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The death of eleven Bangladeshis, along with sixteen others, in the Mediterranean speaks of the terrible malady we yet go through where the operations of some manpower bodies or their agents are concerned. In this case, the sad story of two brothers who each paid taka six lakh to a manpower agency in Baridhara raises the old question of whether the authorities really have any control over the activities of the nation’s manpower exporting industry. The Bangladeshis who died were all men trying to make their way illegally to Europe in search of employment. Why they were trying to go to a place they thought gave them promise of a better future is not hard to fathom. One will not argue with the way these men fashioned their ambitions. But what is surely questionable is the path they chose to go about it. These men, all of whom must have expended enormous sums of money in their efforts for testing the future abroad, went to Mali, from where they made their way to Morocco. Then they got lost in the Mediterranean. In the literal sense of the meaning, they were at sea, for we have been told the man who piloted their boat simply navigated in the wrong direction and so caused so much of misery for them. In simple words, it was a whole sordid story of suffering and death these fortune-seekers went through.
   The time has surely arrived for the government, if it means business, to crack down on the manpower agencies. For years together the country has heard of the variety of swindling which goes on in the name of manpower export to such regions as the Middle East and south-east Asia. The recent expulsion of foreigners, caught staying illegally in Malaysia, by the Kuala Lumpur authorities is but one more instance of how ineffectual the authorities in Dhaka have been about nabbing the criminals who have for long been doing their nefarious work in the guise of manpower exporters. It simply is not enough for anyone, especially the minister for expatriates welfare and overseas employment, to tell us that the government has always discouraged people from going abroad illegally. One quite shares such an opinion and any citizen or organisation with the good of the country at heart will always want the national image abroad not to be affected in a negative way. But what is of greater importance here is whether or not the government has been going after the manpower agents who have been behind all such suffering on the part of the poor Bangladeshis who from a desire for economic prosperity are regularly on the look-out for employment abroad. It is one thing to proffer advice to people who might be tempted to go abroad without knowing of the intricacies involved. It is quite another to ignore the criminality on the part of the elements whose intention in sending people abroad is guided more by the profit motive than any thoughts of social uplift. It is on this second score that the government needs to move.
   One way of doing such a necessary job is to scrutinise the performance of all the manpower organisations of the country. At the same time, the complaints that have been made and are being made about the corruption involved in extracting money from the families of those seeking to go abroad and then having the job-seekers land in terrible difficulties once they reach their ‘promised land’ must be thoroughly investigated. On an immediate level, the agencies which sent the Bangladeshis perishing in the Mediterranean need to be hauled in for a proper, thorough inquiry.

Gyanendra under pressure

The authorities in Nepal have freed eight people taken into custody when King Gyanendra seized all powers early in February. That is clearly a sign of the heat the regime has been facing internationally since the monarch acted the way he did. There is, however, little reason to believe at this point that two of the most important figures in Nepalese politics, former prime ministers Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba, will be freed any time soon. But unless they are, along with other senior politicians confined to their homes or carted off to prison, politics in Kathmandu will continue to be on the kind of slide it has been in for long.
   It must have become obvious to King Gyanendra by now just how huge a mistake his seizure of power has been. His foreign minister has just been to Delhi to mollify the Indians. Instead of doing that, however, he found himself the recipient of an earful from his Indian counterpart, who made it clear that Nepal could not expect any sympathy from anywhere unless the king’s authoritarian moves were reversed. The Indian attitude is one which people elsewhere, and especially in the global financial institutions, have shared. Indeed, the release of the eight people comes on the heels of the World Bank decision to put a freeze on aid unless politics is opened up in the landlocked country. That together with the continued and rising pressure of the Maoist rebels has created conditions that the monarch and his advisers were clearly not prepared for. In effect, the February move by the king to assume full powers has now pushed Nepal into a situation where it faces isolation from the rest of the world. Within the country, the writ of the regime does not run in the villages and towns. That is truly an embarrassing situation for a king who thought a return to old-fashioned feudalism was a perfect answer to Nepal’s problems.
   It is clear that Gyanendra’s intention of keeping his hold on power for three years will turn out to be a recipe for disaster, judging by the outrage the move has caused. Given the exigencies of the situation, therefore, the government should rethink the options and go for a reversal of the regressive act of last month.

