11 hours ago
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh will lift its nearly two years of emergency rule on Dec. 17 ahead of polls due later this month, a government adviser said Wednesday.
Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said the country's military-backed interim government "with the consent of the President" decided to fully withdraw the state of emergency that was imposed in January last year. The caretaker government has 10 advisers in place of a Cabinet.
Candidates will be allowed to campaign for elections from Dec. 12, even though political gatherings are banned under the state of emergency, Rahman told a Wednesday news conference.
President Iajuddin Ahmed declared the state of emergency in January 2007 to quell weeks of street violence over electoral reform that left more than 30 people dead.
Under the emergency, authorities can make arrests without warrants and detain people without specific charges, while public demonstrations and trade union activities are banned.
The country's main political parties — the Bangladesh Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party — have been demanding an end to the state of emergency to ensure the elections, scheduled for Dec. 29, are free and fair.
The parties did not immediately comment on the decision to lift the emergency.
Bangladesh has been a parliamentary democracy since 1991. The South Asian nation of 150 million people was mostly ruled by military dictators after gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
McCain urges free and fair elections in Bangladesh
4 days ago
DHAKA (AFP) — Former US presidential candidate John McCain on Wednesday called on all Bangladeshi politicians to accept the outcome of elections that will end two years of rule by an army-backed government.
Speaking during a visit to Dhaka ahead of the December 29 polls, McCain praised the interim authorities and the army "for strengthening the foundations of Bangladesh's democracy."
"Their work is not yet done and it is now the time for an elected successor to continue the reform process already begun and to build democracy and enhance prosperity for Bangladeshi people," he said.
"It will be equally important for all to accept the results of the elections and work together in the interest of the country."
Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government since January 2007 when, after months of political violence between supporters of the ruling BNP and the opposition Awami League, the army imposed an emergency and cancelled polls.
Over the past two years the government has pushed through electoral and political reforms, including a crackdown on corruption.
McCain also urged Bangladesh to play a role in combating terrorism in South Asia following last week's attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 188 people.
"We talked to officials of your government about the need for co-ordinated action to fight terrorism in the region," he said, adding that he expected full co-operation from Pakistan as India investigated the attack.
India has said those behind the Mumbai attacks came from Pakistan, but it has also in the past pointed at Bangladesh as a possible source of cross-border militancy.
McCain, who is travelling with fellow senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, will visit Pakistan later this week.
He said he hoped to return to Bangladesh with his wife and teenage adopted daughter, Bridget, who was born in the country.
DHAKA (AFP) — Former US presidential candidate John McCain on Wednesday called on all Bangladeshi politicians to accept the outcome of elections that will end two years of rule by an army-backed government.
Speaking during a visit to Dhaka ahead of the December 29 polls, McCain praised the interim authorities and the army "for strengthening the foundations of Bangladesh's democracy."
"Their work is not yet done and it is now the time for an elected successor to continue the reform process already begun and to build democracy and enhance prosperity for Bangladeshi people," he said.
"It will be equally important for all to accept the results of the elections and work together in the interest of the country."
Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government since January 2007 when, after months of political violence between supporters of the ruling BNP and the opposition Awami League, the army imposed an emergency and cancelled polls.
Over the past two years the government has pushed through electoral and political reforms, including a crackdown on corruption.
McCain also urged Bangladesh to play a role in combating terrorism in South Asia following last week's attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 188 people.
"We talked to officials of your government about the need for co-ordinated action to fight terrorism in the region," he said, adding that he expected full co-operation from Pakistan as India investigated the attack.
India has said those behind the Mumbai attacks came from Pakistan, but it has also in the past pointed at Bangladesh as a possible source of cross-border militancy.
McCain, who is travelling with fellow senators Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, will visit Pakistan later this week.
