Bangladesh: Conspirators failed; Sheikh Hasina – the herald of global peace
Sheikh Hasina made it clear that she would accept neither ethnic cleansing nor terrorist activities. It has already been proved that Bangladesh is not a place for terrorist activities. Sheikh Hasina has already introduced biometric registration process for Rohingyas so that no terrorist Rohingya can make his or her way to the land of Bangladesh.
( September 17, 2017, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) tried to play the dirty game in the arena of politics on two issues. But, the reality paid them back dearly. Indeed, both were catalyzed by a deep conspiracy. Those who have just attempted to make the path difficult for Sheikh Hasina also brought forth another issue, which is the recent flood.
They have compared the heavy rainfall and the flooding of some patches of land in rivers with the historical cyclone of 1970. Their motive behind this propaganda will be declassified in the days to come. The reality is that Sheikh Hasina has dealt with or is dealing with all the three incidents with prudence. The first one is about the Chief Justice Mr. S K Sinha’s observation on the sixteenth amendment.
The conspirators thought that the comments made by Sinha as the Chief Justice would give a jolt to the position of Sheikh Hasina. But, Sheikh Hasina has made visible progresses in terms of democracy, the rule of law, and development. The general people are the beneficiaries of these changes. Therefore, the accomplishments made by Sheikh Hasina cannot be outshined by some unproven observations made by Sinha.
The issues will be placed in the parliament before my write-up gets published. Decisions will be made there as well. So, there is not much to write about these at this moment. However, the way he is begging sympathy from different quarters following the media outcry over his corruption proves that Sheikh Hasina has rightfully dealt with the conspiracy. On the other hand, all except for a handful of columnists became silent after his corrupted activities came to the limelight. Now everyone knows that one loses the moral ground as well as the legal right to hold the position of the chief justice after his acts of corruption become clear like the daylight. Moreover, if businessmen are allowed to come up with their statements, the conspiracy centering him will be washed away like a lump of sand in the face of a storm. The root of this conspiracy will be identified if the allegations brought against the handful of people taking his side are subjected to legal trial. Tens of millions of Tk were involved in the corruption. The bribe taken by the prime conspirator and his collaborators will come to the limelight as well. Therefore, those who became vocal about the issue of the judiciary now know that the issue is not about the judiciary but the corruption of a single person.
It is not that BNP has no idea about this. Rather, they are silent because everything became clear. The newspapers that were so vocal against Sheikh Hasina have become silent as well. With this issue yet to die out, Sheikh Hasina has got to deal with another crisis, which is about Rohingyas. BNP thought that the ball was in their court. Many of the BNP members thought that Sheikh Hasina would not stand for Rohingyas. Unfortunately, they are now proved to be utterly wrong.
However, BNP’s politics comes up with the answer. BNP does politics out of their love of power. The only goal of their leader and her son is to enjoy power and make money. No great cause of humanity is valued by them in the arena of politics. How will they understand Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Sheikh Hasina? That humanity matters most to Bangabandhu and Sheikh Hasina cannot be understood by BNP or the conspirators against Bangladesh. That is why BNP and their like-minded quarters developed such a misconception about the Rohingya issue.
Many people of our country experienced the lives of refugees. In 1971 we are around 10 million refugees. We can remember those days. Still we remember the great Indira Gandhi walking on clay and observing the woes of refugees. Sheikh Hasina’s presence in Kutupalang refugee camp reminds us of the face of Indira Gandhi in 1971. We see that motherly divine face. Those who haven’t seen Sheikh Hasina closely don’t know about the heart of a mother or a sister with which she runs the country. They don’t know how she dedicated herself to the cause of humanity. Therefore, they could not understand that Sheikh Hasina would provide Rohingyas with a piece of land to stay on.
Apart from offering them shelter and food, she said with motherly love, “If we can feed and clothe 170 million people, we can feed and clothe 750 thousand more people as well. Therefore, we cannot let a human child die out.”
Apart from looking into the issue with emotions, she has observed the issue with the eyes of a world-class leader. First, she has got it approved by the parliament. Offering refuge to Rohingyas, raising global voice in their favor, and sending them home with dignity are issues she has brought forth. This also reminds us of the role of Indira Gandhi in September and October in 1971. She promised to inspire the world humanity to stand beside the refugees and also vowed to pave the path for their returning home with dignity soon. Sheikh Hasina did the same. She would raise the global voice so that Rohingyas can return home with dignity.
The issue of Rohingyas differs from ours in 1971 in just one aspect. We were the men belonging to a nation having declared their independence under an elected government. On the other hand, Rohingya Salvation Army is mainly a terrorist group patronized by Pakistanis. Sheikh Hasina made it clear that she would accept neither ethnic cleansing nor terrorist activities. It has already been proved that Bangladesh is not a place for terrorist activities. Sheikh Hasina has already introduced biometric registration process for Rohingyas so that no terrorist Rohingya can make his or her way to the land of Bangladesh.
On the other hand, BNP is left with no chance to raise the Rohingya issue on the global platform given that Sheikh Hasina has already offered refuge to Rohingyas and has got the bill passed by the parliament. But, Mrs. Zia out of her fear of India forgets talking about water-sharing of the Ganges during her India visit. The issue of Rohingya started surfacing back in 1978. But, Ziaur Rahman lacked the courage to raise the issue in the parliament lest China should get angry. Had Khaleda been in power, she would neither take the issue to the parliament nor visit Rohingyas in the refugee camp. Rather, she would remain silent lest any country should get angry over any step she might take. This is the story of Zia or his wife Khaleda Zia. She might forget the issue of Rohingyas the way she forgot the issue of water-sharing of the Ganges. Rather, she might secretly collaborate with Pakistanis to let Rohingya Salvation Army carry out their terrorist activities.
Suu Kyi is oblivious to the problem in her own country. The armed and police forces are not under her control, though. But, she can move with general people. The biggest power is the power of people. Right now, people are with Sheikh Hasina to save the country from the conspiracy of a person representing the judiciary. This is because people are the source of her power. Whenever she observed the conspiracy regarding legal issues against her, she did not think twice before placing the issue before general people. Suu Kyi too could resort to people. She might inspire them to stand against terrorism but not in favor of ethnic cleansing.
However, Sheikh Hasina along with Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama and other peace-lovers of the world has to accomplish the task that Suu Kyi failed to do. They have to stand beside Sheikh Hasina now. The flag of peace hoisted high by Sheikh Hasina has to be upheld by others as well. The Rohingya ethnic cleansing is the second biggest genocide in the world during this 21st century, the first taking place in Sri Lanka. Nobody stood beside Sri Lankan Tamils that day. But Sheikh Hasina stood for saving Rohingyas. The world humanity has to stand beside Sheikh Hasina. She saved people from genocide. Therefore, she should now be hailed as the angel heralding global peace.
Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor. The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is a highest state award winning journalist; and can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
