[Attachment(s) from Sitangshu Guha included below]
2001-2006 : BNP-Jamat Misrule
The five year-rule of the BNP-Jamaat (2001-2001) was featured by rigged elections, tyranny and repression of opposition activists. It was followed by rise of extremist terrorism in the name of Islam that was overtly sponsored by the State. Terrorist organizations having direct link with Al-Quaeda and other Pakistani and Afghan militants such as Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HUJI); Jagroto Muslim Janota Bangladesh (JMJB) so on and so forth began to rule the country as a parallel force. They publicly tortured and killed hundreds of people, most of whom were opposition political activists.
The BNP-Jamaat misrule was also marked by torture, rape of women and girls, torture and maiming of thousands of opposition (AL) activists and attack and repression of journalists and minority communities particularly Hindus and Christians. Many worship places including Baniapara Church in Gopalganj was bomb-attacked. The terrorists backed by BNP-Jamaat Government went thus far as to launch an attack on the then British High Commissioner Mr. Anwar Chawdhury during his visit to the holy shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal (Rh) in Sylhet. They launched several dastardly attacks on cultural and opposition activists. As many as 24,000 Awami League leaders, activists and supporters were killed, tortured and maimed by the BNP-Jamaat terrorists.
When their tenure came to an end (mid 2006), the BNP started hatching conspiracy to come into power again by arranging an election staged by their own men in the form of a so called caretaker government. They raised the retiring age of Supreme Court judges with an intention to appoint their loyal Justice K M Hasan as Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government. On the other hand, they appointed another BNP-loyal judge M A Aziz as chief election commissioner.
Not only this, they appointed a number of BNP-Jamaat loyalists in the election commission as election commissioners. Worst ever, they made an electoral roll where more than 12.3 million fake voters were registered. This resulted in a mass-upsurge against the BNP-Jamaat regime and the chaotic situation led to the one-eleven situations as the BNP's loyal president Mr. Yaaz Uddin Ahmed took over the charge of the head of caretaker government along with his holding the chair of the President. Eventually, the army intervened and formed the care-taker government headed by Dr. Fakharuddin Ahmed to run the country for two years (2007-2008). Within few months, this very caretaker government backed by army, appeared to be a power grabbing one and intended to remain in power for long. Moreover, they harassed political leaders and business persons in the name of the so called anti corruption drive and mock trials, most of which were later on quashed by the Supreme Court. They (army backed caretaker government) put the leaders of the two major parties into jail and they plotted to send them to exile. Ultimately their plan was foiled by the popular movement organized by the Awami League and other democratic parties. The army-backed caretaker government was under heavy pressure from both within and outside the country. Eventually, they had to organize the election on 28th December 2008 where the Awami League obtained a landmark victory and formed the Government in January 2009.
After taking charge, the Awami League Government started to implement people's mandate from the election as reflected in its – Vision 2021, where good governance, social safety net, freedom of the press, protection of human rights, improved power supply and technology oriented/enabled service delivery system (well known as Digital Bangladesh) to ensure services to the people's doorstep in a responsive manner.
Let's now have a comparative scenario of the style of governance of the two regimes (BNP-Jamaat's 2001-2006 and AL Government's 2009 onwards . . .) :
| 2001-2006 (BNP-Jamaat regime) | 2009-Onwards (AL led Alliance regime) | ||
| · Atrocity, repression, killing, rape and maiming of 24,000 AL leaders/supporters immediately after winning over the election. | · AL did not rejoice victory with procession to avoid any kind of post-election violence. No reprehensive attack was made on the BNP activists. | ||
| · Corruption reached the peak level due to the vandalism, nepotism and overwhelming corruption in every sector. Bangladesh topped number 1 in the TIB Corruption Perception Index for consecutive five years. To note, BNP installed only electric polls, but no power generation was followed. Millions of dollars were looted from public exchequer in the name of installing electric poll (in Bengali, popularly known as KHAMBA). | · Anti corruption commission has been reshuffled and working more freely than before. Corruption has been minimized and now Bangladesh is no more ranking top in the TIB's Corruption Perception Index. In the last three years, electricity generation rose up to 8,049 MW till date, which was only 4,583MW during the last period of BNP's regime and 4,931MW during the caretaker regime during 2007-08). | ||
| · BNP-Jamaat strongly repressed freedom of information and other democratic institutions. They repressed journalists in all possible manners. 13 journalists were murdered by BNP-Jamaat terrorists. | · AL Government has constituted the Right to Information Commission, National Human Rights Commission, made opposition MPs Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committees for ensuring better accountability. Now the journalists and media are enjoying uninterrupted freedom. | ||
