Unheard Voices

To quote my article of June 29, 1995, “Why do martial laws fail?” “Martial Laws fail because the initiators of all extra-constitutional rule ride into town on tanks with the lofty Aim of saving the country, relying on that platonic national purpose to make themselves credible. They soon adjust the Aim to more material (and less patriotic) reasons of self-perpetuation. The original Aim remains publicly the same, becomes an exercise in self-delusion. This diversion of Aim means that one individual or group is simply replaced by another (or others), instead of being a transition mechanism that provides for and facilitates the process of the democratic system being repaired and renovated to reflect the real genius and aspirations of the people.”

A refined ‘Pakistan model’?
Source: The News
By Ikram Sehgal
July 17, 2008

(more…)

London, UK, July 8, 2008 - Drishtipat Writers’ Collective (DWC), A London based writers’ group on Bangladesh, has published its first e-book on the prospect of National Security Council in Bangladesh titled “The Case Against a National Security Council in Bangladesh”.

As the state of emergency draws to a close and national elections loom, the powers-that-be behind Bangladesh’s Caretaker Government have mooted the necessity of such a council. The collective opines that creating an NSC will not solve Bangladesh’s political problems and would rather make it worse. An NSC will make it more difficult for democratic institutions to develop, and quite possibly, condemn the nation to a generation-long conflict. 

A series of articles, published in the print media over the past year, makes the case against an NSC, does comparative analysis with other countries and suggests alternatives.  Please distribute link among possible stakeholders and interest groups.

For questions and comments, please write to dpwriters@drishtipat.org. 

You can see the e-book directly by clicking here

About DWC:

Drishtipat Writers’ Collective is a coalition of writers who blog, write and research on society, politics and the economy of Bangladesh. Experts in their own fields, the writers’ are spread out all across the globe and have more than 50 publications on Bangladesh both in Bangladeshi and International media.  More details can be found at http://dpwriters.wordpress.com 

Whether a mugging, road accident, or protests against a national policy — whenever something goes wrong in our country, violence breaks out. Actions one would never even imagine taking individually are carried out by groups or “the mob”. Is this anger a response to a failing social system where people feel forced to take the law into their own hands? Does this violence erupt all of a sudden, or is it dormant inside us all, just waiting for a trigger to set it off? (more…)

1. In the Graveyard of Hope- Faruq Wasif
2. Messiah Syndrome- Shameran Abed

Bangladesh is the name of hope’s graveyard. Bangladesh is another name for waiting. Here, everything almost arrives, but nothing actually, finally comes. But even within the darkness, the possibility of the arrival shines like the morning star. Even though in exchange for our nose, a blade we received, we still hope that some day our noses will heal. We are waiting, hope, sister to waiting, will one day return. The train of history will stop at our platform. We wait. This is our life’s force in this unspeakable reality. We water the grave of hope and bring forth the grass of sorrow. Waiting, brother of hope, keeps us awake. We traverse decades. We come through death, war, pestilence and famine. (more…)

1. Somalia 114.2
2. Sudan 113.0
3. Zimbabwe 112.5
4. Chad 110.9
5. Iraq 110.6
6. D. R. Congo 106.7
7. Afghanistan 105.4
8. Cote d’Ivoire 104.6
9. Pakistan 103.8
10. Central African Republic 103.7
11. Guinea 101.8
12. Bangladesh 100.3
13. Burma 100.3
14. Haiti 99.3
15. North Korea 97.7
16. Ethiopia 96.1

[ Graph: The Fund For Peace, Washington, D.C.] (more…)

My feeling is that Rezwan bhai has hit the nail on the head. He has hinted at a link between democracy and disaster response/management in the case of Cyclone Nargis. Democracies thrive in open societies with free flow of information. A person’s right to know and people’s right to speak are fundamental to democracies. While some have tried to portray this flow of information and the different media through which they flow as “wastes of time”/ “distractions” that keep people from going about their daily lives, that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the entire situation. (more…)

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…)

Not the general public.
Nor the politicians.
Nor any professional bodies.

Yesterday a roundtable of random people (failed politicians, the reform party, 51 first class giving professor and passed sell by date intellectuals) urged for the formation of NSC. Those who are familiar with pattern of making laws and ordinances without any discussion or transparency now know that the standard formula is this.

1. Ask a professor to present a keynote paper favouring what you want.
2. Have a roundtable of people who are used to boot licking.
3. Call it “Gonodabi” and make the law.

In case of NSC, the first two has been concluded. The first paper calling for NSC was presented by Imtiaz Ahmed. Yesterday, the round table happened.

Last time, NSC was called for in Bangladesh was by Gen Ershad in February 1982, a month before the overthrowing of President Sattar, when Ershad wanted an institutional role for the miliary in Bangladesh for policy making.

Read the three news reports and you will get the gist.

Prothom Alo
Daily Star
New Nation

Who was present? The line up has the best of military bootlickers.

