Editorial
Not so funny, not so simple
Prothom Alo’s fun magazine, Alpin, a publication regularly satirising various inconsistencies of life and society, has this time done a bad job, indeed, by way of dragging in the prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SM), apparently to mock at the obscurantist mullahs obsessed with religion in all the mundane affairs of everyday life on earth. We firmly believe that mocking at obscurantism is at times even necessary for a rational growth of a society, but we find it absolutely irrational to belittle the founder of Islam, a revolutionary way of life in the given time and space, while satirising the country’s obscurantist section of the Islamists.
This is an act of the pseudo-liberals who, like the mullahs in a different way, hardly understand the revolutionary role that Islam and its prophet played in the history of human civilisation. The pseudo-liberals seldom make adequate intellectual efforts to understand the historical significance of the prophet’s lifelong activism to materialise a structured way of life based on the principles of equality, which eventually found expression in the ‘modern’ welfare state called Medina republic that he successfully founded on those principles – political, social and economic – in a hitherto tribal Arab society infected with innumerable inequalities. True, Islam did not ensure complete equality between man and women, but it recognised the ‘absolute’ property right of the women so many years ago, a proposition that the Christian Europe took several hundred years more even to think of.
The obscurantist mullahs, on the other hand, seem incapable of comprehending the inherent magnanimity and sense of tolerance of Islam and its prophet who preached genuine peace, peaceful coexistence between different faiths, and valued knowledge required to improve on old socio-political and economic orders. The mullahs also fail to appreciate that the prophet, while displaying regard for certain traditions, never entertained obscurantism of any kind. Instead, he established his progressive ideas, consistently fighting, at the intellectual level, against the obscurantist, and therefore regressive, thoughts of his time.
Alpin’s controversial cartoon seems to have been a product of the pseudo-liberal minds and the editorial authorities of the daily have rightly offered unqualified public apology for hurting the ‘religious sentiment’ of the Muslims at large. And that the Prothom Alo authorities do not subscribe to the pseudo-liberal idea of the cartoonist was also apparent, at least for now, in the administrative measures that they took against the person/s responsible for publishing the cartoon. The government, on the other hand, has justifiably confiscated the particular issue (September 17) of the fun magazine, and taken legal steps as regards the cartoonist. The matter should end here, while the cartoonist, already arrested, should be ensured justice within the framework of the law of the land.
However, a section of the Islamist clerics and politicians seem to be active in fishing in the water troubled by Prothom Alo. They are insisting that the government shut down the newspaper by Friday, and have threatened the government with dire consequences in case of failure. If such a demand is met, we are afraid, it would hardly help the nation, already facing an unprecedented political impasse as regards staging a democratic transition, to take a further step towards democratising society and the state. Because, the state’s indulgence in intolerance towards dissenting views never helps democratic values to take root in any society. The government, therefore, should not allow any quarters any more to indulge in politicking over the scandalous cartoon issue for which the Prothom Alo authorities have already offered a public apology.
IMF retreat spells good news
The past few months – especially the last couple of weeks that a delegation of the International Monetary Fund was here – sections of the citizenry have been vocal in their protest against the government signing up to a new arrangement with the multilateral lending agency. A recent petition, and a subsequent rule from the High Court asking the military-driven interim government to explain the matter, has apparently prompted the IMF to back out of formalising its involvement in Bangladesh’s economic policies, at least for the time being.
Considering the IMF’s own admission that the much-criticised Policy Support Instrument would not be appropriate at the moment, we presume that it would not pressure the government to ‘volunteer’ for an enrolment in this programme. That the lending agency will not be formally involved, although there will be further visits and consultations, with the country’s economic policymaking is indeed a welcome bit of news. As we have repeatedly said, we do not believe the country requires IMF assistances or loans, nor its policy prescriptions or guidance, formal or informal. We have mentioned in this context that an increasing number of countries are pulling out of IMF programmes by paying back their debts early and refusing to renew their programmes with it. As a result, the IMF, which is supposed to promote financial stability and help countries with balance of payment crises, is itself in a financial crisis and thus desperate to retain its dominance over the developing world, a result of which is the new Policy Support Instrument that does not involve loans but includes similar assessments, consultations and prescriptions that have proved disastrous for many economies around the world.
