July 27, 2015: No Fresh Start for BCL - Ah!!

"BCL Should Take the Opportunity for a Fresh Start” – was the heading of July 27th Dhaka Tribune (DT) editorial. Obviously, the editorial was upbeat because the Prime Minister who, ideally, should have nothing to with comings and goings BCL suggested that the BCL hierarchy should be elected by the councilors. 

Then there was the usual behind the curtain dealings and negotiations; there were no opposing candidates; and the leaders were selected by an election! As opposed to alleged 5% voter turnout in the last general election, 95% of councilors voted. 

Walla!

No, the heartfelt wish of DT editor did not come true for the very reason he was optimistic about. When a partisan political leader goes to the house of a student’s organization and dictates what to do and what not to do; that is the miasma that ails. 

When a national political organization, be is BAL or BNP, uses the student’s organization as a muscular front and lavishes its foul-tongued leaders with illicit money and power; this is the miasma that ails. 

And when the politically appointed administrators of public educational institutions fail to hold student’s body elections for years to come; this is the miasma that ails.

When I was a student of my eleventh class, I have seen a very charismatic leader of BCL in my neighboring college in Sylhet. I passed my higher secondary certificate examination and went to medical school for 5 years. Then following a year of internship I, in search better life, came over to this supposed El Dorado in North America. Years passed by. I finished my residency and my fellowship training. It was 90’s. 

In those pre-internet ages, news from home was slow to travel. One day, I got hold of a rather recent weekly issue of Bichitra. And there he was – a glowing picture of him as the elected VP of Dhaka University Student’s Union.  

I know politics does not pay. He must be in his early mid or late-thirties.  Was he married, and if married who his putting up with his bills – I wondered. I wondered about the sorry wrinkles on his father’s forehead …

No, I really was not that naïve. I knew his father must have been proud of his son. And his son definitely was bringing some dough home …   

That puny dough now in 2015, must have transformed into mighty trunk-full of golden bills adorned with BongoBondhu’s head.

Yes, it is the money and power that ails BCL.  

Lofty ideals? What’s the heck …

July 23, 2015: When the Rajons get Killed

It seems that the murderers of Rajon will face prompt justice. This is welcome news. However, the Rajon’s murder did not occur in a void. The milieu is littered by trails of hundreds of murders or other gruesome crimes where the perpetrators remain out of reach of the supposedly long arm of justice. 

Despite great leads by different investigating outfits including the elite RAB, justice for Tawki remains in perpetual limbo. Limon’s perpetrator remains untouched. AB Siddique’s allegedly well-built stout professional-looking kidnappers also remains yonder. 

Mastermind of N-7 murder reportedly snarled that the government is afraid to get him back home. 

Murder-investigation of an erstwhile minister of BAL (Shah Kibria) still remains shrouded. And yes, Avijit’s wife may get to speak to her foreign friends of PEN, the pencil of justice in Bangladesh, as it pertains to her husband’s murder, shall keep doodling forever … 

Now, let’s suppose that the killers of Rajon belonged to a powerful BAL-Family like the one in N-Ganj, and let’s suppose the police officer who let the culprit set free to travel to Saudi Arab hails from a specific district; given the matter of fact and the prevailing state of affair in Bangladesh, would you expect that the legal process would have taken the same celerity?  

Twaki’s father goes to Jail for writing a bad check (if the news reports are correct) but those cousins of Borgi bandits who have plundered the banks and the money-houses of DSE over and over, still remain free to roam the alleys of power in style …

Those Epicurean virtues like simplicity, courage, honesty and moderation are not the forte of our today’s leaders – both in power and in opposition.  Save a few, they are the modern-day epicures enjoying fine wine, gourmet food, classical music and finer-than-Muslin raiment.  

As the nation slowly but surely slides towards more and more entropy; they, by grace of God, keep on talking lovely about their puny democracy and development. They taunt any opposing view by touting Bangladesh’s promotion to lower middle income economy. Ayub Khan's much talked about "Decade of Development", frankly, did not save the day! 

In a country where un-natural death in the hands of nefarious outfits is a constant fear; where accidental death in highway is pervasive, and in a country where the supposed blindness of justice is blind – does it matter if the highly skewed per capita income is few hundred dollars more than a few years ago?