Unheard Voices

Crossposted from Imperfect World

Seeing Cherie Booth yesterday on TV demanding the immediate shipment of Hasina for medical treatment made me think about foreign interference in Bangladeshi politics. So I am going to blog about James Moriarty, the US ambassador to Bangladesh. His arrival earlier this month portends, I fear, a menacing level of interference.

“Diplomatic activism,” if we can call it that, has been key in the recent developments in Bangladesh not least in the installation of the current military-backed caretaker government. So what can we expect in the future? Judging from his recent stint in Nepal, Mr Moriarty is not the type to engage in sensitive diplomacy. Indeed one journalist wrote “Moriarty was to prove very much an American cowboy in a Nepali china shop.” Read “cowboy” as euphemism for stoking conflict, murder and mayhem. As the results favouring the Maoists come in from Nepal, Mr Moriarty - their implacable opponent - must be wondering where he went wrong. The truth is that he never did possess a realistic view of what was possibile in Nepal. Mr Moriarty’s CV on the web tells us he has won several performance awards. Perhaps these were won mainly when he was behind a desk in Washington. In Nepal, his performance would have earned him a severe dressing down given the perverse outcome. And hence perhaps his appointment/demotion to Bangladesh.

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As part of a programme marking the International Women’s Day, the government announced a National Women Development Policy on 8 March (see here). The announced policy was condemned by a section of the clerics as un-Islamic. Specifically, the clerics objected to any possible change to the inheritance laws such that women could get equal inheritance rights as men. On 11 March, the government announced that it had no intention of passing any law that is ‘anti-Islam’ (see here). On 27 March, the government formed a 20-member committee to identify inconsistencies in the policy as per Islamic rules and suggest steps (see here). While the committee deliberated, the clerical opposition continued. Following the Friday prayers on 11 April, violent protests broke out around Baitul Mukarram (see here). On 17 April, the committee recommended that the government amends its policy, replacing any commitment to equality between the sexes with ‘just rights’ for women (see here).

Drishtipat is committed to equal rights - irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity or faith - of all citizens. As such, it supports, without any reservation, equal property and inheritance rights for men and women. But this post is not about the commitment to these rights. Nor is it about theological discussions about what Islam has to say on the matter. Rather, it is about some lessons to be drawn from the developments described in the first paragraph.

(More in Mukti)

What is most interesting in this report is that this is the first international research report which terms the 1/11 changes as a military coup and also highlights the western diplomats involvement in it.

The caretaker government, along with the international community, must take credible steps to restore democracy to Bangladesh ahead of the December 2008 general elections. Although the caretaker government insists its plans to stamp out corruption and hold general elections by December are on track, its achievements have been patchy. There is an immediate need for dialogue between the government and the main parties. Ideally, a new consensus would not only cover how to hold elections but also develop commitments on post-election behaviour and democratic functioning. International actors should recognise that the priority is to maintain pressure for timely and credible elections.

Read the interesting full report here (more…)

New Age Editorial:
On Wednesday, April 23, the Appellate Division curtailed the authority of the High Court Division to hear bail petitions in cases under the Emergency Powers Rules, in a judgement that has sparked furore among legal experts and practitioners, and been dubbed as the last nail in the human rights coffin・ a tsunami on the rule of law and the judiciary・ a black chapter in the judicial history of Bangladesh・ etc. The chorus of concern and criticism by legal experts and practitioners is quite understandable. The Emergency Powers Rules, as amended on March 21, 2007, bars the accused from seeking bail in any court or tribunal during inquiry, investigation or trial. (more…)

If you forgot the brutal godfather from Feni Jainal Hajari and his thugs, he is back albeit online.

http://www.hazarikaonline.com/

Check out his foray into journalism and his ‘fight’ for democracy. It was alarming to see well known columnist Masuda Bhatti’s name in the website. In the fight for restoring democracy, we must pick our allies carefully and search for people who truly believe in people’s rights rather than the ones who want to go back to the system so that they can abuse them. I earnestly hope that Masuda Bhatti’s name was put there as a mistake and she actually has done her home work.

Browse through the site and don’t forget to read up his defence here. The tagline of the site says ’stop talking, start doing’. Wondering what he wants us to start doing — break the hands and legs of fellow journalists, perhaps?

