Author: Editorial
Publication: The Statesman
Date: November 25, 2001
Introduction: Time for action to
protect them
It is disappointing to hear the
same cliches being repeated by ministers of the BNP-led government that
they would not tolerate persecution of minorities in Bangladesh. Heart
rending reports of their continuing persecution and the killing of a principal
of a Chittagong college in broad daylight by supporters of Jamat e Islami,
are still being published by Bangladesh’s press. How can Reaz Rahman, minister
of state of foreign affairs, dismiss reports of communal atrocities as
“politically motivated” when Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia herself has
asked her principal secretary and other senior secretaries to prepare a
report on the nature and extent of such incidents? It is incredible that
a former foreign secretary is apparently ignorant of the reason for about
20,000 Bangladeshis streaming into West Bengal and Tripura in the last
six weeks. Hasn’t he read countless letters written by victims and published
by Dhaka dailies urging Begum Zia to “save the minorities by taking away
our voting rights since we are not supposed to have a political choice
of our own”? It is a travesty of fact to say that “only criminals” have
gone to India. The hapless victims are still streaming into India either
by bribing the police or dodging Bangladeshi border guards. The effort
to deny the problem fails.
Thankfully there are senior ministers
like Saifur Rahman who don’t share this perception and want to see the
Government’s intent to deal with communal elements with an iron hand translated
into action. He deserves kudos for speaking up from public platforms and
calling Durga Puja Bangladesh’s own festival. His seemingly “friendly advice”
to the home minister, a former chief of air staff, at a recent meeting
— “Do you know what’s happening on the ground? Don’t float in the air,
have your feet firmly on the ground”— was actually a sharp reprimand of
the minister’s inability to deal with the communal carnage. Already some
key officers of the worst affected districts have been transferred for
dereliction of duty. We hope Saifur Rahman’s courageous lead will succeed.
