¿½with Mr. Khosru (former law minister of AL) sitting beside me, Iï¿½d like to make it clear, if we come to power, in the first session of the parliament weï¿½d pass the law to separate judiciary system from the executive branch granting it a total autonomy.ï¿½

Dr. Kamal Hussain seemed especially focused and optimistic. ï¿½Weï¿½ve included it in our 23 points of agreement that in order to ensure that our government would be a government of the people, we must nominate only those candidates who are honest and qualified; and not any of those with any kind of affiliation with black money or corruption.ï¿½

ï¿½The basis of our alliance is that we all aspire for a secular, progressive and democratic Bangladesh,ï¿½ said Kamal Hussain. He told the audience that heï¿½d said the same in his meetings with Sheikh Hasina, the Awami league Chief and former Bangladesh Prime Minister. ï¿½Sheikh Hasina truly understands & seems to be very sincere about the legitimacy of our demands.ï¿½

Iï¿½ve heard of Dr. Reza Kibriaï¿½s name but didnï¿½t see him in person until the meeting in New York. Nor do I think, many of the attendees heard of him a lot. When he stood up to speak before the audience, his identity to me was mostly the son of late Shah ASM Kibria. My perspective, however, changed after I listened to his speech. And the reason behind is not that heï¿½s remarkably a handsome man, probably in his mid 40s, but his eloquent yet soft spoken speech was different than what most politicians love to talk of.

Reza Kibria narrated his experience with his late father, his fatherï¿½s dreams and how the unfortunate assassination of his father led him into a movement that he never anticipated before. ï¿½Do you have any regrets for getting involved into political issues?ï¿½ I asked him. ï¿½No.ï¿½ he said. ï¿½But itï¿½s not easy. They are organized and weï¿½re not.ï¿½

Needless to say, here ï¿½theyï¿½ denote to the radical and fundamentalist forces who abhor the concepts of democracy, secular state & equality. "It's not the protest of a heinous crime such as the murder of my father that destroys country's image. It's the crime itself that is putting our country's image at stake," Kibria said alluding to the allegations made by the BNP-Jamaat gang against the secular forces that they're ruining country's image in abroad. As for the trial of his fatherï¿½s murder, he said,ï¿½ we want a fair & just trial; not one done in a haste just to serve a political goal.ï¿½

During my personal conversation with him, Reza Kibriaï¿½s advice to me (heï¿½s a well wisher & occasionally a contributor of Mukto-Mona) was ï¿½pick your battle carefully. Only one at a time.ï¿½ My reply was ï¿½somewhere someone has to take the initiative.ï¿½

Although I attended twice, I couldnï¿½t listen to all the speakers. In fact, I missed, Rashed Khan Menon and Ajoy Roy. Suranjit Sen Gupta didnï¿½t show up in Jackson Heights gathering despite heï¿½s announced the chief guest . However, outside the auditorium, I spoke to Ajoy Roy .

Will the situation in Bangladesh change very soon? Well, I donï¿½t know. But itï¿½s a healthy sign to see countryï¿½s secular and progressive forces getting united. Such unity, however, would be meaningful for our future only if it is based on a commitment toward democracy, liberty and justice, and not on just a greed for the power. A unity without commitments is unlikely to bring about the change people of Bangladesh have been aspiring for so eagerly.---SAN-Feature Service / Mukto-mona

Jahed Ahmed is a co-moderator of Mukto-Mona (www.mukto-mona.com)