--- On Fri, 2/27/09, Jana Shah <janashah_1@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Jana Shah <janashah_1@yahoo.com>
Subject: [bangla-vision] Re: Comments on BDR mutiny
To: bd_mailer@yahoo.com
Cc: zoglul@hotmail.co.uk, shahin72@gmail.com, janashah_1@yahoo.com, alfazanambd@yahoo.com, adelm@uapb.edu, hossain.khilji@yahoo.com, mbimunshi@gmail..com, rehman.mohammad@gmail.com, mahmudurart@yahoo.com, farhadmazhar@hotmail.com, kmamalik@aol.com, premlaliguras@hotmail.com, dhakamails@yahoogroups.com, khabor@yahoogroups.com, alochona@yahoogroups.com, bdresearchers@yahoogroups.com, bangla-vision@yahoogroups.com, mouchakaydheel@yahoo.com, jason@prio.no, odhora@yahoogroups.com, ayeshakabir@yahoo.com, sayantha15@yahoo.com, ghazala.khi@gmail.com, minarrashid@yahoo.com, history_islam@yahoogroups.com, jangoonetilleke@aol.com, editorazad@gmail.com, newtimes47@gmail.com, lankaguardian2007@gmail.com
Date: Friday, February 27, 2009, 6:09 AM
| Sir nothing wrong with Army having educational or health institutes. They are one of the best organisations under army where decipline is the key to sucess unlike civilian institutions where politicaly motivated appointments are made by all the governments. As far as mutiny is concerned why dont you question the involvment of India in this undrest and killing of finest officers of Bangladesh?? Bangladshis did not know till yesterday if Maj Gen Shakil was alive or dead but Indian RAW-Funded NTDV and other channels were already airing news of killed. Do take sometime out to ponder over the question why India was sending SMS to BDR officers that Bangladeshi army was on way to kill them which indeed resulted in mutiny. Regards Jana
--- On Thu, 2/26/09, Isha Khan <bd_mailer@yahoo. com> wrote:
From: Isha Khan <bd_mailer@yahoo. com>
Subject: Comments on BDR mutiny
To: zoglul@hotmail. co.uk, shahin72@gmail. com, janashah_1@yahoo. com, alfazanambd@ yahoo.com, adelm@uapb.edu, hossain.khilji@ yahoo.com, mbimunshi@gmail. com, rehman.mohammad@ gmail.com, mahmudurart@ yahoo.com, farhadmazhar@ hotmail.com, kmamalik@aol. com, premlaliguras@ hotmail.com, dhakamails@yahoogro ups.com, khabor@yahoogroups. com, alochona@yahoogroup s.com, bdresearchers@ yahoogroups. com, bangla-vision@ yahoogroups. com, mouchakaydheel@ yahoo.com, jason@prio.no, odhora@yahoogroups. com, ayeshakabir@ yahoo.com, sayantha15@yahoo. com, ghazala.khi@ gmail.com, minarrashid@ yahoo.com, history_islam@ yahoogroups. com, jangoonetilleke@ aol.com, editorazad@gmail. com, newtimes47@gmail. com, lankaguardian2007@ gmail.com
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7:20 PM
| Comments on BDR mutiny
Zia Rahman
Although very painful and unfortunate, these types of events are not very uncommon for an underdeveloped country like Bangladesh where poverty, paternalism or informal allegiance and unequal power relations are rampant and the ultimate outcome is social inequality or disparity. Hence, at the very outset disparity and social inequality seem to be the main cause of such an event. Three major aspects have been identified to comment and these are:
(1) The ruling elites including military, the state machinery and even the civil society rarely contemplate the question of social inequality very seriously; they never want to understand the impact and consequences of such social inequality which is increasing in all the segments and groups in our country by leaps and bounds. Sociologically, this is a very common outcome where corruption and nepotism along with unequal power relations play an important role in making money, wealth and resources using authoritarian and feudal ethos. Although this is a very crucial issue, except very few civil society members, the society has yet to be aware of.
This is such a crucial issue that most capitalist states even have conceded and thus introduced a plethora of ancillary methods such as employment insurance, medial insurance, and other social benefits minimizing the gap between rich and poor. The whole night I watched the television news in various channels and I, as a student of social movements, have tried to understand the dynamics and severity of the event. No doubts the grievances have been developed for long, and it is very surprising that the officers of the B.D.R. and the intelligence could not even figure out such grievances. Nonetheless, it is a huge loss for a country like Bangladesh.
