The American political figure Benjamin Franklin advocated, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Any hope for the future comes to an end for an individual when their ability to change comes to an end. As something ends and something else begins, it inspires one to move forward and apply what is gained to society and to the world. Winston Churchill asserted, “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.”
A positive change in the right direction is the highest need on the Indian subcontinent, especially for Bangladesh. The areas of society and politics are groaning for change in Bangladesh. Yet the nation has failed to see positive and lasting change in its social life and politics. The question is whether change is a choice or a challenge before the nation.
The nation of Bangladesh was born out of an armed conflict pitting West Pakistan against East Pakistan. Nine months after the war broke out, the Pakistan Army of West Pakistan surrendered at last on December 16, 1971, when the Mukti Bahini, a guerrilla force supporting East Pakistan, decisively defeated it. During the war, there were widespread killings and violations of human rights carried out by the Pakistan Army with support from political and religious militias of East Pakistan of that time. Three million people were killed, 200,000 women were tortured and raped, and the women who were raped gave birth to thousands of war babies.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “The true democrat is he who, with purely nonviolent means, defends his liberty and, therefore, his country’s and ultimately that of the whole of mankind.” It is very clear that the political regime of West Pakistan was not democratic and that the people and nations who supported them were equally liable for the brutal genocide committed against the innocent people of East Pakistan.
The nation of Bangladesh was obviously a result of a positive, dynamic change. Prominent writer Nathaniel Branden said, “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” The nation of Bangladesh was created with a deep desire for secularism, but the nation has now been named as an ultra-Muslim country, as declared in the constitution itself. Almost four decades after the war for independence, all of the political parties and leaders of Bangladesh are failing to recall the principle of secularism put forth in the constitution of Bangladesh, with some politicians and political parties even fighting the removal of the declaration of Islam as the state religion from the constitution.
Once the people of Bangladesh took a strong position in ’71 to fight against sectarianism and challenged the world in the way it thought about Bangladesh. Yet now, the world still thinks of Bangladesh, not with sympathy or love, but with a fear of Islamic terrorism.
Bangladesh remains a threat to the world due to its expanding Islamic terrorism and will be one of the highest global threats in coming years. Political Islam is deeply ingrained in the way of life and politics of Bangladesh. There was a time when Bangladesh was under attack by foreigners, but now the nation is under attack from a power that controls the people and life of the nation, namely, Islam.
The minorities paid the most during the Bangladesh Liberation War, but the nation has failed to recognize their sacrifice. In almost all the ways possible, the minorities are persecuted by state-backed Islamic fascists, yet the nation has failed to secure their rights. The change is very visible. The minorities were persecuted during the Liberation War and are now being persecuted again for having a different religious faith. The war is run by Islamic fascists against secular forces.
Discrimination is highly visible if you look at the position of minorities in the state machinery. After almost four decades, not a single minority had the chance to be a prime minister or president of the nation, because of the sectarian forces out to destroy the minorities and secular forces. Recently, the government decided to change the name of the BDR for the mutiny, where more than 50 army officers were killed by the native paramilitary forces. The government said that the name of the BDR was hampered, so the name should be changed.
Bangladesh has failed greatly in various ways. The government should think about changing the name of Bangladesh. Benjamin Franklin said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” Yes, obviously if Bangladesh fails to change as a whole and move towards progressive political naturalism, the nation will face more than a BDR mutiny in the near future.
It’s time for the nation to think about whether a change for Bangladesh is a challenge or a choice before them. The nation of Bangladesh should remember the famous saying of Victor Hugo, that, “Liberation is not deliverance.”
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Dear Mr. Gomes, Thanks for this article and I think, change is inevitable if you want it or try to avoid it. But if you perform an proactive role for change, then you can make an pressure the change as you desire. In any society, there have a large number of people and groups who are actively performs for change for persuing their own interest. These are the power and change comes according to these power relation which I tried to recall in earlier at FB.
Anyway, you wrote a real picture of our country without thinking these power relation. In the sub-continent, may in allover the world, people talked against the political hegemony, but act for it directly or indirectly; counciously or unconciously. In Bangladesh, unfortunately, we are maintaining this political hegemony. We have criticised much more these hegemony and tried to break it in diffirent times in diffirent ways. In last two years during millitary backed caretaker government, we have found some initiative to minus Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia from Politics. But the caretaker government failed to persue it at last. And the people who are opposing these hegemony, they are also failed in election, because they could not influence the people to vote aginst these hegemony. So, we found, Sheikh Hasina won the election and became prime minister and Khaleda Zia became opposition leader.
Why did it happen? Because, these two leaders holds the power as the people wants them and the people like us who are opposing these hegemony, have failed to influence the people to oppose them. So, power has gone to them again.
Now let us come to some points on your article. In Bangladesh, after independence, the maximum chunk of time, Bangladesh has been ruled by millitary and their allies. And they have made Bangladesh as a religious country violating the principles of liberation war only for their existance. Why? Because only for securing power! So, you can not expect anything as you desire from these opportunists leaders and religious political allies. On other hand, based on religious counting, the minority people (by born unfortunaltely I am also) acts more during liberation war, but fails to act after independence. If you count the political participation if diffirent political parties, you will be frustrated. Most of the minority people are acting as grassroots activists in Awami League, a very few, mostly uncountable has taken part in the decision making process of political parties. So, how do they become prime minister or president of the state? We can raise a emotional demands, but it is not practical at all in power relation. Sometimes, somebody blessed by power like Iasuddin Ahmed, the formar President of Bangladesh; but never s/he got power to exercise due to her/his inefficency to realise the power. So, if anybody select Prime Minister or President of Bangladesh from Minority in the future, we can feel complacency, but I never count it as a positive change. Because change comes by exercising power, not by blessing.
About rename of BDR, I never feel soft on it as like you. Do you think, the present government feels soft? I can say, yes! because they are holding power and exercise it. And they are preparing the rename! I know it as all the people. I know, they are just maximising the power. It is politics and the politician are bound to do such activities.
Now at end question. Do you think, people are ready to accept change the name of Bangadesh? I know, people are not ready and if you raise these question in this situation, you will be controverisal. I think, it is not change which Bengamin Franklin said as “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” But it is aginst this statement because you want to force the change without generating the power.
Thanks again for your article!