To the honourable members of parliament

We hear that the Awami League and some other parties are getting prepared to launch a movement to force the present government to resign due to its failure in fulfilling important pledges made in its election manifesto.

Honourable members of the main opposition, do you have any concrete agenda in this regard which will unite us to come under your umbrella? We are once again confused with your indecisive plans and somewhat tactless acts done in the past. Suppose, hypothetically, if you are given the power to run the government, will you be able to make drastic changes to the current practices? Are you sincere about your commitments? We expect you to do some self-criticism before pointing fingers at others. We don't want hartals any more; neither do we support the burning of vehicles, public and private structures, and disruptions to the economy. We appreciate your other ways of showing no confidence in the government. You should remember that the background of the non-cooperation movement was different and the nature and strategy of the movement for independence was different as well. Today, the situation is similar, but not the same, and this is the reason why you need to organise your movement to remove misrule from the country in a different way. The strategy will have to be different and modified as well.

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We feel sorry that members of parliament could not explain properly that the terrorist attack on August 21 is not similar to similar incidents in the US and Indonesia. The reason the people of these countries did not want the removal of their governments was that the governments themselves were the victims of the attacks that occurred in those nations. To the contrary, in our country, the victims of the violence are a particular political party, not the government. In Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, and Chechnya, the stories are different. We pity you that you kept on unilaterally accusing the religion-based parties for the heinous attack. We hope that you will broaden your thinking and make your list of suspects a bit longer, so that you can include more suspicious persons on it.

Anyway, every government does some good work. Any opposition should appreciate the positive efforts taken by the government. You, too, could take the initiative and make an example of such a good gesture. Our request to you is to keep your commitments intact.

Members of parliament from the other parties and independent MPs, you can also contribute through your political wisdom and experience to policy-making and its execution. Whichever party or parties form the government, its main goal should be development of the country and its people in a non-partisan manner. No party should use power to further personal or vested interests. No party should exploit the poor and uneducated people through narrow-minded pursuits such as buying votes or giving petty benefits before elections.

Honourable members of parliament of the ruling party, it is praiseworthy that you give your full support and loyalty to your leader and the party as well. Please remember when loyalty transforms into blindness, the result is dreadful. Our request to you is not to recite that same "rhyme" in the same "tune" as you were taught to defend yourselves for the grenade attack and the parliament episode of "Section 62." We really got fed up listening to the same words.

Now, with your kind permission, we would like to request you to differentiate amongst the following: (1) Leader, (2) Charismatic political leader, (3) Politician, and (4) Head of the Government, as most of you confuse others very often.

Dear lawmakers, you have committed a blunder at the very beginning of your voyage on the ocean of politics. It seems you believe in "computerised independence" where one presses the cursor and immediately the screen displays "I Major Zia, on behalf of our great leader, the supreme commander of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby proclaim independence of Bangladesh ... Joy Bangla."

This statement was given on March 27, 1971. Before that, on March 26, 1971, M A Hannan, the leader of Chittagong Awami League, made the formal announcement of independence as directed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and that is the reason we observe March 26 to mark our special day -- I hope you will not change it from the 26th to the 27th in future.

After so many years of our independence, why this question of "formal announcement" is once again being raised, what is the intention behind denying the significant contribution of Sheikh Mujib in achieving an independent and sovereign Bangladesh? Don't you have any other and more urgent and important current issues to work on?

You hate the previous policy-makers but love the policy (eg Special Powers Act, judicial system, etc). In the matters of development you take all the credit to you own account, on the issues of violence, insecurity, corruption, and all other problems, you apply the theory of "law of inheritance." If you always tend to go back to cover your weaknesses, then what is the necessity of the existence of the present rule.

Regarding arms haul in Bogra, Sylhet, and Chittagong, your mouth is sealed with rubber cement. You accuse the victims themselves for the heinous grenade attack. You are brilliant!

You watch and enjoy the "drama" played on the scheduled days of delivering verdict of the Jail Killing Case.

You do not seem serious in finding out who was responsible for perpetrating the heinous act of August 21. The special agencies recently formed are successfully removing some suspected terrorists; it does not mean they are making our country free from terrorists. They are trimming the front faces of the terrorists -- the stems and roots remain untouched. We want rapid action to eliminate terrorism from its very roots. We want rapid action to reform the complicated laws having thousands of loopholes, we want rapid action to reform the whole administration, and we want rapid action to set up human rights and anti-corruption commissions. We want rapid action to separate the judiciary from the executive, we want rapid action to reform the election process, we want rapid action to establish law and justice, we want rapid action to remove unemployment, we want rapid action to control price hike, we want rapid action in bringing accused criminals to book and not to kill them without trial.

However, you are the elected government. You have got the power, position, and logistics to rescue us from misrule. In the last 33 years we never found the sovereignty of our country in jeopardy. The problems we have are all internal. We are still hopeful that these problems can be solved if you have the honesty and the bold intention to do so.

Let our politicians, leaders, experienced and specialised personnel, intellectuals, and law-makers sit together to establish unity and national integration which is needed badly to protect the process of democratisation in Bangladesh and to protect our existence as well.