Dear Alochoks
The opposition is definitely decrepit, aimless and worthy of scorn. But Shahnoor Wahid (SW) starts with `… before anything worth opposing happens'. He can think of nothing in the past 2 years that is worthy of opposition? Here's ten 1. food prices 2. the bdr massacre 3. murders by the BSF 4. entry by BSF into our territory 5. the meekest foreign minister in south asia. Here's another five - 6. the weakest home minister in south asia 7. lack of reform in AL (and BNP) 8. lack of reform in the police force 9. lack of reform of the bureaucracy 10. inactivity of the anti corruption committee 11. the ruination of campuses 12. the failure to even appear to be making gains in negotiations with India 13. the drying and damming of our rivers 14. the political waiving of corruption cases 15. the appalling hypocrisy of the ruling party in how it deals with its cadres
And for good measure it seems SW supports the murder and extortion committed by the cadres of his own party.
SW cannot distinguish between a blind supporter of AL and a blind supporter of BNP. Here are his 2nd and 3rd paragraphs slightly reworded:
Everything in his second and third paras is as equally applicable to both AL and BNP.
It would seem AL has scored a great moral victory over someone else's falling pajamas. Enough of a victory perhaps to stay silent about murder committed by his own party operatives? Enough to counter hilarity about his Home Minister's building used as a brothel?
In his 4th and 5th paras he mocks the opposition for saying the PM has sold the country to India. But he does not detail even one of the many gains he suggests have been made in negotiations. He does not give a single example of an action upon which we can be expected to assume India's generous intentions. SW describes a benign and gentle India and her ignorant neighbours. Such thinking is promoted by only one political party in the whole of South Asia.
In his 5th and 6th he presents a Wikipedia article on the Lousiana Pact as some form of evidence. Perhaps he thinks the visual of facts from Wikipedia on any irrelevant subject would give his article some facts. Certainly the only facts in his piece are facts about the Lousiana Pact!
In his 7th and 8th paras SW correctly points out the failure of the opposition to build a case at their press conference. But he does not give a single example of how the government did not cave into Indian demands. His notion that only a few media outlets are unhappy about the government's approach to India is flatly wrong. If anything, it is only worry about public opinion that has obliged the government to press for transit fees. As it happens the Indians have already refused to pay transit fees at Ashuganj!
The 9th para is correct – except that the AL is just as predictable as the BNP.
It is his 10th para that demonstrates the naive hopefulness of the blindly partisan. SW does not identify a single proof of mutual respect between Indian and Bangladesh. He sees no intimidation but would not like to comment on the probability of a powerful RAW in Dhaka. He could not even contemplate the remotest possibility of India's involvement in the BDR massacre. And his mind skips effortlessly past all the horrors on our borders. In this para he asserts a new leadership role for Bangladesh in the region even though Myanmar and India do what they want on our borders and our seas. A democratic Myanmar and a reconciled Sri Lanka would naturally follow Bangladesh under a descendant of Mujib he thinks. Finally, Malaysians showing interest in vague bilateral deals is presented as sign of a quantum leap. Malaysia looks like it will return lacs of our workers and make it illegal for Deshis to marry Malaysians! Yes. Quantum leap based on mutual respect indeed.
His final para is correct – we should all like to see the opposition demanding justice in each of these cases. But there are other cases too including the ones I listed in my first para. Leaving SW's poor use of plurals intact: "The silence of the ruling party and its leaders regarding these nationally important issues gives rise to many unpleasant gossips. Shouldn't the ruling party give efforts to stop such gossips?"
SW represents the thinking that arguing is more important than the argument. This is all pervasive in our political culture at disastrous cost to our country.
SW strings sentences together no better than a kitten playing with a ball of string.
Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait
--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "ezajur" <Ezajur@...> wrote:
>
>
> Dear Robin
>
>
>
> In this context I am neither goose nor gander as I am not blindly for
> AL, BNP or Jamaat.
>
> Don't pick on me man just because it's easier to talk about my
> volume than my points.
>
>
>
> My fetish is to oppose the fetish of not holding one's own party
> accountable – AL or BNP.
>
> I use a language that is clearly understood by those with whom I am
> arguing.
>
>
>
> At least I have the courtesy to explain to others what I believe they
> are blind about.
>
> I thank you for confirming that the salient points of my arguments
> remain consistent.
>
>
>
> We should all speak up. I don't doubt you have a better voice than
> me.
