In the eagerness to destroy the Awami League as a political force, the present-day authorities in Bangladesh are attempting to wipe out the legacy of the freedom struggle and the war of liberation. The latest example of this is the destruction of the mural of the Liberation War Memorial Manch in the Lalmonirhat District.
There was a section of people in the region, mostly Urdu speaking, termed Razakars, that sided with Pakistan and collaborated with its army in the attempt to brutally crush the resistance. After Bangladesh came into being, this ideology went underground. However, after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, these radicalised elements have come to the fore again. They are increasingly dominating the disparate sections that comprise the new establishment through their focused approach. The considerable resentment against Sheikh Hasina is being used to rewrite history, as though there was no discrimination against East Pakistan; no attempt to deny the results of the election that had overwhelmingly favoured Sheikh Mujibur Rehman; and no genocidal repression. The new regime is also, very foolishly, cozying up to Pakistan, in the belief that it would provide leverage against India.
The ‘Chief Advisor’ Mohammed Yunus, who is presently playing the role of the nation’s leader, is attempting to use the radical forces to keep public sentiment against Sheikh Hasina. To counter India’s natural domination of the region, he is also sucking up to China, despite the negative consequences this approach has had in Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. India, just as in the early days of the liberation movement, is exercising restraint while keeping a close eye on developments.
The danger Bangladesh faces is the emergence of a theocratic state that will be naturally regressive and, also, hostile towards India, thereby creating security problems. There will be an increase in the number of illegal immigrants to India, while the better-off sections will escape to other parts of the world. The economy is bound to sink to a sustenance level, as is the case with Afghanistan. The Bengali identity will be severely threatened. Or, the Army could take over, as has happened in the past. That would, unfortunately, mean the use of heavy firepower to quell the radicals and populists. This is perhaps the reason that has kept the Army out for the time being. Before even more disturbances take place, Yunus would do well to quickly implement his promise to hold elections. If held impartially, it could be a start to a new Bangladesh that actually meets the aspirations of the students who initially triggered the revolt.