If you don’t know who Hazari is, you can read up on his extra curricular activities here

Barack Obama, with his compelling life story, is inspiring America like nobody has since John F. Kennedy. The child of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, and raised by his grandparents, Obama started his political life at the bottom of the food chain as a community organiser in Chicago, and is now reaching for the US presidency.

As a curious outsider, I have watched Obama with polarised emotions over the last couple of months. I have alternated between inspiration and depression; inspired by his magnetic promise for the American youth and saddened by the lack of such leaders at home.

What does Obama mean in the Bangladeshi context? He represents a breed of bottom-up politicians who can inspire and unite the younger generation to dream of tomorrow — and then deliver.

Faisal Salahuddin’s piece here

Rizwan Hossain is a well known tv host among the Londoni Bangladeshis for his work for Islamic charities. The statement below speaks for itself and tells a story of despicable brutality unleashed upon him by 5 air force officers at ZIA International Airport. An ISPR release said today that an investigative commission has been formed. The chance of anything happening is slightly brightened because of the fact that Rizwan is a British citizen. As with other similar cases, this news was completely blacked out in Bangladeshi media.

I travelled to Bangladesh on 11th April 2008 to visit my ailing father who is currently at Square Hospital suffering from final stages of Lung Disease.

On 14th April, I travelled to Dhaka to see off my sister, brother in law and baby nephew at Zia International Airport, she was due to fly back to the UK on BA145 at 08.00 hours. I entered the airport with his family through Door 23 having purchased a ticket for 500 taka. I accompanied my sister to the British Airways counter, assisted her to check in and then my sister then proceeded on to the departure lounge.

I proceeded to leave the airport to return to my car in the car park, just as I was leaving I was approached by an elderly woman (from Loughborough) who informed me of some problems she was facing with her ticket with emirates. It transpired that this lady was the mother in law of Abdul Mozid Taher (greater Sylhet council). Abdul Mozid Taher also called at that point from UK and requested me to assist his mother in law and young sister at the airport. On this request, I spoke to the emirates check-in counter and explained the ladies problem.

The emirates check in officer Jami asked me to wait a little while and he would get back to him if a solution can be found. I stayed a little while to help her. A few minutes later I was approached by security staff and asked how I got in. I explained that I had entered to see off my sister, husband, and child and presently was trying to help the elderly lady.

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By Priscilla Raj

[Editorial note: Priscilla set off to find the real impact of price rise in the most poverty stricken region of Bangladesh — the extreme Southern part of the country in the remotest of chars. This series, the partial cost for which is being borne by this blog, is a reflection on that trip. Hope you will find this series, the second of which is being published today, to be interesting and fascinating as this is a part of the country whose voice is often unheard in our conversations ]

After Part 1

With the two women

The local woman member and her husband also came with us as Bashir had asked them. I wasn’t sure why Bashir Member had asked the woman member to come. Later I realized it might be because here people are very much reserved about talking to women. When even being a woman you talk to a male, they would avoid your eyes and talk to your male companion instead. I knew with time they would be flexible and learn to cope with a woman traveler amidst them. After having tea I was almost forcibly sent inside the house of the hotel owner which was adjacent to it. The woman member also came with me.

We had been welcomed by the wife of the hotel owner. Now that it was a three-woman league, both of them became very relaxed and started talking freely. The hotel owner’s wife seemed to be a robust and happy woman. I forgot to ask her name. She is originally from Lalmohan, an area in Char Fashon to be married here. We had a long talk about the situation of women.

Education is probably the least touched sector in this economically rather thriving island. There is no high school in the island. Very few students studied as high as class VIII in the island who go to the only junior high school. As students interested in giving SSC examination increased recent years, the administration of this school registers the students in the schools at Char Kachchapia while teaching them here. These students go to Char Kachchapia later to sit for the examination. Girls are increasingly going to school but early marriage and post-marital negative environment is a big setback against their educational progress. “I was married when I had passed class VIII,” said the hotel owner’s wife. Then her mother died. The young Romeos of the locality started to disturb her on her way to and from school. Feeling insecure, her father got her married. “My two other sisters are more educated than me. My mother-in-law was a big bully. She didn’t let me continue my school. At that time no girl was here as educated as I am. The teachers in the local school entreated her to let me finish my school. They said so many women quotas were vacant in different jobs because there were no fitting women. But she didn’t move.”

