Yes, we have shamefully forgotten all about our national pride. It is even appalling to consider that this is the same nation which stood up to colonial oppression and subsequently earned its sovereignty through an indescribable bloodbath.

Our politicians have become too dependent on their foreign sponsors. They look away, ignore and/or revert back to our co-dependency, at times of crisis instead of standing up to it. Do the politicians think that all solutions provided by these foreign emissaries are in the best interest of our nation? Should we always extend our begging hands to the foreigners, thirty years after our independence?

As Mr. Ahsan points out in his article, why our politicians feel/need that every single issue should be prescribed/solved by the diplomats? Should our politicians feel their own inadequacy and ineptness, then they are the ones who should simply retire from politics.

For all practical purposes, the diplomats of other nations on our soil are here because they play a role of being ambassadors of their nations representing trade, bilateral interests and matters of mutual interest. They are not here as our political mentors, are they? Nor should they be looked upon as such.

Case in point, very recently the New Zealand ambassador to Fiji has been asked to leave the island by the regime out of concern for the ambassador's meddling in Fiji's internal matters. Certainly, I am not suggesting that we follow Fiji's example. In unison with Mr. Ahsan's article I am merely requesting our political leaders to refrain from running to foreign ambassadors on issues of national importance which should rightfully be addressed by Bangladeshis.

Is it too much to ask?