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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 don�t know. But it�s a healthy sign to see country�s 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 country�s 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 Workers� Party, and Dr. Reza Kibria, a professor from Australia, who also happens to be the only son of late Shah ASM Kibria�the assassinated leader of Awami league and former finance minister.
�I�ve gained enough in my life, held several important positions at home and abroad. I don�t have any personal ambition. And same holds true for those who�re sitting next to me,� 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 people�s 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 don�t 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. �Why couldn�t Awami league bring �71 war criminals to justice?� �Why didn�t Awami league grant autonomy to the judiciary system?� �Would you guys ban political use of religion if you gain power?�
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. �Why didn�t Awami league repealed the infamous �enemy property act�?�
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, �with Mr. Khosru (former law minister of AL) sitting beside me, I�d like to make it clear, if we come to power, in the first session of the parliament we�d pass the law to separate judiciary system from the executive branch granting it a total autonomy.�
Dr. Kamal Hussain seemed especially focused and optimistic. �We�ve 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.�
�The basis of our alliance is that we all aspire for a secular, progressive and democratic Bangladesh,� said Kamal Hussain. He told the audience that he�d said the same in his meetings with Sheikh Hasina, the Awami league Chief and former Bangladesh Prime Minister. �Sheikh Hasina truly understands & seems to be very sincere about the legitimacy of our demands.�
I�ve heard of Dr. Reza Kibria�s name but didn�t 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 he�s 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 father�s dreams and how the unfortunate assassination of his father led him into a movement that he never anticipated before. �Do you have any regrets for getting involved into political issues?� I asked him. �No.� he said. �But it�s not easy. They are organized and we�re not.�
Needless to say, here �they� 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 father�s murder, he said,� we want a fair & just trial; not one done in a haste just to serve a political goal.�
During my personal conversation with him, Reza Kibria�s advice to me (he�s a well wisher & occasionally a contributor of Mukto-Mona) was �pick your battle carefully. Only one at a time.� My reply was �somewhere someone has to take the initiative.�
Although I attended twice, I couldn�t listen to all the speakers. In fact, I missed, Rashed Khan Menon and Ajoy Roy. Suranjit Sen Gupta didn�t show up in Jackson Heights gathering despite he�s announced the chief guest . However, outside the auditorium, I spoke to Ajoy Roy .
Will the situation in Bangladesh change very soon? Well, I don�t know. But it�s a healthy sign to see country�s 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)