He said he hoped to return to Bangladesh with his wife and teenage adopted daughter, Bridget, who was born in the country.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Bangladesh Election 2008: Minority leaders resent few nominations
The New Age
02.12.08
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury
Leading minority rights activists and political leaders criticised the major political alliances for nominating a few religious and ethnic minority candidates for the December 29 general elections in violation of democratic and secular ideals. The parties field ethnic minority people only when the parties fail to find potential candidates, they said. This is, they said, ‘disgraceful’ and ‘unfortunate’ in terms of democratic equality of majority and minority communities. The two major political alliances, led by the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have nominated only 19 minority candidates for the same number of electoral constituencies. The parliament has 300 seats. Of the 19, only five have been nominated by the BNP. They are Gayeshwar Chandra Roy for Dhaka 3, Nitai Roy Chowdhury for Magura 2, Gautam Chakrabarty for Tangail 6, Sachinpu Zerry for Bandarban and Dipen Dewan for Rangamati. The BNP’s arch-rival Awami League has nominated 14 minority candidates. They are Sukumar Ranjan Ghosh for Munshiganj 1, Ramesh Chandra Sen for Thakurgaon 1, Manoranjan Sheel Gopal for Dinajpur 1, Biren Sikder for Magura 2, Subhas Bosh for Narail 1, Ranjit Roy for Jessore 4, Nani Gopal Mandol for Khulna 1, Naraya Chandra Chanda for Khulna 5, Dhirendra Devnath Shambhu for Barguna 1, Suranjit Sengupta for Sunamganj 2, Bimal Biswas of the Workers Party for Narail 1, Pramod Mankin for Mymensingh 1, Jyotindra Lal Tripura for Khagrachari, Dipankar Talukder for Rangamati, Bir Bahadur for Bandarban. The Liberal Democratic Party nominated Moni Swapan Dewan for Rangamati. The BNP’s constitution says the party will take all-out, specific steps to create scope for the people of all walks of life… including members of the backward communities … to participate in nation-building activities. The Awami League constitution says the party will adopt appropriate measures ... ‘to ensure … the rights [of citizens] irrespective of religion, caste, sex, community, ethnic identity and so on.’ The minority rights leaders strongly resented the attitude of the political parties in question, especially when they nominate candidates for the elections, terming it religious chauvinism. Kazal Debnath, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad, described the affair ‘disgraceful’ and ‘unfortunate.’ ‘It reflects that the parties are trying to go to “power in exchange for anything”,’ he told New Age. ‘The political parties which claim themselves to be democratic and secular have failed to uphold both the national constitution and constitutions of respective organisations as they [generally] make “religious identity” of an aspirant an important issue,’ said Debnath. ‘The parties even do not nominate minority candidates for minority-dominated constituencies.’ He said if the parties would not change their attitude, ‘some day the members of the minority communities may raise demand for separate electorate or quota for them.’ Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, an organisation working for ethnic minority communities, found the situation ‘frustrating.’ ‘They [parties] have simply ignored the ethnic and religious minorities,’ he told New Age. ‘The parties have failed to create space for minorities to exercise democratic rights.’ Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, a joint secretary general of the BNP, who is running the polls for the Dhaka 3 constituency, said, ‘In most cases, the major parties select candidates who have potential to win.’ He observed there were a small number of minority political leaders who had successfully groomed themselves to adapt to the changing political climate. ‘The parties should groom potential, young political leaders rising above majority or minority bias.’ Mukul Bose, joint general secretary of the Awami League, said the major political parties did ‘injustice’ to the aspirants, who belong to minority communities. ‘The parties could have nominated more candidates especially for minority-dominated constituencies.’
02.12.08
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury
Leading minority rights activists and political leaders criticised the major political alliances for nominating a few religious and ethnic minority candidates for the December 29 general elections in violation of democratic and secular ideals. The parties field ethnic minority people only when the parties fail to find potential candidates, they said. This is, they said, ‘disgraceful’ and ‘unfortunate’ in terms of democratic equality of majority and minority communities. The two major political alliances, led by the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have nominated only 19 minority candidates for the same number of electoral constituencies. The parliament has 300 seats. Of the 19, only five have been nominated by the BNP. They are Gayeshwar Chandra Roy for Dhaka 3, Nitai Roy Chowdhury for Magura 2, Gautam Chakrabarty for Tangail 6, Sachinpu Zerry for Bandarban and Dipen Dewan for Rangamati. The BNP’s arch-rival Awami League has nominated 14 minority candidates. They are Sukumar Ranjan Ghosh for Munshiganj 1, Ramesh Chandra Sen for Thakurgaon 1, Manoranjan Sheel Gopal for Dinajpur 1, Biren Sikder for Magura 2, Subhas Bosh for Narail 1, Ranjit Roy for Jessore 4, Nani Gopal Mandol for Khulna 1, Naraya Chandra Chanda for Khulna 5, Dhirendra Devnath Shambhu for Barguna 1, Suranjit Sengupta for Sunamganj 2, Bimal Biswas of the Workers Party for Narail 1, Pramod Mankin for Mymensingh 1, Jyotindra Lal Tripura for Khagrachari, Dipankar Talukder for Rangamati, Bir Bahadur for Bandarban. The Liberal Democratic Party nominated Moni Swapan Dewan for Rangamati. The BNP’s constitution says the party will take all-out, specific steps to create scope for the people of all walks of life… including members of the backward communities … to participate in nation-building activities. The Awami League constitution says the party will adopt appropriate measures ... ‘to ensure … the rights [of citizens] irrespective of religion, caste, sex, community, ethnic identity and so on.’ The minority rights leaders strongly resented the attitude of the political parties in question, especially when they nominate candidates for the elections, terming it religious chauvinism. Kazal Debnath, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad, described the affair ‘disgraceful’ and ‘unfortunate.’ ‘It reflects that the parties are trying to go to “power in exchange for anything”,’ he told New Age. ‘The political parties which claim themselves to be democratic and secular have failed to uphold both the national constitution and constitutions of respective organisations as they [generally] make “religious identity” of an aspirant an important issue,’ said Debnath. ‘The parties even do not nominate minority candidates for minority-dominated constituencies.’ He said if the parties would not change their attitude, ‘some day the members of the minority communities may raise demand for separate electorate or quota for them.’ Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, an organisation working for ethnic minority communities, found the situation ‘frustrating.’ ‘They [parties] have simply ignored the ethnic and religious minorities,’ he told New Age. ‘The parties have failed to create space for minorities to exercise democratic rights.’ Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, a joint secretary general of the BNP, who is running the polls for the Dhaka 3 constituency, said, ‘In most cases, the major parties select candidates who have potential to win.’ He observed there were a small number of minority political leaders who had successfully groomed themselves to adapt to the changing political climate. ‘The parties should groom potential, young political leaders rising above majority or minority bias.’ Mukul Bose, joint general secretary of the Awami League, said the major political parties did ‘injustice’ to the aspirants, who belong to minority communities. ‘The parties could have nominated more candidates especially for minority-dominated constituencies.’
Bangladesh Election 2008 : AL, BNP grapple with crowds of nomination seekers
The New Age
02.12.08
Abdullah Juberee and Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee
The two major political parties, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Awami League, are grappling with the problems of managing aspirants who are lobbying desperately to win nomination of respective parties or alliances to run for the ninth parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 29. Both the parties have multiple candidates in many constituencies while their candidates who have filed nominations are putting in all efforts to sustain their nominations. The BNP-led alliance has more candidates than one for over 50 constituencies and at some places the parties of the alliance have fielded standby candidates to tackle situation if the major candidate is disqualified. But at many places, party rebels have filed nomination as independent candidates. Supporters of rival aspirants of BNP in different constituencies continued staging demonstrations against each other in front of the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Monday night as the party policymakers were struggling to manage things. Rivalries among the aspirants for party nomination are particularly intense in constituencies where heavyweight candidates have been disqualified from contesting the polls by a High Court ruling that bars candidature of persons convicted for two years or more, according to party insiders. The party activists hurriedly fielded a candidate for Dhaka-2 constituency knowing that both Amanullah Aman and his wife Sabera Aman had been disqualified from polls. Same was the situation in Dhaka-8 and Dhaka-9 where Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas sought nomination. But after the court verdict, former Chhatra Dal president Habibunnabi Khan Sohel and Jamaat-e-Islami central leader Mir Kashem Ali filed nomination for Dhaka-8. Though the party has nominated Sohel for Rangpur-3, he is not interested in the seat. Problems arose when the Jamaat put pressure on the alliance chief Khaleda Zia to nominate a candidate of the party in the capital. Mahila Dal leader Shirin Sultana, also wife of Khairul Kabir Khokan, filed nomination for Dhaka-9 after Mirza Abbas went disqualified. In Dhaka-19 constituency supporters of Dewan Mohammad Salahuddin were irked by the news of nomination filing by the party secretary general’s son Abdul Hamid Dablu just before the deadline and they were demonstrating against his candidature. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia said on Sunday that her alliance would be able to resolve disputes over nominations by the last date of withdrawal of nominations on December 11. The aspirants from the Awami League are also contacting influential leaders of the party and its parliamentary board in a last-minute bid to secure nomination. In about 50 constituencies, the AL aspirants submitted nomination papers as independent candidates after failing to win party nominations. They include AL organising secretaries Mahmudur Rahman Manna for Bogra-2 and Sultan Mohammed Mansur for Moulvibazar-2, Sarder Amjad Hossain for Rajshahi-4, Panchanan Biswas for Khulna-1 and Azizus Samad Don for Sunamganj-3. AL has nominated two persons as party candidates [one being a standby] for each of about 20 constituencies. Supporters of the aspirants, who were denied nomination, were staging protests against the party’s decision. Supporters of Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara of Rajshahi-5 on Monday formed a human chain and blocked Dhaka-Rajshahi highway. Supporters of Tajul Islam Mohammed Faruk, who secured AL nomination for the seat, attacked journalists covering the event. In some constituencies, local AL leaders were demanding that the party should nominate its own candidates rather than candidates of the alliance partners. Awami League presidium member Matia Chowdhury admitted that the aspirants were lobbying, but she termed it a ‘very normal’ process. She told New Age that those who has popularity in their constituencies and who had better chance to win would get final nomination where the party has nominated two persons. She hoped that those who submitted nomination paper would withdraw their candidature unless the party finally nominates them.
