Settling the claim of history
BANGLADESH is a unique country in South Asia that emerged independent through a war of liberation, an armed revolution, against the neo-colonial rule of the Pakistani politico-military…
Victory Day Special 2015
Using memories for privileges and denial
WE ARE running out of people who remember 1971. This was inevitable since almost 44 years have passed after that year…
Liberation war exposed a neocolonial state’s failure
WITH flawed political process, mismanagement of contradictions in body-society-polity, failures in political arrangement, incapability in the handling of aspirations ingrained within society…
Salute to Jean Kay
ON 3 December 1971, a few hours before Pakistan started the war with India, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Boeing 720B was operating Flight PK-712 bound from London to Karachi via Paris, Rome and Cairo…
A belated reply… into the timeless domain
IT HAS taken me just a little over 44 years to reply to your letter which you wrote from Patgram, Rangpur, Bangladesh on October 25, 1971…
‘Govt needs more time to get back to 1972 constitution’
The nation needs reforms in society, changes in people’s mentality and the negative attitude that they have. In a country of 16 crore people, nothing can be changed overnight, Mohammad Nasim…
‘People are now treated as citizens of a colony’
No one can utter a single word against the current government and the freedom of speech and expression, as laid out in our constitution, are trampled, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party…
‘Wahabi ideals replaced Sufism’
The disparity between the rich and the poor widened because of dependence on the World Bank and the IMF. The state of social equality and social justice became vulnerable because of income disparity, Rashed Khan Menon…
‘State reinstated socialism but govt followed free-market economy’
The poor have not only been deprived economically, but they have also been deprived of human dignity; they continue to face repression and are deprived of their minimum rights although the constitution grants them all such rights…
‘More steps needed to ensure rights of minorities’
The social condition of apparel workers has improved and now they walk with their heads held high. The poor in villages still depend on the favour of the rich for their livelihood. So, we still have to wait for the establishment of equality…
‘Still fighting for equality, human dignity and social justice’
The nation could not make the expected progress in removing social and economic inequalities although this is the fundamental responsibility of the state and pledges of Bangladesh’s proclamation could not be fully materialised because of ups and downs in politics…
‘Inequality has increased over the past 44 years’
In our liberation struggle, there were two active groups — nationalists and socialists. While the nationalists led the struggle, who were petty-bourgeois, and their aspirations were to become bourgeois, the agenda of the socialists was a social revolution…
‘Political power monopoly led to increased economic inequality’
The nation can succeed in establishing an effective and working democracy and it would require increased tolerance, leading to voluntary national consensus on core national issues such as the definition of nationalism, the place of national leaders in history…
‘Secularism, Islam should be dropped from constitution’
The terms ‘secularism’ and ‘Islam’ have now become a matter of division, conflict, violence and hatred. They have given rise to a conflict between the so-called atheists and the believers. So, they should be dropped from the constitution…
‘Govt needs to reduce gap between classes’
Bourgeois political parties are unlikely to take steps for the welfare of ordinary people as they serve the interest of imperialism. The two big political parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which mostly ruled the country…
‘Still victims of class discrimination, capitalism’
The government, non-governmental organisations and all have to work together to establish equality, human dignity and social justice as the state alone cannot do that, Selina Hossain, writer and honorary member of the National Human Rights Commission…
‘Nothing of secularism, democracy and dignity of people as yet’
The nation must remove contradictory features from the constitution. There are secularism and Islam as the state religion. How does it work for other religious groups? Another contradiction is the discrimination between men and women…
‘The state should have no religion’
The proclamation of Bangladesh’s independence earned praise and appreciation from many people and countries but most of the pledges have remained unfulfilled after 44 years of independence…
‘We need a truly democratic society, not only just holding elections’
The nation needs a wholly accountable and transparent system for all, especially those who govern. It is only when one is insecure that a government resorts to undemocratic measures. Having confidence of the people and in people is the first step to that end…
‘Economic growth, social development need democratic public order’
A sustainable solution warrants delving into the roots of the crisis — the formation of post-colonial independent state, the punctured institutions, and the contingent political competition for primitive capital accumulation…
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