Sun 22 Jun 2008
Photograph for TIME by Helen Kudrich
Time throws off its pretense and ignores Fakhruddin alltogether in its new feature on Bangladesh and goes to the real decision maker. The quote speaks for itself below and gives you a context of some of the very policy of crash and burn that has so backfired until now.
The government has made no promises about when it will lift the emergency. Shying away from democratic commitments, Moeen is far more eager to talk about building effective leadership in Bangladesh and educating its vast, illiterate masses — as he himself puts it — “so that they don’t keep on cutting off their own feet.” Such a tone is fitting for a man who styles himself the redeemer of his country. “You can judge the people of a nation by the type of leaders they select,” he concludes. Most Bangladeshis are wondering when they’ll really get that chance.
In the meantime, if you want to meet one of these “vast”, “illiterate”, “docile”, self destructive, too kind for their own good and dumb voters, meet Nazima Akter profiled in Washington Post.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
‘ “If they want to make trouble,” says Moeen, “let them” ‘
I wonder where he gets that kind of confidence. So he really does think he is the messiah out to save our leaders from ‘cutting their own feet’ and help us boost our image as a group-of-idiots-who-don’t-know -better-than-to-elect-idiotic-leaders. or is ‘idiot’ replacebale with corrupt?
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Will the new kind of leader Moeen is talking about, be ascending into Bangladesh from Boston, MA or Army HQ, Dhaka Cantt?
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
#2
Rumi bhai, mone hocche the new leader will ascend THROUGH Army HQ, with the blessings from the powers that be (in Boston, MA, Washington DC or London).
But then, as a nation, for giving birth and shelter to Bangladesh Army, and letting them take over as our “leaders”, we deserve nothing better. I can see what MUA had meant (finally!)
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
The problem is that, a country can not have two leaders. For one Moeen, we need one Fakhruddin. It remains to be seen, in the USA-Dhaka Cantonment marriage, who will the Moeen and who will remain Fakhruddin. Bechara Kamal Hossain er bara bhate chhai.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Rumi bhai,
this is what I have telling all along. All the posturing for human rights for a lot of people is purely using it for convenience. Look at the blog from Boston, MA. Is it talking about the abuse or the latest spat of arrests any more? Is human rights abuse not happening any more now that the mother has been released? Nitiheen rajneeti er naam.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Bhai-bonera, ektu shobur koren, ekhon-o onek velki-baaji baaki acche mone hoy.
There are a few bright sides to this.
1. This shows that what has been happening is politics. Not some revolution that will ’set things right’, but pure old fashioned politics. This realisation is a good thing.
2. This shows that everyone recognises who the real boss is. It’s a good thing that we’re doing away with the fiction of Fakhruddin-led government.
3. The political maneuverings and repositionings that are likely to follow will show that there is no good or bad guys in our politics. That realisation is also a good thing.
4. Given the rumblings in the cantonment, we should note that there are more than one ways a general-turned-politician can be removed from the office. If Moeen does enter politics, with the blessings from Boston and preaching jatir pitar adorsho, he can be opposed politically by a coalition of jatiyatabadis. This is a better alternative than ousting him through the barrel of some other general’s guns.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:42 am
If Moeen does enter politics, with the blessings from Boston and preaching jatir pitar adorsho, he can be opposed politically by a coalition of jatiyatabadis.
Its a possible outcome from 1/11, and I guess, jatiyatabadis will welcome moyeen in other banner of mujib’s ideology.
The question then, finally who will shape the politics, and win the election jatiyabadis groups or mijib’s ideological group. We, the general people, know the answer. so my understanding, the election will not be free at this moment, means Bangladesh politics now at 82’s Ershad time.
June 24th, 2008 at 11:18 am
“Je Lau, sei kodu”…
June 26th, 2008 at 1:58 am
There was a lot of talk about the army reshuffles and the departure of Masud was about the moderates taking control. I have always been sceptical of Moeen’s moderates credentials. This quote from the Time article -
“If they want to make trouble,” says Moeen, “let them” - sounds pretty hardline to me.
On a separate note: should Nazima Akter be considered as a member of the civil society, discuss critically.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:20 am
^^ she might be used as such, but i reckon she’d might think it was naff and just gets on with it.
June 29th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Hello,
Moyeen is walking on thin ice. I’m sure he didn’t enjoy issuing the order of transferring Brigadier-General Bari from the DGFI to the IT (Information Technology) wing of the Army. This is only the beginning of Moyeen’s fall, irrespective of what the ‘Times’ has to say about it.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Why MUA, FUA is silent lately? Are they plotting anything serious? Just curious!