02.12.08
Abdullah Juberee and Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee
The two major political parties, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Awami League, are grappling with the problems of managing aspirants who are lobbying desperately to win nomination of respective parties or alliances to run for the ninth parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 29. Both the parties have multiple candidates in many constituencies while their candidates who have filed nominations are putting in all efforts to sustain their nominations. The BNP-led alliance has more candidates than one for over 50 constituencies and at some places the parties of the alliance have fielded standby candidates to tackle situation if the major candidate is disqualified. But at many places, party rebels have filed nomination as independent candidates. Supporters of rival aspirants of BNP in different constituencies continued staging demonstrations against each other in front of the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Monday night as the party policymakers were struggling to manage things. Rivalries among the aspirants for party nomination are particularly intense in constituencies where heavyweight candidates have been disqualified from contesting the polls by a High Court ruling that bars candidature of persons convicted for two years or more, according to party insiders. The party activists hurriedly fielded a candidate for Dhaka-2 constituency knowing that both Amanullah Aman and his wife Sabera Aman had been disqualified from polls. Same was the situation in Dhaka-8 and Dhaka-9 where Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas sought nomination. But after the court verdict, former Chhatra Dal president Habibunnabi Khan Sohel and Jamaat-e-Islami central leader Mir Kashem Ali filed nomination for Dhaka-8. Though the party has nominated Sohel for Rangpur-3, he is not interested in the seat. Problems arose when the Jamaat put pressure on the alliance chief Khaleda Zia to nominate a candidate of the party in the capital. Mahila Dal leader Shirin Sultana, also wife of Khairul Kabir Khokan, filed nomination for Dhaka-9 after Mirza Abbas went disqualified. In Dhaka-19 constituency supporters of Dewan Mohammad Salahuddin were irked by the news of nomination filing by the party secretary general’s son Abdul Hamid Dablu just before the deadline and they were demonstrating against his candidature. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia said on Sunday that her alliance would be able to resolve disputes over nominations by the last date of withdrawal of nominations on December 11. The aspirants from the Awami League are also contacting influential leaders of the party and its parliamentary board in a last-minute bid to secure nomination. In about 50 constituencies, the AL aspirants submitted nomination papers as independent candidates after failing to win party nominations. They include AL organising secretaries Mahmudur Rahman Manna for Bogra-2 and Sultan Mohammed Mansur for Moulvibazar-2, Sarder Amjad Hossain for Rajshahi-4, Panchanan Biswas for Khulna-1 and Azizus Samad Don for Sunamganj-3. AL has nominated two persons as party candidates [one being a standby] for each of about 20 constituencies. Supporters of the aspirants, who were denied nomination, were staging protests against the party’s decision. Supporters of Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara of Rajshahi-5 on Monday formed a human chain and blocked Dhaka-Rajshahi highway. Supporters of Tajul Islam Mohammed Faruk, who secured AL nomination for the seat, attacked journalists covering the event. In some constituencies, local AL leaders were demanding that the party should nominate its own candidates rather than candidates of the alliance partners. Awami League presidium member Matia Chowdhury admitted that the aspirants were lobbying, but she termed it a ‘very normal’ process. She told New Age that those who has popularity in their constituencies and who had better chance to win would get final nomination where the party has nominated two persons. She hoped that those who submitted nomination paper would withdraw their candidature unless the party finally nominates them.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Camaraderie in spite of rivalry
Sheikh Hasina, left, and Khaleda Zia, right, share a light moment at the Armed Forces Day reception on November 21. — AFP photoExchange of pleasantries between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina at a reception on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment on Friday evening has warmed the cockles of millions of Bangladeshis’ hearts. Such a gesture of the heads of two leading political parties of Bangladesh, who before this historic moment used to look daggers at each other, points to a refreshing chapter of camaraderie among our political leaders, writes Maswood Alam Khan