Nobody listens to a bhadralok anymore these days. You can say that if there is any endangered jaati or projati these days, it is the bhadralok. He is a dying species, getting increasingly despondent over his future. There was a shomoy when everyone listened to him, when everyone thought he was the bekti to turn to in moments of difficulty. Not any more. Just watch the bhadra way in which the shorkar asked the shopping centre-wallahs last week not to use biddyut for four hours in the evening as a way of saving electricity. These byaboshais, true to their nature, began making the same old obhijog about their businesses running up losses. Now, the shorkari people should have made things very clear to them, should have told them that if they did not listen there would be a mechanism to make them listen. But as so often happens with komjor people holding rajnaitik khomota, our shorkar was not able to do a thing when places like Basundhara City defied the shorkari adesh about electricity. So much for bhadrata.
   But there is also the other side of the shomoshsha. By what right or under what aaeen can a shorkar ask people not to use biddyut unless the niyom applies to everyone? If people like Chintagrosto need to use the computer to do their professional work, it will surely not be all right for anyone to give the upodesh that they stop working for so many hours because the baati must be conserved. So you can say here that anyone who says biddyut must be saved by not using it for four hours, or any number of hours, is really not being bhadra about it. There are also the many udahorons people will cite to say that the authorities cannot morally ask people not to use electricity because they have themselves been making use of it indiscriminately. The shorkari opo-byabohar of electricity that the deshobashis saw during the preparations for SAARC was something that made us go into a lot of chinta. If the kortripokkho do not have any bibek about the huge loss they are causing the country, how can they ask byaboshais or the shadharon jonogon to go for krichhota shadhon? It is always the rule that any government which means to do shu-shashon should first set an example of its own. But when you watch the alok-shojja which is all over town, you know how much mondo our kopal is. Then you watch all the marriage ceremonies all over town. In such a doridro desh, with koti koti manush suffering from malnutrition and onahar, it is morally not right that so much of wastage should go on.
   But, as we said earlier, no one cares about bhadraloks anymore. Anywhere you go, even to the political parties, you will find a complete doinno where the presence of bhadraloks is concerned. That is a sad thing. But why must it always happen to us?
   
   Porikkha hoi-choi
   The SSC porikkha is underway. Have you noticed how every year, just as these examinations approach, everyone in the shikkha sector suddenly becomes kormo totpor? We all know that school leaving examinations or any examinations are routine, matter-of-fact affairs. But here a great show is made of it. There is a shangbadik shommelon where the montri, protimontri, the kormokortas, in fact everybody, are present. They tell us of the kothor nirapotta byabostha they have taken to ensure that the examinations are nokol-mukto. That is fine. But why must they do it in such a ghota kora way? They can do it just like they do their other work. They do not know that when a whole jaati is told about the security measures for a school-leaving examination, it is a sign of how badly off we are in most things we do. When you are told that the shikkha protimontri will hop on to a helicopter any time he hears of any nokol or gondogol going on in any exam centre, the aim being to nab the culprits, you wonder if this is not straight out of a movie. Besides, how can one helicopter with just one protimontri check cheating at so many centres? Something in your heart tells you it is all very natokio.
   And if there is anything we don’t need in this country right now, it is natokiyota. Our jibon-japon is already durbishoho without any drama needing to be enacted to tell us of all the good that is being done. When you hear of some people arranging seminars the uddeshsho behind which is to talk about teaching facilities in the classroom, you are in a state of considerable surprise. Who are these people? You skim through their programme and find that they have neatly arranged sessions where some people will present keynote papers and some others will be on hand to offer their biggo motamot as discussants. Deep down, you know it is one more of those exercises which a lot of people resort to as a means of making themselves richer than they are already. There are ingreji-medium schools here which are quickly turning into business establishments. They have set up totha-kothito corporate affairs offices. How much they earn, what happens to all that money, are things that need to be scrutinised. But who will do that necessary job?
   In simple terms, education in this country has turned into a laabh-jonok byabosha. All our montris and shorkari kormokortas give us long, beautiful lectures on deshoprem as drilled into our children through education in the deshiyo Bangla medium schools. But almost all of these people have their putros and konyas studying in these ubiquitous ingreji schools. That is the bastob shotto, whether you like it or not.
