Bangabandhu's ideals no longer exist in Awami League
--Noor-e-Alam Siddiqui
Noor-e-Alam Siddiqui was one of the main organisers of the independence struggle and also one of the four 'khalifas' in Bangladesh's politics. He is also the Convenor of the Chhatra League Foundation. This veteran Awami Leaguer speaks to PROBE about the prevailing political scenario, the economy, the state, Awami League's present leadership and more.
Interviewed by ANWAR PARVEZ HALIM
Does Chhatra League Foundation have any link with Awami League? And how much faith do you have in Awami League's politics today?
Let me make it very clear that we have no links whatsoever with the present Awami League. Chhatra League Foundation is a socio-economic organisation. There are two main causes behind the present predicament of Chhatra League. One is that they have no ideology to follow. There are no political programmes. They have no scope to expand their vision. The second is that the sole function of the student body is now to please the netri (leader).
One of the main objectives of founding Chhatra League Foundation is to highlight the glorious past of this now dilapidated Chhatra League. We want to point out to Chhatra League that they are not any subservient organisation. It is a shame that they bow down in subservience. We want to tell them to give up this politics of processions and work to build up the organisation solidly. That is why we want to look into the past of Chhatra League and give recognition to the contributions made by its past leaders. This organisation is not centred on any person; it is against any one individual being kept in focus.
You say you have nothing to do with the party Awami League and yet you want to apprise Chhatra League of its history. Chhatra League is a part of Awami League, so how do you distance yourself?
Our relationship with the present Awami League is such -- we feel that the former Chhatra League inherited Bangabandhu's ideals. Awami League today is bereft of Bangabandhu's ideology. That is why we criticize Awami League, sternly and constructively. We want it to come back to its past glory.
Does the present leadership accept your criticism easily?
Not at all, it views us extremely negatively. Bangabandhu would take everyone's views into cognizance before taking any decision and we would follow his directives obediently. I want to remind those who criticise us today that when BKSAL was formed, it was I who stood before Bangabandhu and delivered a 2 hour 55 minute speech opposing BKSAL. Now politics is in shambles, entangled in self-centred power games, exerting control over the parliament, the Constitution and the state. That is why it was so easy to divide the 400-year-old city of Dhaka within four minutes. Not a single lawmaker protested. Awami League has lost its past tradition and ideology. It is now all centred on one person.
Mahmudur Rahman Manna is a member of Chhatra League Foundation and is ready to contest as Mayor of Dhaka. Will the Foundation give him their support?
Manna is a very important member of Chhatra League Foundation. He says he will contest under the Nagorik Samaj banner. The Foundation hasn't taken any decision as yet in this regard. We will not take this election as an election for the Foundation, but he will have our moral support.
How would you evaluate the present government in its running of the country?
There are both successes and failures. In the case of the economy, the government has been an absolute failure. They have failed to fulfill a fraction of their commitments in this regard. The share market scam is another shameful event, with 26 thousand crore taka being looted from the market, leaving 33 lac people penniless. Ibrahim Khaled presented his inquiry report in this regard, yet the Finance Minister shamelessly refused to make the report public because, he said, many of the accused were "influential persons". The Finance Minister should have resigned if he had an iota of ethics.
The opposition has held long marches and a grand rally with one demand -- the caretaker government system. Yet they had no protests about the share market scandal, the economic crisis, Tipaimukh Dam, Teesta water sharing, etc. It is as if the leaders of the two major parties have only one agenda each -- one is for the trial of the war criminals and the other is for the caretaker government.
The opposition won't go to the House, yet they will draw their salaries and allowances. The parliament isn't Awami League's sole property. They are the majority in parliament and poke BNP when they come to the House, but that should not deter BNP. We spent our entire youth in jail. In 1973 Ataur Rahman attended the House as the opposition with only nine members in the opposition bench. So why can't Khaleda Zia join the House with 28 members?
You speak of the government failure in the economic sector. Where does the problem lie -- in coordination, inexperience, or elsewhere?
