A White Paper on 1/11
Obaid Chowdhury
New York , USA
General MoinU, the former army chief, said in his memoirs that the main reason for his patriotic action on 1/11 was the UN warning that if army helped in the scheduled elections of January 22, 2007, Bangladesh's participation in the UN Peacekeeping activities would be hampered. Renata Lok Dessallien, the UN Resident Representative in Bangladesh recently came out with the truth that there was no such communication from the UN. So who is telling the truth? The people of Bangladesh deserve to know it.
The two-year emergency rule of the MoinU instigated Care Taker Government (CTG) though brought an immediate halt to the Awami League led savagery that killed scores of people and damaged properties worth millions it left a deep scar in the nation's nascent democratic process as well as development activities.
In an interview with the Weekly Thikana of New York last year, MoinU bragged—or perhaps lamented---that nobody could have stopped him if he wanted to be the President on 1/11. In fact, it sounded more like 'It was my mistake; I should have run the show as the President of the country rather than from behind the scene.'
Within the first few months of the CTG, jails were filled with arrested 'criminals', including the two former lady prime ministers. After about a year, these very criminals turned into saints overnight and walked out of the jails. These very Dhoa Tulsi Patas of politicians were voted to the Sangsad again, some to rule while others to oppose. The people of Bangladesh definitely need an explanation of this Tamasha by the MoinU and CTG at a huge cost to the exchequer of a poor country.
We saw the real or make-belief pictures of many such leaders dying at every moment due to physical abuse, torture, third degree method, poisoning and sedation applied by the law enforcing and intelligence agencies during custody. Yet, the perpetrators of such terrible and inhuman crime are not made to answer today for their actions. But the people want to know the facts, not the fiction.
People of Bangladesh would also like to know how over 90% people voted on December 29, 2008. Such thing does not happen even in the most developed countries and in the most educated and affluent societies of the world having the most advanced voting facilities. Conscientious people have since been wondering for whom the bell tolled on that day! They shudder to think today if they will one day find an independent and sovereign country called Bangladesh being eclipsed!
We need a White Paper on how the 1/11was made, the two-year Emergency Rule of the MoniU/CTG and the road to December 29, 2008.
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