(2) Apparently, the rebel soldiers seemed very confident and smart and they raised many critical issues which have been growing for a long time; I was even surprised hearing a soldier quoting Professor Muzaffar Ahmed regarding the corruptions of some army officers during the 1/11 regime. In a modern society, inner issues related to such problems are analyzed, raised and discussed in everyday life either by a journalist or by an academic or a television host belonging to the educated middle class. But the irony is that these types of practices are totally nil in our society even though some academics sometimes try to convey their opinions in a frightened and timid way. In a western society, these types of anger are also there, but the important thing is that there are many think tanks, organizations and researchers commenting on everyday issues, and the public agencies always incorporate those valuable opinions and suggestions in formulating social policies. In Bangladesh, civil society is still gelatinous and the coercive power of state apparatuses interrupts the honest, courageous, thoughtful and real opinions and observations raised by the academics, experts and scholars.
(3) Definitely, a sagacious citizen never wants to see such a painful event, both illegal and unacceptable. But this is the reality in our country and the old proverb works out here now---history repeats itself. The issues which should have been addressed by the policy makers, intellects and academics have now been addressed by the lower strata officials belonging to the same military organization, though at the cost of human blood! There are many burning issues in military, diffusing everyday social inequality, should be addressed and focused on.
Last year when I saw that a public university was established for the military in the cantonment area, I was really surprised. The military high commands never think about the consequences. The military have their own medical college; engineering college and now they have their own university! I am not sure whether the military high commands have ever thought about the long term effects; in the short run the military might gain but in the long term they will definitely lose. There are lots of issues in the academic minds and time has come to analyze those in a neutral and thoughtful manner.
Do the military have ever thought about the long term consequences of the policy of the Defense Officers Housing Society (DOHS) or the Trust Bank? Why do the military establish assets and establishments like Darbar Hall, Sena Kunja or Rifle Square? These have symbolic effects on the powerless and the masses. The military high commands, without knowing the long term effects and consequences, have been alienating themselves from rest of the society although we all are Bangladeshi and the segmentary development is not our desire---indeed a parochial and an obsolete idea in the era of globalization. Interestingly some rebel soldiers have raised some very rudimentary but crucial issues that could have been raised by either a Professor like Muntasir Mamoon or a journalist like Mr. Nurul Kabir of the New Age. But I am sure the military high commands would have taken such ideas negatively had scholars raised such issues. The military high commands should incorporate as many opinions and ideas as they possibly can. I know the Bangladesh military has many intelligent and promising officers who think about the progressive and prosperous Bangladesh.
From the administrative/ intelligence point of view this is a complete failure for the state agencies involved in security and intelligence. The prime minister has just visited the BDR, and the mutiny could have happened the day the prime minister visited BDR but we do not want to think about such tragic events. The policy makers and the administrators should be more serious about the future security questions of Bangladesh. And they should keep in mind that it was a complete failure as far as security is concerned
It is positive that a democratic government is there having a huge verdict from the people in Bangladesh. As a political sociologist I know that dialogue, justice and peaceful solutions are the only desire of the general citizens in Bangladesh. I am sympathetic towards the family members of the BDR officers and the innocent civilians. We know that the mutiny, rebellion or insurrection is all negative terms in the legal books, and the authority and the officials will definitely do their own jobs accordingly. But my sincere desire from the ruling elites and the policy makers is that the authority should be transparent and they will inform the inner causes of the mutiny and the real conditions of the BDR to the public.
The parliament is alive and the parliament members should actively participate in the debates. Moreover, a parliamentary enquiry committee can be formed who can review the situations of military in Bangladesh on the whole incorporating military experts, academics and scholars. This might provide the resources and solutions for future problems related to such an unfortunate and unbearable BDR mutiny.
(Zia Rahman Associate Professor in Sociology(on- leave), University of Dhaka; Ph.D. Candidate and Instructor, Dept. of Sociology, University
of Calgary, Alberta) http://www.thebangl adeshtoday. com/analysis. htm#anlysis- 01 | | |