When will our politicians grow up?
A F Rahman, Dhaka
This was my feeling when I read about the summing up (of our politicians) by the World Bank Resident Director, Dr Christine Wallich. Yet I congratulate her for the bold and frank statement she made at the AMCham meeting on December 17. Though the news was not new, I felt humbly ashamed and felt pity (being prompted by a foreign dignitary) for our so-called leaders and politicians who do not mind undermining the image of the country for their own self-interest. Wallich declared, "Many of them are unfairly and unprofessionally presenting the bad aspects of the country over the years to the outside world." They are adept at doing greater harm to their own country for little gain from foreign hands! She continued to say, "Political discourse brings up all the bad things all the time," a pathetic absence of self- respect is such, according to her, that "Overseas Bangladeshis in Washington (under heinous guidelines from their masters?) sometimes go to their US congressmen and say that the government is doing all the bad things in the country." She also opined that the congressmen, most of whom didn't even know where Bangladesh is, got a very negative impression of Bangladesh. Appreciating "the significant improvement of the country's social indices," she said that Bangladesh should have had a better image in the world. Political differences and liking or disliking of an individual or a particular political party should not become a criterion for focusing the image of the country (as bad) and prestige and status of the country must be kept high and not be compromised for individual aggrandisement or collective vendetta. Isn't it the time that we realise that, as they say, a criminal will pay for his crimes even if it takes a while?
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