BEFORE a painfully hushed crowd, where many of his supporters were blinking back tears, John McCain in his speech conceding defeat said: ‘Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. However, these are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.’ Two weeks later, last Monday, in a joint statement president-elect Barack Obama and his defeated Republican rival John McCain have pledged a ‘new era of reform’ to solve the US economic crisis, transform energy policy and safeguard national security. Obama’s earnest wish for working together with rival Republicans has been influenced to a great extent by Abraham Lincoln, his political guru, the sixteenth president of the United States, who most successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis: the American Civil War. Lincoln, it may be mentioned, had assembled a hard-driving ‘team of rivals’, drawn from his opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860. Those of us who has a dream to see a bright future of Bangladesh must be feeling bad and down when they have to juxtapose such mutuality of respect and camaraderie among great politicians of the world with cantankerous and rancorous relationship among our political leaders on the question of holding and sharing power. Camaraderie among politicians on the welfare of nation is the beauty of democracy ingrained in the teachings of statesmanship and showing such magnanimity to a political rival is possible only on the part of those politicians, like Abraham Lincoln, Maulana Bhashani, or Barack Obama, who are eager to enter history as statesmen – not simply as politicians. The basic difference, in fact, between a politician and a statesman is: ‘a politician looks up only to the next election and a statesman extends his vision far and far beyond. A statesman leaves behind footprints that inspire future leaders of next generations to follow in their patriotic footsteps now and long after their departure from this world.’ Exchange of pleasantries between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina at a reception on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day at Senakunja in Dhaka Cantonment on Friday evening has warmed the cockles of millions of Bangladeshis’ hearts. Such a gesture of the heads of two leading political parties of Bangladesh, who before this historic moment used to look daggers at each other, points to a refreshing chapter of camaraderie among our political leaders. Politics of Bangladesh suddenly seems to have come of age! Today Bangladesh is at a crucial crossroads when we have to choose and elect the fittest possible leaders who can fulfil our cherished goals and aspirations by navigating us through a stormy climate of global recession. At a time when the whole world is reeling with financial meltdown and when Bangladeshi people are quite frustrated with bitter rivalry among the major political parties, casting a vote in the next parliamentary election for anyone among wrongly nominated candidates would be fatal from both the economic and the political points of view. Giving nominations to the best candidates, in respect of honesty and true leadership quality, for the next parliamentary election should now be the cardinal policy of all the political parties. A miss of an ounce of imagination at this hour will yield tonnes of miseries in future! Let us see what is happening in Bangladesh economy. In a single month of July 2008, Bangladesh exported goods worth $1 billion and 543 million which is $ 71 million more compared to exports worth $ 902 million in July of 2007. Export in 2007-2008 was worth $14 billion and 110.80 million which is about $2 billion more compared to exports worth approximately $12 billion in 2006-2007. In this financial year of 2008-2009 exports may settle at $18 billion – a phenomenally unprecedented expected growth in spite of world recession – if only what is now prevailing in the commercial arena of Bangladesh is simply retained till the end of June 2009. There are three main secrets behind this stupendously staggering success in our exports: one is total absence of political violence and the other is keeping of taka more or less stable in spite of the dwindling value of US dollar during the last two years. And the third is: even highbrowed consumers of the west are nowadays frantically searching for commodities of world class—not those of first class or high brands—in the wake of the present recession. Compared even to China or Vietnam Bangladesh is the best place for outsourcing those commodities of ‘world class’ shoppers in the west are searching in their malls. In the world market, ‘timely delivery of goods’ is more lucrative than ‘an offer of cheap price for goods’ as the present trend of consumerism is highly time-sensitive. Clients of our exports who have of late been used to our better sense of time management and many of whom have also turned their attention from Vietnam, China, and Cambodia to Bangladesh will immediately show their backs to us if the ‘hartal’ culture accompanied by as-usual political hooliganism is revived after the next parliamentary elections and exporters start failing to meet the deadlines of their shipments. That is why on November 15 the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce organised a grand conference where business leaders literally begged for a consensus among the major political parties to ban ‘hartal’. If we observe minutely what our export entrepreneurs did achieve in the last two years, when there was no political government and as such no political violence like strikes, hartal, blockades of factories, roads and offices, etc during the tenure of the caretaker government, many neutral observers, we are afraid, may develop a notion – though wrong – that a non-political leadership could be a better option not realising that an undemocratic government lulls the governed into a false sense of security only to rob them blind later. It is reassuring to note that the caretaker government is going to prove wrong and groundless people’s doubts about its sincerity of holding parliamentary elections. It is now