We do not agree with the IMF claim that its involvement has helped countries to the point that they have graduated and do not anymore require its assistance since leaders of those countries, Vajpayee of India and Shinawatra of Thailand, have publicly stated how painful, burdensome and disastrous the its conditionalities had been. We agree with the stance of the critics of IMF policies. We believe the economists who have cautioned the incumbents against the loss of the country’s sovereignty over its economic policies. We believe the leaders of different chambers of commerce and business bodies, and the bankers who took a public stance against the IMF. These people are hardly ‘ill-informed rabble rousers’ but are quite well-informed and knowledgeable. They have rightly raised the alarm because the policies advocated by the IMF harm their interests at the cost of furthering the corporate interests of the North where it is based. We urge the incumbents to send out clear signals that it is not interested in any further arrangement that allows the lending agency’s involvement in our economic policies and thereby compromise our economic sovereignty.
WORTH A LOOK
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?
AMM Shawkat Ali
Already, the chief adviser and the army chief have spoken in one voice to allay fears of the businessmen in order that economic activities are not disrupted. However, a few hundred Dhaka-based business leaders are not the only ones that need to be reassured of government’s policy of restoration of confidence. Millions of small traders operate throughout the length and breadth of Bangladesh even though they too are not the only ones. All citizens, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, must have that confidence in government
IMMEDIATELY following the three days of violence that led to the imposition of curfew on Dhaka and other main cities, a reputed foreign weekly published a news item on the event. It was titled ‘Desperate measures.’ The subtitle was: ‘The army-backed regime unravels: but there is nothing to replace it.’ The published news also noted, ‘The downfall of two previous military governments was triggered by student protests.’ This is where the journal has gone wrong. Bangladeshis are familiar with the downfall of only one military regime in 1990. Earlier in 1982, it toppled an elected party in power, the party created by the military leader who was assassinated by his own comrades in arms.
Lifting emergency is unattractive
The published news also noted that lifting the emergency is a wholly unattractive option for the generals. The media at home has been consistently airing the views of the caretaker government that the time is not ripe for open politics not to speak of lifting emergency. At the other end, the chief election commissioner ultimately won a battle with the government to allow at least indoor politics to enable the commission to hold dialogue with the political parties for political reforms. The chief election commissioner has now come up with the proposal, as published in New Age on Monday last, that the government must also relax ban on politics in the districts to allow local government elections to take place by the yearend. If the elections are to take place, as affirmed on more occasions than one by the head of government, there is no escape from lifting emergency. It is now a question of not whether but when the emergency will be lifted. There is no doubt that it has to be lifted a few months before the national elections. Local government elections may take place with limited restrictions if the powers that be now opt for the same. Indeed, some indications to this effect were given by some senior advisers that for local government elections, the government were thinking of a restricted approach. Local government elections are not fought overtly on party lines. Further, such elections will not be held at a time but will have to be staggered because of piecemeal completion of electoral roll.
Single electoral roll
The Election commission is only authorised, under the constitution, to hold elections to parliament and for president. However, some of the local government laws vest it with the authority to conduct elections for the local government institutions. Again, under the constitution, the commission has to prepare one electoral roll for each constituency for the purposes of elections to parliament. Before finalisation of electoral roll, objections have to be invited and disposed of according to electoral rules. It remains as yet unclear if the commission has prepared the rolls on the basis of a single constituency in the areas it has claimed to have prepared the voters’ identification cards.
Doubts about election as scheduled
The journal already referred to speaks of the admission of a senior member of the interim government that it would not be able to complete ‘its task’ for fair elections until the end of the period it has allotted itself – end of 2008. The senior member has further been quoted as saying that ‘structures’ would be put in place to make its efforts ‘irreversible.’ This, in the view of the journal, means that National Security Council will be formed to entrench the army in political role. The question that remains unanswered is what more structures are needed to create a situation where an elected government cannot reverse the efforts of the present government. For constitutionally elected governments, only the constitutional tenets are binding. It cannot be structures created by an interim government.
