Abu Sabet: There must be accountability in any government system in Bangladesh. Without accountability, people lose faith in the government. Sagar Rooney’s murder trial went from 48 hours to 48 years. Tanu Rape in security cordoned area like cantonment. The secret of which is still unknown to anyone. From daily sexual harassment in public transport to horrifying accidents like rape in madrasas, our Sonar Bengal has often happened. Last Sunday (September 22) in the evening of a restaurant in Jackson Heights, New York, the students said these things in a press conference of the Bangladesh Student and Alumni Association.
Yusuf Ali said in a written statement on behalf of Bangladesh Student and Alumni Association, land grabbing, bribery in administrative work, culture after lunch, extortion in the name of toll booths starting from Ghat. Everything is closed only on the day when the law is equal for all. High Courts, and the Supreme Court should be independent from lower courts. When with the change of government in the country all the high ranking judges including the Chief Justice want to resign, you have to understand how corrupt, manipulated and one-sided this judiciary is. You could say, the court has lost faith in this interim government. Well, in that case the court is the only wing that can advise the government on behalf of the public or from a neutral ground, question and pass orders in particular cases. So we can assume that if there is no corruption and party ideology no one would think of running away from such responsibility.
However, we want to overwrite the black chapter of the past, to reform the Constitutional Law, to get out of the inconsistent judicial system taught by the British rule and to ensure equal law for all.
They pointed out that the political party gradually used the great achievements like the liberation war for the benefit of its own party and pushed the common people of the country towards an extremist identity. This was the first step in the democratic government becoming fascist. We want no such binary politics in Bangladesh. We don’t want to see BNP vs Awami League, Hindu vs Muslim, Jamaat vs Bamati, Progressive vs Reactionary. In the next government cabinet, we want a mixed parliament where everyone will work for the necessary development and progress of the country through logic.
The students said, the principle of a democratic country is always “of the people, for the people, by the people.” When you want to bring a “but, whereas, or” here, you are talking for the perpetuation of a dictatorship in the country. So elected by the people, run by the people’s money, the public representatives should be properly educated. It varies from central government to local government. If they do not have education up to a minimum level, they will be considered ineligible for representation. Along with that, the Election Commission must be impartial and ensure fair elections at the end of every term. Terms like poll rigging, night election should be abolished. And we think that access to election broadcasts should be made easy.
Students mentioned that agriculture is the strongest economy of our country after garments. I feel the condition of the agricultural workers of our country is the worst now. The GDP of the country is 2688.31 taka. Where farmers struggle to buy a little fertilizer. Our jute mills, sugar mills have been closed. Our tea workers are getting nominal wages only. Wages are being withheld in industries. If the government of the country has given the largest supply of energy, it is to the industrial plants. The capitalist class is getting more profit with everything like gas, electricity, and subsidies, and behind all this, the poor working class is still not getting a fair daily wage. By lobbying the market, buying crops at low prices and stockpiling them, creating an artificial shortage of products in the market, the same crops are being sold at higher prices. It includes daily essentials from rice, pulses to raw materials. We all saw how the meat market was a few days ago. We don’t know how the market is during Ramadan.
Yusuf Ali also mentioned in the written statement, the road we need to walk for the infrastructural reform and development of Bangladesh is very long. Even after half a century of independence, we may not understand, do not understand or do not want to understand. We don’t open our mouths, we don’t talk. We have seen over the years that those whose duty it was to “speak” have been flattered. However, a coup d’état we did just through social media. It is true and real. I have not seen anyone working for us except for one particular TV channel. We don’t want this shame anymore. We want the media to be open, the media to speak. If you ask, the corrupt will think twice before committing corruption. Bribery, adulterers, extortionists, any wrongdoer will think twice before wrongdoing. So get out of the cage you were kept in the past years and enjoy this free air. What can be more peaceful than freedom?
Syed Al Amin Russell as an expatriate including students demanded to the interim government’s chief advisor Professor Dr Yunus that the national identity cards of the expatriates should be quickly delivered from the embassy. National ID will be provided from the USA. The students demanded a proposal that those who have national identity cards will no longer need Bangladeshi passports if they become American citizens.
The press conference was attended by Bangladesh Students and Alumni Association in the US, among others, Sharmin Akhtar, Numayer Hossain, Avni Sharif, Muzaffar Ahmed, Bayezid Kamal and various journalists from New York.
BP/SM