The organization which organized it also is a just floated organization and I am sure it will disappear after this meeting of after the passing of NSC ordinance.

The key note speaker was professor Ataur Rahman from the political science department. Does the name sound familiar? Remember the time when Gen Moeen U Ahmed a gave speech for the future of democracy in Bangladesh at the invitation of a no name organization. Yeap, it was headed by the same guy.
(more…)

After a resounding no to military governence in the Thai election, now the Pakistani voters have spoken and the message could not be clearer. People have decided that they had enough of the Musharraf experiment. The writing is clear for anyone taking notes. However, this election had an added bonus. Pakistani voters have also routed the Islamic hardliners in this election. Ending with a note from a friend:

a defeat for the militarists and islamists anywhere is a victory for secular democracy everywhere. congratulations, pakistan. now my (perhaps rather naive!) heart wants the same thing for Bangladesh.

These days, on February 14, Valentines Day is celebrated in Bangladesh with great fanfare. The students and teen/ post teen generation as well as the older ones use their energy; ingenuity in doing thing to convince their loved ones.

Exactly 25 years ago on the 14 the February, I was about to finish my high school in Dhaka. I had no clue what Valentine day was. Then during the rest of student life in colleges throughout the 80s, I still did not know or do much with Valentines Day.

However 14th February remained a special day for us, the students and young people in the 80s. When the military establishment illegally captured state power on 24th March 1982, on this day, 14 the February the following year i.e. 1983, students lodged a large scale protest against the military occupation of governance. Five students – Zafar, Dipali Saha, Jainal, Mozammel and Ayub – were killed in the police firing, leading to the formation of Chhatra Sangram Parishad (students’ action council), the first politically organised platform against the military junta. The following year, on the same day during a student procession marking the event, the military rulers ran a truck on the peaceful procession instantly crushing Selim and Delwar to death.

Over the next six years, many more lives were lost. We invoked the names of Dipali Shaha, Mozamel, Selim, Delwar millions of times. Students were followed by trade unions followed by professionals and they gloriously defied the military rule. Politicians joined hands and later the civil service stepped in. Military had no options but to surrender and retreat back to the cantonment.

With restoration of democracy, along with many other things, we also forgot those who shed their lives for the democracy. And we badly mangled up militarycracy with a person Ershad. Ten years after fall of Ershad, he came back with a significantly limited capacity of a small political party leader. This time his power was not the military establishment. Ironically the people of his region were his principle force.

(more…)

New Age Editorial Today:

Editorial
Lessons to learn from Thai army’s admitted misadventure

It is hardly surprising that the military council, which ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 in a coup, accusing him of corruption and irreverence towards the Thai monarchy, and governed the country for the past two years, has proved entirely inept at running state affairs. So much so, in fact, that the council has promised that ‘there will be no more coups,’ as a Thaksin-backed political party prepares to assume office after the country’s recent elections, according to a report published in New Age on Wednesday. What is surprising, however, is that the Thai military has acquired the wisdom to recognise that ‘the military should not be involved in politics’ as the council’s spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.

(more…)

Shahidul Alam on Rule Of Law:

To convict and then provide presidential pardon, is an act of self-deification by the government.

Rahnuma Ahmed on Image Warfare:

The publication of the first photograph, the censored one, created disorder in the world of images.

Badiul Alam Majumdar of Shujan has been a tremendous voice for the last 2/3 years for reform in electoral changes. His organization, the hunger project, has tremendous grassroots outreach. Drishtipat recently has been working with the hunger project on its flood campaign. The following piece chonologically posts how the reform proposals evolved — the dialogue for which is starting tomorrow. Check our previous discussion on these proposed changes.

Also take the following poll.

Badiul Alam Majumdar
First Published in Daily Star.

The Election Commission (EC) has invited 15 political parties for dialogue on electoral reforms, which is to begin from September 12. Some political parties have already expressed their hesitation to participate in the dialogue. Others are demanding the lifting of the existing ban on indoor politics as a condition for their participation.

However, many have misgivings about the very intention behind the Commission’s initiative. Some even view it as a part of a conspiracy designed to put into practice the so-called “minus two” formula. Such misgivings are uncalled for in that the electoral reform ideas have not been conceived to exclude anyone, nor have they suddenly fallen as manna from heaven. In fact, ideas of reform have evolved over time and they have a celebrated history.

(more…)

The foreign press is offering their own analysis to the recent development. First one from CBS.

Zia was elected in 1991, Hasina in 1996, and Zia again in 2001. And after each election, a well-worn pattern emerged: the winner distributed plum jobs and lucrative contracts to supporters; the loser did their best to make the country ungovernable through strikes and protests.

….

Only the most die-hard Zia and Hasina supporters are sorry to see those days go.

But with the initial euphoria that accompanied the imposition of emergency rule wearing off, concerns are growing about what the generals plan to put in the place of the political elite that it’s working so hard to discredit.

(more…)