Politically speaking, the Prime Minister holds so much power that it has become absolute power. Therein lies the problem. There is no practice of democracy within the party. It is the same in the opposition camp. No one has the guts to say, Madam, we should go to parliament. There is no longer any place in politics for sacrifice, suffering, ethics, wisdom, tradition or honesty. The only yardstick is loyalty to the leader and that is all.
I can guarantee you that if today a consensus is reached in parliament about Tipaimukh Dam or Teesta, at least 60 to 70% of the democracy-loving people of India will take to the streets in our support. In parliament the two main leaders castigate each other, but fail to reach a consensus of matters of national interest. I don't blame Awami League alone for this; this is our national weakness, a lack of national spirit.
BNP is not the only one demanding a caretaker government system. Other than the mahajote (grand alliance), there are many quarters demanding that the caretaker system be restored. Do you think a credible election can be held if the government does not acquiesce to this demand?
The caretaker government system was Awami League's own achievement. I do not understand why they are ignoring this now, pushing it out of the way, They are using the court verdict as an excuse, but the full-fledged verdict hasn't been announced as yet. I am no soothsayer, but I have been in politics since 1962. It is very clear that if the caretaker government system is not put in place, it is unlikely any election will take place, credible or not.
Given the unrest that prevails in the political arena at present, what do you think lies in the future of politics in the country?
We are proceeding towards a serious crisis. The extent of intolerance, vengeance and hatred that exists in our politics, is almost unprecedented.
Do you all offer advice to the Awami League leadership ever?
The Awami League leadership won't even look at my shadow, let alone take our advice! I have a very clear economic and social stand. If I sit with the leader, I will be very blunt with her. She is not an ignorant leader. She has politics in her blood. But none of the people who surround her have risen from Awami League politics.
There are many unresolved issues with India, such as the Tipaimukh Dam, the sharing of Teesta waters, transit and more. Many feel that this is due to the subservient nature of this government.
I wouldn't use the term 'subservient'. Politics is a game of strategy. It is a game of diplomacy. We have diplomatic failure. For example, we are jumping in joy over the verdict concerning our maritime boundary conflict with Burma. Dipu Moni has said, "We have got more than we claimed!" Does that imply that we wanted less than what was our due? Hypothetically speaking, if I own a three-bigha strip of land, will I ask for two bighas? That would be my lacking. The fact of the matter is that the government had no idea of our legal maritime boundary. It is downright silly to think any country will give us more than what is rightfully ours.
How far does our foreign policy uphold our national interests?
We don't have to be on par with the US, China or Russia when it comes to our foreign policy. Our foreign policy should focus on how we can benefit economically, how we can become self-reliant.
The Saudi government has a plan to bring the entire Saudi Arabia under a railway network. They are going to recruit 300,000 workers for the purpose. India is so expert diplomatically, they have already sent 100 thousand labourers there. We haven't managed to send a single worker for the purpose. We are the second largest Muslim country in the world, but the government has failed to use this to our advantage. We are having to send our readymade garments to the US with a 16.5% tax. Yet 22 countries including Vietnam have a tax-free quota. We have failed to get this. So how can we say our foreign policy is successful in any way?
How would you explain the government's stand concerning Dr. Muhammed Yunus?
I do not know him, never even had a cup of tea with him. However, he is our Nobel Laureate. He is our pride. He has brought honour to our country. He won the Nobel Prize as the founder of micro-credit. It is an open secret that none one can win the Nobel Prize without the US' blessings, but should Prof. Yunus be treated so shabbily? I read in the papers that Hilary Clinton personally phoned the Prime Minister and requested her not to interfere with Prof. Yunus. I feel the government has displayed a marked lack of farsightedness in this regard. The government has termed Yunus as 'corrupt', but what does that imply. If the Nobel Laureate of a country is corrupt, what does that speak about the rest of the people?
Even today [April 1] US Ambassador Mozena remarked, "Why will Americans come to invest here if the political situation is not stable?" What about us, the local businessmen and industrialists? It is as if we are facing a famine. We don't get gas for eight hours in our factories, we don't get electricity. How can we have production? So if we don't have confidence, how can we expect foreign investors to have confidence here? Mozena was quite correct in asking why investors should come to invest here.
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