If the council is the only structure left to be put in place, the supplementary question is: Can such a body for which there is no constitutional sanction supplant the elected cabinet or for that matter, the parliament? The answer to this question must be found in the days to come as further developments unfold.
Chief adviser’s response to the issue
At least two English-language dailies, one followed by the other, have published editorials on the chief adviser’s interview with the BBC on Friday last. The dailies bemoaned the fact that the chief adviser had allowed himself to be interviewed first by a foreign news media in complete disregard of national ones. The key point pertinent to the issue under present discussion is that he did not rule out the possibility of a National Security Council for Bangladesh. Since he has referred to its existence in some neighbouring countries, it seems appropriate that the new ‘structure’ is chosen from the model of a country which did not experience military intrusion into civilian rule so as not to make room for unwarranted interruptions of democratic continuity by self-seeking soldiers-turned-politicians. Democracy thrives best in a climate of freedom with reasonable restrictions. It cannot thrive in a climate of fear and uncertainty that draws on the logic of making room for clean politics.
Is the euphoria with interim government over
A columnist of an English-language daily, who is also a retired brigadier, has rightly raised the issue of the law of diminishing return as far as the euphoria with the interim government is concerned. He candidly, if not too mildly, expressed the views that the government’s ‘appeal has been eroded because some of their steps fly on the face of public sentiments, and aspirations.’ The columnist did not specify the steps but that does not detract from the quality of public perceptions on the issue that he has raised.
Wake-up call
Those who believe in hindsight relating to various stages of political development tend to cling on to the views, as articulated by the foreign journal, that the violence of August 22 and 23 in some cities was in the nature of a wake-up call for the government. That would be stretching the logic too far for the simple reason that it erupted initially over a small incident and later the control was taken over by some hooligans in and around Dhanmondi residential area. No peace-loving citizen can lend support to the violence against and destruction of property of people. The unanswered question, however, remains why did it spread to other cities. The government or the powers that be did provide the explanation that some politicians dished out money to organise widespread violence. Credible evidence in this regard is yet to be made public. Even if it is not a wake-up call or even release of pent-up feelings, one must find some dependable evidence of why the event took place at all in and outside Dhaka and escalated in no time.
Progress in political stability
There is little or no progress in political stability thus far. Whatever developments have taken place are in the nature of rifts within political parties and resultant mudslinging. This is all too evident in the two major political parties in varying degrees. The division is loud and clear in the party which was the major partner in the last four-party alliance government whose abortive attempt to hold questionable elections late last year eventually led to the declaration of a state of emergency. Since then the nomenclature of the government has varied from military-backed to military-led and eventually dual nature of the government. In the end, the chief adviser and the army chief had to make public statements of denial of such perceptions which were published and/or aired by the media. Both the chief adviser and the army chief are now trying hard to clear what in their view is the misperception regarding the dual nature of the government.
The army chief has always been saying that the army will keep away from politics. The chief adviser, too, in his own way, has spoken in the same refrain. In his first-ever interview with the media on national issues, he made the same effort. It was timely but the impact on public mind remains to be assessed.
Limited reversal of policy
From a dispassionate view, it can be said that there has been, one hopes it will continue to be, a slow but steady reversal of policy in such areas as opening of indoor politics and in economic management. Already, the chief adviser and the army chief have spoken in one voice to allay fears of the businessmen in order that economic activities are not disrupted. However, a few hundred Dhaka-based business leaders are not the only ones that need to be reassured of government’s policy of restoration of confidence. Millions of small traders operate throughout the length and breadth of Bangladesh even though they too are not the only ones. All citizens, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, must have that confidence in government.
The interim government, even though assisted by the armed forces, is ill-equipped to achieve this objective because that is not their mandate. They should also, as a matter policy, strive to steer clear of self-seekers or political adventurers who have no solid popular base. There is an acute need to prioritise actions, pacing and sequencing of reform measures. As for the subtitle of the published news in question, the answer is that the only replacement is an elected government. That is the only way forward to see light at the end of the tunnel.
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