Chintito

Misplaced complaints and cyclone 'Jalil'

Chintito

Over the past few years whenever Eid and Puja have nearly coincided, we have had holidays for six-eight-ten days, or more. Some people make a massive hue and cry over this; they are jealous of anything that goes in favour of the aam janata, as if it is the fault of the people that what is but designed by divinity.

Arrey Baba! Had the two festivals been dated apart, as has been in the past, the public holidays would have been held apart, and the holidays six-eight-ten days, or more, would have been held in two separate packages. In the present context the packages have been made into a big package. The end result is that we are shut for the same length of period over the year, but sometimes in small packages and sometimes in one huge 'enviable' package.

My advice to people who are offended by our big-chunk break is that they should offer their voluntary services to police, fire, security, etc, and relieve their personnel who do not get the vacation because of the nature of the service. I am even willing to propose instituting a medal for such jealous but useful people.

Then there is another group comprising mostly of politicians of all shades and shadows who are saying they are making legal arrangements so that non-constitutional regimes do not return to govern the country. This is at best misguided patriotism. We cannot stop regimes by such paper work, because such aamols (when they emerge) stop the functioning of that very paper that bars their birth by its ordinance number one.

One is reminded of the paper works of the 1/11 regime which did many unnecessary works, one of them being barring MPs from having tax benefits in purchasing cars. Obviously, if the present parliament, comprised of politicians of all shades and shadows, decides to scrap that paper, it is scrapped. I would prefer they would not. We must bear in mind that legitimacy lies in the hands of those who hold power, today and tomorrow.

Rather than wasting time by framing sentences, albeit legal, that are likely to last till parliamentary governance exists that omuk types of people shall not be allowed to take over our governance, we should all strive to create a situation that does not even allow non-politicians to think of taking over power, not that they have always performed to our expectations. Stuck in this quagmire one must appreciate that the semi-military attire of the immediate past caretaker government was the fruit of fifteen years of democracy. Another fifteen should see each of us playing a more responsible role in our society and nation.

I for one would recommend to the World Meteorological body to name their next cyclone as 'Jalil', although for some sexist reason they name them after women, Katerina, Aila... I mean this guy, despite a gallant political career, drops some bombshells or what! During the last BNP rule he stumped us all with his trump card that we never saw. Then he steals the limelight with his story that ruling party leaders have DGFI connections, whatever that means. I mean everyone should have a positive contact with intelligence and other government agencies; even he has. Now in <>shudoor<> London he huffs a tremor five and a half thousand miles away from the epicentre. Thankfully there are no known casualties.

If it is possible that by aligning with a government agency, manned by a few hundred persons, a party can bounce to power, all our parties aspiring for the mantle should do just that. Forget about organisation, forget about grass roots, forget about people...

While AL is trying to brush it aside as the roar of a wounded cat, BNP leaders are making suicidal statements by welcoming Jalil's revelation, because if true, it also puts into doubt the election of their nearly three dozen MPs. In fact, hurricane Jalil is also under a big question mark.

Then there are the usual talk show 'artists' on our TV channels. One Asafuddowla has jumped to the conclusion that unless Jalil was sure he would not have the guts to make the serious utterance about the manipulation. He went as far as saying on Channel I (29 Sep) that although nine months have passed, time is no bar to try a crime (meaning election fraud). The spirit of his statement was that because the present government is not taking any action against them (I believe he meant the past CTG government and the military), Jalil's statement holds water.

In the context of action, bdnews24.com reports from New York 27 Sep: “Asked on the trial of former army chief Moeen U Ahmed and former chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, she (Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina) said she had never been vengeful. 'Is it right to bite the dog if it bites you?' she quipped.”

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Cartoon by Tanmoy

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