>
> But if you won't speak up then don't expect me to stop, however
> flawed I may be.
>
>
>
> Be careful not to appear to stick up for one side if you want to appear
> neutral.
>
> As far as Bangladesh is concerned I suspect I won't have a pleasant year
> at all.
>
>
>
> Shahnoor's first line includes `…. before anything worth
> opposing happens'.
>
> There's a child dead, hanging on a barbed wire fence on the border.
> A few days ago.
>
>
>
> You can ignore it. You can raise hell about it. You can contextualize
> it. Your choice.
>
> Either way, Shahnoor wouldn't know a good argument if it hit him in
> the face.
>
>
>
> But I'm willing to teach him.
>
>
>
> Ezajur Rahman
>
> Kuwait
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Robin Khundkar <rkhundkar@> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Ejaz aka angry young man
> >
> > What is good for the gander is good for the goose. Please note that
> every single post of yours includes a similar but "opposite fetish" . So
> much so one doesnt even have to read it to know the salient points.
> Please do extend the same courtesy to be blind as a bat and deaf as a
> lamp post to others if they choose.
> >
> > Have a pleasant new year.
> >
> > Robin
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > From: ezajur Ezajur@ [Add to Address Book]
> > To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: 1-yr on ...Position of the Opposition --- only
> the slipping pyjamasare in tatters for having slipped too many times
> > Date: Jan 11, 2011 7:30 AM
> >
> >
> > What garbage is written here by Shahnoor Wahid! So effortlessly lapped
> up gleefully by Farida - even highlighting her favourite phrases! Like
> any partisan creature, she could not pretend intellectual neutrality for
> too long.
> >
> > Shahnoor is as blind as a bat and as blind as the opposition he
> imagines he is mocking.
> >
> > In his entire piece the only facts and figures, the only evidence
> mooted, is the Louisiana Pact!
> >
> > Oh yeah! And the Malaysians made a phone call. Was it to invest in
> Desh? Was it to send back 300,0000 labourers? was it to ensure Deshis
> can't marry Malaysians? Who know! Who cares! 'Some bilateral business
> deals'. Wow! Maybe Rwanda could be interested too! No need to talk about
> it in detail when he's given so much detail about the freaking Lousiana
> Pact!
> >
> > He thinks we are going to become a leader of South Asia! Even though
> we have yet to show in decades that we can stand up to anyone with even
> words.
> >
> > He thinks we can't be intimidated! Even though India shoots one Deshi
> every 4 days without a whisper from Dhaka.
> >
> > He thinks we're beating India in some sectors! Even though we are
> simply a captive market for India.
> >
> > Hey Shahnoor! Stop looking at stupid Khaleda 24/7 and look at your
> party once in a whlile.
> >
> > Nonsense.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "Emanur Rahman" emanur@ wrote:
> > >
> > > Its amazing how ridiculous and deluded the supporters of the
> political status quo are. They don't realise that every word they write
> and utter in criticism at their opponents is equally applicable to their
> own!
> > >
> > > What's the difference between BAL and BNP? Nothing. Both are two
> evils that have killed millions of people since day one of independence
> through corruption, incompetence and petty rivalry.
> > >
> > > The stench of hypocrisy is palpable.
> > >
> > > Short changed as usual are the nation. Nothing causes me to wretch
> as violently as when I hear BAL and BNP spineless sycophants talking
> about the people!
> > >
> > > Oops....I feel something coming up....
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Emanur Rahman | m. +447734567561 | e. emanur@
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Farida Majid farida_majid@ > Sender: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> > > Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2011 16:16:46
> > > Reply-To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> > > Subject: [ALOCHONA] 1-yr on ...Position of the Opposition --- only
> the slipping pyjamas
> > > are in tatters for having slipped too many times
> > >
> > >
> > > [Highlights by me. -- Farida Majid]
> > >
> > >
> > > Tuesday, January 26, 2010
> > >
> > > Position of the opposition
> > >
> > > Shahnoor Wahid
> > >
> > > WHEN the opposition takes a position before anything worth opposing
> happens, what happens to the position of the opposition? The answer to
> the riddle is it becomes a case of severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
> The opposition becomes obsessed with a thought that has no connection
> with reality. And it starts to do things compulsively no matter how much
> damage it might cause to its mental health.
> > >
> > > Like one possessed, opposition stalwarts would continue to babble
> and berate; r! ant and rave, about something that has only happened in
> their foggy im agination. You tell them in all earnestness about the
> state of their mental health but nothing would make them see reason.
