Dear Sir,
I take strong exceptions to Economist’s article awarding the laurel of the ‘Country of the year’ based on the mis(rule) of the current (mis)rule of the interim government of Bangladesh, which does not have any constitutional validity, whatsoever. Economist’s attributes of Sheikh Hasina’s rule as “repressive, rigging elections, jailing opponents and ordering the security forces to shoot protesters” is only half-truth. For instance, holding elections as per constitution where the main opposition party did not participate cannot be attributed as “rigging”, and “ordering security forces to shoot protesters” is not true. In the face of vandalizations of the modern developments by mobs, security forces of any countries (including UK) would have no option but to the take necessary actions. The atrocities that have been committed following the ‘genocide’ after the so-called revolution did not happen in any part of the world, let alone in Bangladesh. What is the reason for giving indemnity to the culprits 10 days after the departure of Sheikh Hasina?
The vandalization of the museum of the house of the founding father of the country and preventing and torturing people who went to pay homage in his death anniversary is called of rule of law!
“It has restored order and stabilised the economy.” What could be further than the truth? Arresting anyone as you wish, taking him to court, throwing eggs and shoes to an arrestee in the court, forcing people to sue any one for murder charges, beating the lawyer of the defendants, arresting people who went to court to lodge a case against the culprits for burning his house are called ‘stabilzation’?
The media was never been so controlled, evcn under a few martial laws. I was contributing columnist for the highest circulated English language Daily for more than two decades, yet it cannot publish any of my write-ups. They are now called ‘His Master’s Voice. For the first time in Bangladesh, a dozen of journalists has been sued in murder case.
Your aspiration of ‘ensuring that the courts are neutral’ would be a utopia. The whole judiciary has been made to follow the wishes of the government. The cases and verdicts against again BNP leader who is having a good time in your country and his mother are being acquitted from convictions and cases. A case in which a Canadian company was fined 9.5 million for giving bribes to BNP leader, but the current government has acquitted her. What is happening under the vengeful Yunus government can be attributed in Bengali as ‘Moger Mulluk’ (mob’s justice).
Dr. Mozammel Khan
Professor and Senate Speaker
Toronto Canada