   
   Purush bishoyok montronaloy
   The antorjatik nari dibosh has come and gone. There was much display of sentiment and emotion here on the day, naturally. You may not believe it, but there are many people around the bishwa who really think Bangladesh is a model of women’s progress. Just because we have two mohilas who have, because of their paribarik links, been dominating our rajniti for years does not mean, however, that we are a model rashtro where women’s empowerment is concerned. You must look at the realities. There are a lot of women in this country who have in the past few years become victims of acid throwing by their jilted lovers or others. On the poth-ghat, women political activists are regularly subjected to keel-ghushi all the time. In many homes, it is still women who are at the receiving end of a raw deal. Even shikkhito women are treated brutally by their husbands, those joghonno men who keep up a veneer of bhadrata outside. You sometimes feel in your heart that all these men should be given a chapkani at one point or another.
   And let us not forget that even in the Jatiyo Sangsad, women are still treated as if their lives and their future depend solely on what the purush shomaj around them decides. With so many women doing good for themselves in teaching, business, shorkari employment, ittadi ittadi, it is amazing how our politicians still think that women are an inferior species. Even in politics there are illustrious naris like Motia Chowdhury. There was Ivy Rahman. So how can we deal so badly with our women? One last point: as long as there is a mohila bishoyok montronaloy in the country, we will continue to give out the feeling that ours is still a society not ready to accept women as beings equal to men. Besides, has anyone ever thought of setting up a purush bishoyok montronaloy? Chnitagrosto is sure a lot of men are getting red in the face over this proshno. There might be some others who are actually burning in krodh. Who cares? The truth is the truth, you know.
   Bhadralok can be reached at editorial@newagebd.com

British foreign secretary Jack Straw sternly warned if Syria did not withdraw its troops in Lebanon it would become a pariah. Jack Straw added his voice to an otherwise well orchestrated and synchronized chorus. That chorus now a crescendo was led by France and USA with Britain on cue; by obliquely accusing Syria (no proof offered) of Rafique Hariri’s assassination and following up with a UN security Council resolution being peddled as an ultimatum to Syria to end its ‘occupation’ of Lebanon. Rafique Hariri’s death is a great tragedy at this juncture for Lebanon and for the region; it goes against Syria’s interest. But it has also been a windfall opportunity to the West (this time led by France who had occupied Syria under a mandate in bygone days) to turn up the heat upon Syria further (US Congress has already passed Syria Accountability Act opening the way to punish Syria). Why this sudden burst of righteous rage against Syria and this uncommon sympathy with Lebanese people? Why so much saber rattling, such indecent rush?
   The answer may not be far to seek. Syria has not pleased America by not rounding up Iraqi fugitives and handing them over to US occupation forces in Iraq, by not sealing the long and porous borders with Iraq, more still by not sending troops to join the Coalition in Iraq (you may recall Syria did send troops during the 1991 Gulf War upon Iraq). In the world of George Bush war on terror, these are cardinal sins (you are with us, if not you are against us). Syria itself has been under unauthorized occupation (Golan Heights), has come under US sanctions, but when the ‘will of the international community’ is a monopoly of the west, any country (Syria no exception) can be turned into a pariah at will.
   Syrian troops are in Lebanon within a mutual agreement signed at Taif (Saudi Arabia), which terminated the Lebanon civil war that almost destroyed the country. Syrian presence since then has been a prime factor for security and stability of Lebanon while its reconstruction proceeded at fast pace under that cover. The sectarian and ethnic mixture of Lebanon keeps it in a precariously poised state of equilibrium maintained by agreed give and take in power structure. Lebanon has had democratic institutions for over 60n years (George Bush need not claim bringing democracy to Lebanon).
   Coming back to Syria’s withdrawal it is apparent that Syria might have overstayed its welcome. Syria cannot stay in Lebanon without the consent of Lebanese people. Hariri assassination seems to have been a trigger that flamed the street protests. Yet, withdrawal of Syria without the cover of alternative security arrangement will likely create a dangerous opening for return of sectarian rivalry and conflict- a situation ideal for external interference. An immediate probable actor might be Israeli infiltration - direct or by proxy – to punish Hizbolla, its bugbear (Hizbolla attacks forced Israel to withdraw from South Lebanon). All said and done, it is difficult to see how. Lebanon’s vulnerability will not become more after Syria withdraws. Will the US marines fill the void? They had done once but left with very bitter losses and lessons. The only party to palpably benefit is Israel who wishes Syria punished and kept under mounting threats, which like to keep Golan Heights without inconvenience, who plan to marginalize Palestine resistance to occupation and annexation.
