Of anarchy and terrorism

It's an usual pattern we have been familiar with in this country. But the four party alliance government has gone steps further. Calling the opposition, particularly the AL, a terrorists' party out to create anarchy in the country the government leaders asserted their responsibility to ensure public safety. None could agree more to the alliance's assertion about public safety but the ominous labelling of the opposition terrorists comes as a rude shock to the public's civic sense.

As regards the creation of the anarchy by the opposition -- well, the government is entitled to say anything it pleases in our clime. Yet an humble question may be put before it: Is there anything more left for the country to be in anarchy? Isn't it already in the throes of worst kind of anarchy for years? Eversince the alliance came to power in 2001 or even before that the anarchy has been the order of the day with lawlessness and terrorism gripping all sectors of life. Thanks to the alliance government's bunglings, poor governance, financial sleaze and a hyper-competitive consumer oriented economy, it has only exacerbated over the years.

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Indeed, every problem the alliance government created or allowed to be -- that of poverty, inequality, unemployment, corruption, price hike, water, power and so on are ticking time bombs by themselves and are capable of violent explosion when the time matures. We saw those explosion in Kansat, Shonir Akhra, Shokhipur and numerous other flash points across the country. Everywhere the people battled with 'law enforcing agencies' to have their rights realised even without the intervention of political opposition which is rather coweringly on its backfoot in front of fearsome storm troopers of the alliance.

Therefore, the alliance government needn't fear AL or any other opposition party for creating anarchy to scuttle the alliance's so-called development process. The AL -- whether terrorist or not -- is already cut to size through relentless perpetuation of terrorism against it right from 15 August 1975 and now left only to be ostracised which the government is capable of doing at any opportune time. We are surrounded by the bushfire of anarchy already raging in the country. The government better douse it by addressing the problems that gave rise to anarchy -- themselves.

Look at the prairie fire -- the anarchy in the market, campuses and in the communication sector. They are exploding one after another. It would be prudent for the government to leash the cruel market forces, to bring back the campus purity through collective catharsis and to put an end to the scourge of extortion in our vast communication network, instead of taking pique against political parties and persons.

The pungent remarks levelling accusation against political opponents may be found expedient for a while but it is counter productive in the long run. Every one in the polity is patriot and responsible unless he or she grossly proves himself or herself otherwise. That's what the democracy taught the mankind for last two and half thousand years. Calling the opponents terrorists is a kind of McArthysm which rose in America during the forties and fifties to the great detriment of America's national interest and was promptly discarded.

Bangladesh today is on the brink. The next election of the country will be seminal and should thus be carefully conducted. Unfortunately up till now there are few signs that it will be. That is however no reason for giving up hopes. Any impending metamorphosis does create uncertainties and imponderables. But in Bangladesh neither a volcano is simmering nor a storm brewing up.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.