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..via Zadie and Monica. A terrific new piece by Jyoti in the Bangla blog, exploring the fate of our immigrants and ultimately asking questions about the nature of our politics. A must-read.

শুভ নববর্ষ । Please discuss any subject, raise any issues, ask the UV bloggers any question, or request a post. Regards.

Around 4000 police and armed police battalion stormed through 12 villages around Kansat in the middle of the night ransacking houses, looting, indiscriminately beating up women, children, and elderlies, and finally firing upon fleeing villagers killing at least 6 people, including a 10 year old boy, and injuring more than 300. Hundreds of rounds of bullets, rubber bullets, and tear gas canisters were fired on the people. They had also arrested 29 people on the sixth day of indefinite hartal called by PBUSP.

3rd year anniversary of Kansat killing today.

This website by drishtipat volunteers documents the people’s uprising in Kansat.

According to recent news reports, perhaps a sliver of relief is on the way for the price of rice. Apparently there is a bumper boro crop this year (see here. This, plus the expected arrival of imported rice, has apparently caused the price rises to cease, at least for now (see here). This is certainly welcome news.

But there are still serious grounds for worry. According to the Financial Times, rice prices rose more than 10 per cent last week as rice importing countries (including Bangladesh) tried to secure supplies from the handful of exporters still selling the grain in the international market. The price jump came as leading exporting countries including Vietnam, India, China and Egypt, banned foreign sales.
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Funny how we notice different things at different times. I visited Kolkata in January 2000. It was after I had finished masters and had little care in the world. After 6 weeks in conservative Dhaka, I enjoyed the nightlife around Park Street and New Market. And of course there were the bookshops. But political economy of defence - this i didn’t care about.

I was in Kolkata eight years later this February, not for holiday, but nor was political economy why I made the trip. But hey, it’s hard to stop thinking about that stuff.

(More at Mukti)

Dr. Yunus is a nobel laureate. Widely popular outside Bangladesh and arguably inside Bangladesh as well. However, is Dr. Yunus a good role model for Bangladeshi youth? Before you answer that with a simple yes, or no, if you could also tell us what kind of qualities you look for in a role model and which of those are there in him and which of those are not there, it will be great. This will give more context to your answer.

A very angry post from Dhaka Shohor that makes some poignant points.

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Yeats should have sailed to Bangladesh.

For in Bangladesh, the old in one another’s arms dance on the bloodied corpses of the young.

I speak not only of “cowardly liberals” such as our twin editors, who seem to have sacrificed a man each to save their own political hides. Whereas they should have been leaders, voices of experience and bulwarks of strength who sheltered the more adventurous of their flock – Mohammad Arifur Rahman and Tasneem Khalil – they have instead proven themselves to be sell-outs and sycophants through not just their “sacrifices” but also their silence.

No, I come not to speak only of these so-called progressive voices of a decrepit generation with suitably unoriginal, decrepit ideas. I speak also of other older, more honourable men. Men who vow to keep us safe, where “us” equals every person who inhabits our green land. Men who send our finest and bravest to battle. Men who have taken on young men and women to fight for their land and are responsible for their safety.

After a generation of INDOCTRINATING our young army personnel against India as opposed to TRAINING THEM TO THINK about countering India’s influence meaningfully, I see the most honourable of men travel to Delhi. The Bangladeshi media reports sycophantically on it. The Indian media talks about “joint exercises” aimed at eradicating the Indian North-East of “rebels” and “terrorists”.

Now unlike Mr. Farhad Mazhar, whose write-up on the topic I appreciated highly and urge everyone to read for its section on the Bay of Bengal gas blocks issue, I am not about to make emotional appeals that go like, “Our army is doing India’s bidding!”. Joint exercises are not doing anyone’s “bidding” and, if our army is to become/remain well-trained and have a global outlook instead of the parochial one that pervades it, such exercises are positive. I will not make such emotional appeals.

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