> They would not come out of it. The situation would soon begin to go out
> of their hand.
> > >
> > > One fine morning they would put on their best suits and saris, and
> pajamas that would not slip off, and invite the press to make a great
> show of politicking. They would make painful efforts so that their
> "concern" for the future of the country would show on their wrinkled
> foreheads. In a masochistic manifestation, they would accuse the
> government of selling the country off to India through secret deals. In
> a schizophrenic stupor, they would keep saying the same thing, over and
> over again, never waiting to know whether people believed in what they
> said or not.
> > >
> > > At night, in neurotic nightmares, they would see wild Indian mares
> chasing them down the slopes of mountains, thus causing them to wake up
> sweating and swearing. What a predicam! ent the prime minister has
> gotten them into! She should have been aware of the mental state of the
> members of the opposition and acted accordingly. She should have stuck
> to the traditional foreign policy with India that has been pursued by
> their predecessors since 1947.
> > >
> > > This phobia of selling the entire country, lock, stock and barrel to
> India reminds us of the actual purchase by the United States of America
> of a big landmass, which is known as Louisiana Purchase. Documents say:
> "The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane "Sale of
> Louisiana") was the acquisition by the United States of America of
> 828,800 square miles (2,147,000 km2) of the French territory Louisiana
> in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation
> of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000), a total cost of 15
> million dollars for the Louisiana territory.
> > >
> > > "The Louisiana Purchase encompassed all or part of 14 current U.S.
> states and two ! Canadian provinces. The land purchased contained all of
> present-day Ar kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, parts
> of Minnesota that were west of the Mississippi River, most of North
> Dakota, nearly all of South Dakota, northeastern New Mexico, the
> portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental
> Divide, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River, including the city
> of New Orleans. (The Oklahoma Panhandle, and southwestern portions of
> Kansas and Louisiana were still claimed by Spain at the time of the
> Purchase.) In addition, the Purchase contained small portions of land
> that would eventually become part of the Canadian provinces of Alberta
> and Saskatchewan. The purchase, which doubled the size of the United
> States, comprises around 23% of current U.S. territory. The population
> was estimated to be 97,000 as of the 1810 census." (Source:
> > > Internet)
> > >
> > > In the press conference the opposition leaders went on to a frenzied
> finality detailing how the government succumbed to the demands of India,
> w! ent down on its knees and handed over everything on a silver platter
> and came back empty handed. What an insidious inference! What a
> simpletonic surmise! They made every effort to make the media buy their
> words. Their career depended on that.
> > >
> > > Did the media buy that stuff? Did the nation believe what they said?
> A handful of newspapers and electronic channels loyal to them printed
> articles and organised some talk shows to peddle the stuff further among
> the masses. They could not find many buyers. It has come as a rude
> awakening to them that even the man on the street has the wisdom to say,
> "Let's wait and see".
> > >
> > > It became conspicuous from day one that the opposition would say
> exactly what they did about the treaties and MoUs signed in India after
> the return of the prime minister. They had their draft ready but they
> hadn't done their homework well. The handful of "wise" brains cooked
> something in a hurry and the leaders served them before the! crowd. It
> was bland and tasteless. End of the day it did not ensure a higher berth
> for the opposition in the esteem of the people.
> > >
> > > The India-Bangladesh agreements on some of the vital issues are need
> of the time and these would be materialised on the basis of mutual
> respect and not intimidation. As a fast developing nation we shall have
> to move ahead to become a leader and not a follower in South-Asia. We
> are ahead in many sectors, even compared with the corresponding sectors
> in India, so now is the time to take the quantum leap...no more
> crawling. Recently Malaysia has shown interest to strike some bilateral
> business deals with Bangladesh. Now, should we suspect the motive behind
> such interest?
> > >
> > > We would like to see the opposition organise similar press
> conferences to demand punishment of the murderers of ASM Kibria; real
> culprits of grenade attack on Awami League rally, Ramna Botomul bombing
> and Udichi bombing; demand arrest of all militants; demand trial and
> punishment of the War Criminals and killers of ! Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
> and four national leaders in Dhaka Central Jail. The silence of the
> opposition and its leaders regarding these nationally important issues
> gives rise to many unpleasant gossips. Shouldn't the opposition give
> efforts to stop such gossips?
> > >
> >
>
------------------------------------
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