   The UN Security Council resolution (1559) has been given such ringing support with uncommon vigor that even Kofi Annan has found the strength to call for immediate compliance. But why either the council or the secretary general were found so paralyzed and impotent when it had been Israel’s turn to comply with not one but many UN resolutions.
   Why the same UN secretary general turned so meek and cold when Israel had bluntly refused him permission to investigate that brutal Jenin massacre? Why the UN does not find righteous indignation and stern warning when occupied Golan Heights is not vacated? Indeed, much in international law and the United Nations has been turned upside down. The founding fathers of the United Nations must be turning in their graves with great unease for it has metamorphosed into a handy tool, a mere caricature of its body and soul with little if any credibility left to its Charter or its institutions. Those who should have been ostracized as pariahs are basking in the light and warmth of freedom and democracy; driven by divine mission to liberate the lesser people of the world, starting with Middle East and onwards. Yet, looking at great goings in Iraq and Afghanistan so far, things look very different and disturbing.
   Syria has come under scrutiny and is warned it will become a pariah. Why no one had suggested that Britain became a pariah when it went against the will of the ‘international community’, against millions of citizens including its own who had marched in protest against wear, and still invaded and occupied Iraq? Was it because Britain is a ‘certified’ democracy? No war in modern times has been detested, decried and denounced so much as the Iraq war. Yet Britain enjoys or at least claims impunity. Why America does not become a pariah when it brandishes its armor against weaker regimes to bring them in line to tow its line.
   Yet, the American president sermonizes from the pulpit that America is on a mission to spread liberty across the world because democratic countries are peaceful and do not wage war. Does it mean America is less than a democracy; it has been at peace within only when it is at war abroad? Truth is democracies that claim to be a cut above the ordinary, are in effect becoming plutocracies; parliaments have been used as instruments to endorse war and colonization by professionally spun lies. Democracy lies diminished in the bastions of democracy. Democracy has become a weapon of intimidation, a threat to those who dare to wage struggle against occupation and annexation of lands.
   Today, Syria becomes a pariah if it fails to accede to the designs of big powers, powers who fail to rein in regional bullies; who unfailingly foster their own proxies for example Israel in that much coveted (for its oil) and much plagued (for a century of outside meddling) Middle East. A proxy is convenient to create and foist upon the Arab world to bully and intimidate with the specter of democracy by a regional superpower. Admittedly, most of the Arab world is not lily-white democracy in the image of London or Washington. But like all people, the Arab countries and peoples have the right to choose how they wish to evolve institutions and run their lives choosing their pace and pattern.
   Faced with mounting threats and deafening crescendo of censure, Syrian president Bashar Al Assad has announced troop withdrawal starting with early redeployment. Yet, the pressure will not likely relent and even attack on Syria might occur on one or the other pretext. All of this is plausible regardless of the security vacuum and stability deficit that will plague Lebanon. Thus it is difficult to swallow the sermon of “freeing” the Lebanese people or unfettered “democracy” in Lebanon.
   Today it is Syria, and tomorrow Iran too might come under military preemption (warning of Israeli attack on Iran already sounded by the US vice president) on the mere suspicion of nuclear ambition of Iran even without bothering to produce actual evidence. The world order has plunged into anarchy where a country or people holding a view or position contrary or inconvenient to the lone superpower, could be turned into a pariah, branded a ‘terrorist’ or a ‘rogue’ regime. The principle of sovereign equality governing relations between states has become irrelevant and redundant. If freedom and democracy marches forward in such an anarchic and regressive world order, starting in the Middle East and spreading beyond, the world will be decidedly better off without such an order. Autocracy masquerading under democracy is more dangerous and pernicious just as big power in the hands of little men can be.
   Yet, it need not be all gloom and doom. An alternative script of an emerging new order is eminently possible, even probable. History has given America an unchallenged position of pre-eminence. That position can lead America to lead more than to intimidate, to moderate its propensity to create ‘shock and awe’ among the weaker and the poorer in wealth and power. Above all, it is one of those times in history when America could aspire to live up to its own tradition of freedom from colonial occupation and its record of its contribution to reconstruct destroyed countries and societies (as in post war Europe), and more recently, its ideological triumph over totalitarian systems. The twenty-first century could well be an American century if America will find the will and patience, the moderation and generosity, to pursue a doctrine of accommodation rather than domination.