| · BNP-Jamaat paid no respect to human rights and individual liberty. They initiated the infamous Operation Clean Heart and killed numbers of opposition activists in army operation. Even, the installed the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was their action, the main activity of which was mostly to repress opposition leaders and activists. | · The AL led grand alliance government conducted no such operation as done by BNP. The Rapid Action Battalion is now working more professionally. Till date, the RAB has apprehended 872 religious militants (JMB and HUJI etc.), and 374 outlawed extremists. It has, thus far, recovered as many as 9,520 illegal weapons and 83,234 illegal ammunitions. | ||
| · During exchange of fire between armed criminals and RAB members, 340 criminals died during the first three years of BNP regime. This number was 206 during the two years of caretaker government (2007-08). | · During the last three years of the present government, the figure has dropped down to 177. | ||
| · The rise of extremist religious terrorism reached an unprecedented level during BNP-Jamaat regime. State sponsored terrorists like Bangla Bhai, Shayokh Abdur Rahman, Mufti Hannan and many others were ruling in different parts of the country in public with even police protection in some occasions. Even then, their stalwart state minister for home affairs Mr. Lutfuzzaman Babar denied the facts saying that Bangla Bhai is the creation of the media. Several heinous attacks were made by these extremist and religious terrorist groups, which, among others, included, the 21st August grenade attack on the then opposition leader Shekh Hasina and Awami League leaders, in which 24 including Mrs Ivy Rahman (wife of current President Mr. Zillur Rahman) died on the spot. Hundreds of AL workers, supporters and common people still carrying the splinters that came out of the grenade charge. Bombs were charged at a cinema theater in Mymensing district, a one-ton bomb was recovered from under ground at Kotalipara meeting place of the then opposition leader Shekh Hasina. The Islamic militants backed by BNP-Jamaat establishments carried out a series bomb blast in 63 districts. 10 trucks of huge illegal arms and ammunitions were recovered in Chittagong, in which the BNP-Jamaat high ups had direct linkage. | · There is no such incident that is taking place now under the AL-led grand alliance government. The government is firmly controlling the religious terrorists and steps have been taken to root out all kinds of terrorist activities from the country. All religious and cultural festivities are now being observed peacefully across the country. Whereas the BNP-Jamaat led government created fear and a reign of terror among public mind and had no commitment for social development, the present government is more exposed to pro-people administration. | ||
| · The BNP-Jamaat regime created several interruptions to the judicial process of the country. To conceal the facts from the public, they staged a 'Joz Mia' (a name) drama wherein they influenced the judicial magistrate and obtained his false confessional statement saying that he (Joz Mia) was responsible for the 21st August grenade Attack. They appointed a judge in the Supreme Court who had fake legal certificates. | · Now, judiciary is totally separate and functioning independently. Separate pay commission and judicial service commission have been constituted following the constitutional provisions. | ||
| · The BNP-Jamaat played no role to upgrade and modernize the country's education system. They only emphasized on the Madrasa education wherefrom religious extremist and militant elements were created, nurtured and trained up. | · AL government has made a historic move to formulate national education policy wherein the Madrasa education has been mainstreamed. The curricula of the Madrasa education has been modernized by inclusion of science and technology and literary subjects therein. | ||
| · Social safety net was not that much focused in the governance system of the BNP-Jamaat regime. During their first term in 1991-96, a total of 18 farmers were killed by police and terrorists of party in power, only for raising demands for fertilizer. Their student front (Chhattro Dal and Chhattro Shibir) were synonymous with terror forces, who committed eve teasing, murder and rape of women during the post election period. The people's right to information was oppressed as the BNP government in 1992 refused to join the free optical fiber link under a false pretext of national security. Moreover, they allowed only one mobile company to operate in the market and passing information was highly costly during that time. | · AL-led grand alliance has organized its programmes and activities to the social development and ensuring social safety net for the general people of the country. Numerous social safety-net programmes have been chalked out and now being implemented in full swing. Farmers are now being given a 'fair price card' by which they can obtain fertilizer very easily. Food security is the highest priority of the government. Agricultural and related information are now available in the mobile phones. Six mobile phone companies are now operating and paving the way towards mobile banking, easy transfer of money, health services, raising awareness about rights so on and so forth. The present government is also highly careful about development and protecting rights of women, children and indigenous communities. |
Attachment(s) from Sitangshu Guha
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