Shahbag: Light in the darkness

On February 08, finally people in Moscow gathered to express their solidarity with Shahbag. We were really waiting for that, but somebody had to take the initiative. Finally it was done.
I am trying my best to follow this latest development in Bangladesh. When the judgment was uttered I it with disbelief. As almost everyone was expecting capital punishment.
So I asked myself, why it should go this way, who might be the gainer? In first view it might be the AL? Why? In this case they don’t have to hang anybody, hence don’t have to come under pressure of Western countries. On the other hand they can say it is the judges who are to blame. Their duty was to prosecute the criminals and they did it. Now they can put the guy in jail and in case other party takes the charge next time, they will have to decide, whether to put him in jail and free him, as according to them it was politically motivated.  So there will be other party who will be to blame. As if it is always win-win situation for AL. But a second thought tells that it is lose-lose situation. As any other punishment except capital one is a defeat for AL and all pro-liberation force. And it is because there is no guaranty that the judgment won’t overturned. Otherwise the capital punishment is too small for what he did. For those crimes he should be jailed for 1000 years – no less. But people, mainly the young generation caught it in time and began the campaign for capital punishment. That punishment also raised many questions regarding some undercover compromise between AL and Jamat. So, even if that is not true, AL has to answer to this question and there is only one way out for that, to enforce the Shahbag movement and punish the criminals according to their ill-doings.
The Shahbag movement gives us hope, it tells us that the people of Bangladesh still value their liberation; they are ready to fight to death for it. But at the same time I am a bit worried. I am not a politician, not a sociologist. I am a physicist and a mathematician. So always try to ask why and what for? There are some unwritten rules in physics: if you don’t know the answer, don’t take the task.  That is prior to taking any problem in hand we should know very well the result. But in society it is not always the same. I remember the Iranian revolution of 1979, when many progressive people led the movement and enforce the Shah to leave the country. But where are they now? Or say the recent revolutions in Arabic countries. Progressive, moderate young people began it only to handover the fruit to conservative elements. So there is a danger that the victory might be robbed by other forces. Unless it becomes a mass-movement and handled by well organized parties, nobody knows when and how it ends. It is not all about getting someone hanged, what is next? Again those corrupted leader, ministers so on and so on? I believe the youth of Shahbag now has the force to make different pro-liberation parties and pro-liberation fractions of BNP listen to them. It is now, when they can ask the leaders of different parties to come and declare their solidarity with the youth, to declare their willingness not only for a rajakar-free Bangladesh, but also their commitment against crime, against fundamentalist politics. It is not a matter of hijacking the platform. If any political party or its leaders (except Jamat-Shibir) want to express their solidarity to this movement, want to express their demand for capital punishment to those war criminals, they should be welcomed.
I also believe any attempt to make this movement partisan is counter-productive. In 1971 people fought for Bangladesh, it is the people who brought liberation. Sure there was a leading force, but people did it and credit should be given to them first. I remember when after 16th December we came back home there was a liberation force camp at our hose. Every day the freedom fighters hoisted the flag (there was a yellow map of Bangladesh in the middle of the red sun) and sang “Amar Sonar Bangla” that ended with the slogan “Joy Bangla”. So Joy Bangla was the slogan of freedom fight, the slogan of freedom fighters. The irony is that the people of Bangladesh said their no to Urdu in 1952, fought a war in 1971 and with better Bangla words for victory we chose Bangladesh Jindabad in 1975. Why? It is not the betrayal to liberation ideals, to martyrs of 1952? A constitution is not a mere some good words, it is the thought of people, the reflection of their aspiration. In 1947 they stood for Pakistan, but soon after they rejected it – the whole history of Pakistan witnesses about it. They rejected communal politics; they fought for a secular country where every Bengali will feel at home. So the abolition of secularism is the betrayal to liberation as well. You can’t achieve the goal, if you change it every time. You can change your strategy, tactics but not the goal. The present government had a unique chance to revive 1972 constitution, but they failed. But still they have the chance to revive their image. There are gossips in the air about some ministers being rajakars. Why not they would be tried? Let them face the trial. If they are not guilty, AL can say that there is no such element in their rank. If they are guilty, they will be punished and in that case AL can say they make their party free from those elements. It will enhance their image among Bangladeshi people. And if they also decided to try those elements those are suspected for Ramu, Biswajit murder etc. I am sure people of Bangladesh again believe them and they will get a real chance to win the next election.
But our duty, duty of young people is not only to get those criminal hanged and bring pro-liberation force into power. Our main duty, I think, is to spread the spirit of liberation, spirit of democracy and secularism among the people of Bangladesh. They are now ready to take the message. Only a combined and well thought drive all over the country can make it a success and if we succeed in this battle, the war would be won. No fundamentalist can take it away from us.
Long live Shahbag!                   

P.S.   It is told that a theory cannot be proved, it can be only disproved.  It is same for honesty or anything good. You have to be honest every day, in all steps of your life to remain honest in the eye of everyone. But only one digression from the road of truth can make you dishonest forever. As it is told one bad ball can end your good innings.     

February 11, 2013

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