Neither is ignorance bliss, nor is it folly to be wise

It seems that some of our government leaders have really taken to heart the saying, hoping perhaps that pretending not to know about the unpleasant developments in the country will somehow insulate Bangladesh from the problem in the long run. That was perhaps why the government had been so vociferous all this while in refusing to acknowledge that the dangerous cancer of religious militancy was taking root in Bangladesh, hoping that such a posture would cause it to disappear on its own.

The State Minister for Home, however, had to swallow the bitter pill when the two most wanted criminals, Sheikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai, were apprehended by the police, by conceding that the two were no phantom figures sired by the imaginations of the media and some anti-government elements trying to run the government down, but were real phenomena.

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But one is not certain what to make of the Prime Minister's remarks on her interview with Time magazine that her government was not aware of the existence of the religious extremists till the rude awakening caused by the near simultaneous blasts all over the country last August 17.

All along so far, the potential and the real threat of these radicals were being projected in the media, particularly in the print medi,a who had been in the forefront in exposing the doings of these groups from the very seminal stages of their operations, when these elements were trying to gain their footholds in Bangladesh. (see e.g., The Daily Star, 27.2.03 and 19.8.03). And all along, the idea was being dismissed as figment of the imagination of the media.

However, it is difficult to believe that what was in the knowledge of the journalists was outside the realms of knowledge of the national intelligence and security agencies in Bangladesh. One might therefore ask whether it is a case of "not knowing" because of lack of information or one of unwillingness to entertain and accept such a possibility because of other compulsions.

Be that as it may, the consequence has been that the "bliss" of ignorance, instead of providing any comfort, has turned out to be extremely harmful for the country, as subsequent events have proved.

There are two relevant issues that need to be expanded upon here in the light of the PM's comments. One, that our agencies were totally deaf and blind not to have picked up the reports appearing in the media, and conducted a probe into the affair. And even if they had investigated the matter they had failed to come out with definite information to reach any conclusive findings.

This appears incomprehensible given the incidents of bombings and the nature of their targets since 1999; the strategy and the political and religious orientation of the extremists would have been fairly apparent to anyone delving in the matter. Moreover, the fact that the government in February last year proscribed two of these radical organisations suggests that it was well aware of the existence of these groups.

Therefore, the only conclusion that one can draw from the comments of the PM is that the government was not willing to acknowledge the existence of the radical religious elements in Bangladesh. One wonders why? Is it because admission of their existence would dilute our standing as a "moderate Muslim state" in the eyes of the West?

Or was there any internal political compulsion that made the government act like an ostrich, hoping that the storm would pass? Was it the slighting of the country's image that the government was concerned about, something that it feels had been the preoccupation of the major opposition party since the coming to power of the coalition government?

What however, must be accepted, though, is the fact that while the existence of the radicals was fairly evident over the last several years, one was not certain as to the capability and the extent of their influence in the socio-political scene. Evidently, while they were able to garner a hard-core element, their political strategy was rather nebulous, as obvious from the way things have developed since August 17, 2005.

Not accepting the existence of the radicals when reports appeared initially has cost the lives of many innocent people. It has also provided our detractors with enough material to arguably justify their accusations that Bangladesh was becoming another hotbed of Taleban activities and would eventually end up replicating Afghanistan.

Apart from that, several western countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens while the US has withdrawn its Peace Corps workers for fear of radical reprisals on them. On the whole, we have now a serious image problem, and no wonder the government has thought it fit to commission US lobbyists to offset, according to the foreign minister, some of the political leaders' "false campaigns abroad against our beloved country and the people" and their effort "to brand Bangladesh as Taleban, Al Qaeda and a fundamentalist state. Being in the government it is our responsibility to uphold the nation's image foiling that vile propaganda."

While the matter of appointing lobbyists is a subject for separate discussion, it is the government's handling of the issue that has created such a perception, and international observers may perhaps be forgiven for perceiving Bangladesh going the way of Afghanistan, even though it is evident that the fear is exaggerated and the apprehensions are unfounded. But these needn't have arisen at all had the issue been handled pragmatically and promptly without letting any extraneous political consideration come in the way.

Had that been the case, we would not need to spend nearly seventy thousand dollars monthly and would not have had to do away with the post of the press minister of our embassy in Washington, for resuscitating an image whose denigration the government's clumsy handling of the issue was responsible for in the first place.

Comments of people in high places cannot be taken lightly, more so, if they happens to be the PM's. Inaccurate formulations, particularly when they relate to our security, have serious ramifications, and when it relates to fighting extremists of any hue, it casts a poor light on the government's seriousness in tackling the problem. And that is when not only the image but also the interest of the country actually suffers.

The author is Editor, Defense and Strategic Affairs, The Daily Star.