more or less certain that 2009 will see a new democratically elected civilian government. We earnestly hope the two most important leaders people would elect as one in the treasury bench and the other in the opposition bench would have the mental capacity and the leadership quality to uphold national interests far above their personal dogmas and sufferings that may emanate out of their political rivalry. These two leaders of ours must possess statesmanlike vision. They should have the mental equipment to wish their opponent success after conceding defeat in the next elections. They must declare before elections that they would not allow anybody to deprive us of our basic right of will – to follow their call for hartal or not to follow at our own free will. They should assure us that they or their followers would not resort to coercion to make us their followers under compulsion. They should also assure us of their sincerities in not abetting demolition and destruction of public and private properties in the name of political campaigns. If our leaders fail to assure us of their truest patriotism, if they fail to place the right nominees in the right constituencies in the next parliamentary election and if they fail to keep their pre-election promises they will rather pave the way for gagging democracy. Our leaders must now realise that time has changed. They must show their political sagacity not as populist politicians but as statesmen; they should have followers who too must be truly patriotic. Treading a patriotic path is not an easy job. Not any Tom, Dick and Harry can be a patriot. Delivering before a mammoth gathering a fervent patriotic speech ahead of an election is easy. But, shaking hands with a rival immediately after being defeated is not so simple. Writing an essay on patriotism depends on the essayist’s skill in articulation. But, sacrificing life or the last piece of personal wealth for safeguarding motherland requires hard practice and supreme dedication. Tragically our nation has been blessed with a very few leaders who are or were imbued with true patriotism. In our country many leaders are picked by auction and most people are hoodwinked by their contrived political speeches. And a few emerging leaders with their proven ability to salvage our country from ruination who once led us to peek into rays of hope have either been assassinated or been made to leave the political theatre under duress. We normally don’t hear the faint sounds of most of their silent footsteps. Maswood Alam Khan is a banker. maswood@hotmail.com
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dôl, BNP) is the immediate past ruling political party of Bangladesh, as part of an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (as of October 2006). It was founded on September 1, 1978, by former President General Ziaur Rahman. The party has ruled the country in four separate terms. The party's chair is General Zia's widow, Begum Khaleda Zia, an ex-Prime Minister of Bangladesh. In 2001 elections the BNP and its allies got 46% of the vote and 215 of the 300 seats in Parliament.
Bangladesh Awami League
From Bangladesh Awami League website:
Bangladesh Awami League is the oldest and biggest political party of Bangladesh. It originated in the soil of the country and evolved with the evolving hopes and aspirations of the people living on the Padma- Meghna- Jamuna delta. It is the party that gave leadership in the glorious Liberation War. Awami league is one of those political parties in the world under whose leadership struggles were led and won, tearing apart the chains of domination and servitude. Awami League represents the mainstream of the progressive, non-communal, democratic and nationalist politics of Bangladesh.
This half-a-century- old party has a glorious of relentless and uncompromising struggle against autocracy and communalism, against political and economic domination. Its greatest achievement is the emancipation of the Bangalee people from the colonial rule of Pakistan. This was the party that both germinated and helped blossom the Bangalee nationalism: the independence won in 1971 is the undying monument of that grand success of Awami League as a political party. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our Father of the Nation, gave the leadership to the people and the party that took us through the glorious War of Liberation. Since then, the party has worked tirelessly to combat autocracy and communalism, to nourish the non communal political tradition and to institutionalize democracy through establishing a constitutionally elected government.
This half-a-century- old party has a glorious of relentless and uncompromising struggle against autocracy and communalism, against political and economic domination. Its greatest achievement is the emancipation of the Bangalee people from the colonial rule of Pakistan. This was the party that both germinated and helped blossom the Bangalee nationalism: the independence won in 1971 is the undying monument of that grand success of Awami League as a political party. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our Father of the Nation, gave the leadership to the people and the party that took us through the glorious War of Liberation. Since then, the party has worked tirelessly to combat autocracy and communalism, to nourish the non communal political tradition and to institutionalize democracy through establishing a constitutionally elected government.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
