Photo : Messenger
The fall of Sheikh Hasina is typical of the way an autocratic government usually falls. It collapsed very spectacularly and in a very short space of time.
We saw that Sheikh Hasina finally resigned after doing as much damage as possible to the whole country. What has happened is not just that Sheikh Hasina has been deposed; she has been removed from power, but I see that a new political situation has been created. Indeed, in other times, this situation of power is usually created by the movement of the established political parties, but in this case, new political forces have emerged, the main basis of the new interim government that will be established is the movement. There is a new energy in the movement. Again, you can't form a government or run an administration without political power. That's actually a big challenge. Another challenge is the law-and-order situation. And the control of this law-and-order situation has to be done with the people. Because if you try to control the law-and-order situation with the anti-people role played by the police and other forces over the last 14 years, there will be a kind of tension, which won't go very well. Therefore, the biggest challenge now is to form an inclusive and representative government as soon as possible. We have to face bigger crises in the future. This government needs this effort to do that. The dictator HM Ershad was overthrown by a popular uprising. But he didn't flee the country; he went to prison. How Sheikh Hasina could become the leader of a political party in the country and go abroad, leaving behind her leaders and workers, is beyond me. We cannot accept that the Awami League, the party that led the war of liberation, should suffer such a disaster.
"Sheikh Hasina wanted to use force even at the end"
That's what they say here: Sheikh Hasina had no intention of leaving power. Right up to the last moment, she showed unfailing determination by exerting maximum force. At the time, senior officials tried to explain that the situation could not be managed by force. But Sheikh Hasina would not accept this. The officials then spoke to Sheikh Rehana in another room. She asked her to explain the situation to Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Rehana then spoke to his elder sister, Sheikh Hasina. But he is determined to hold on to power. At one point, a senior official also spoke to Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who was abroad. Joy then spoke to her mother. Sheikh Hasina then agreed to resign. He then wanted to record a speech to be broadcast to the nation.
By this time, information had been received that a large number of students had left Shahbagh and Uttara for Gana Bhavan. Given the distance, it is estimated that agitators can travel from Shahbagh to Ganabhaban in 45 minutes. If the recording of the speech is allowed, they may not have time to leave the public venue. In these circumstances, Sheikh Hasina was given 45 minutes without time to record her speech.
The situation that has prevailed throughout the country since Monday afternoon, following the fall of the Hasina government, is not only alarming, it is also a worrying sign for the future. Attacks on the homes and temples of minority communities, disruption of their security, damage to state property, looting and arson are reprehensible. The army's interference in the control of the public order situation has been noted in dealing with them. Preventing these incidents is not just the responsibility of the forces of law and order but of society as a whole. The greatest responsibility lies with the political parties. Their initiative has gone unnoticed. It is important to act now, in other words, immediately. Those who have fought against authoritarian regimes must remember that failure to do so will tarnish the efforts made so far in the fight for democracy. We must remember that any slight loss in this respect would undermine the legitimacy of the long struggle. It is everyone's responsibility to support those affected.
The first task of your forces is to improve public order. And our task is to support the army in this. We know that Sheikh Hasina's government has used the police so badly that they have lost the confidence of the people. The loss of whom must be paid for with this mess. But the army has to take extra responsibility here. I also understand that people do a lot of things in anger. But it's time to put a stop to it.
In each district, the houses of the minorities in the district, the places of worship, as well as the army, are guarded by all of you with the greatest mercy. During the student movement across the country, we stood by the Hindus and Muslims. Today, who is committing this crime? Today, many parties can play tricks. Many agencies are active. It is our duty to be cautious at this time so that no one turns our victory into sadness. No one will be able to take advantage of the opportunity if all the political parties, including the student brothers and sisters and the BNP, are divided and under surveillance. We must remember that our image in the outside world must not be a bad one.
Our martyred brothers and sisters should be declared national heroes and receive state benefits. In this moment of victory, I am thinking only of them. Even though they did not give their lives to achieve anything. But that's our responsibility. Include the intrepid young people who are leading this movement in the discussion on the formation of the interim government.The main work of the interim government concerns the police, the judiciary, civil administration and reform of the financial sector. In addition, the main protagonists of the bank robbery must be brought to justice. Experienced people have been kindly included in the interim government.
The good thing is infamous Major General Ziaul Ahsan has been immediately removed from office and arrested. Not only is he the real master of disappearances and murders in Bangladesh, he has also destroyed people's privacy in the name of phone tapping. And proudly, these perverts would provide the recordings to the media and our lawless media would broadcast them. This guy needs to be neutralised now. In addition, the work of restoring public confidence in the police force should start now by removing notorious individuals, including Haroon, from the DB. We must never forget that many judges in Bangladesh are not impartial, like AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik.
Now, you have to be wary of certain people with sick minds, whom we haven't seen in the street for so long.! Everyone in a country on the street! Did everyone fight with guns in our war for freedom? No... who helped liberate the country in various ways... some by arms, some by singing, some by providing shelter, some by sharing news, some by hiding food, some by becoming leaders, some by protesting—like this...
The government comes and the government goes, but the fate of the people remains the same.
Today, we want a progressive Bangladesh without communalism, without corruption, without discrimination, without freedom of expression, without law and order and without poverty.
The less you talk about politics, the better. We must not forget that under Hasina's regime, Bangladesh has become the playground of China, India, Russia and the United States. All these world powers treat us in their own interests. We must set ourselves the goal of becoming a player on the geopolitical stage while safeguarding our own interests.
The writer is a Geneva-based private banking compliance security expert, columnist and poet.
Messenger/Fameema
