Hope it is Not Tokenism
We commend the Prime Minister for her liberal call to break away from the culture of throwing expensive iftar parties and instead spend the money on the poor gripped by a nipping winter cold. It has an additional source of delight for The Daily Star because not long ago we had suggested something to this effect in this column. It is nice to see that the Prime Minister basically in keeping with the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan valued the demand of humanity over everything else in the teeth of nature's adversity.
Iftar parties these days have become convenient occasions for socialising and interactions which we support. But at state level it must be done with great caution. Over the years our national leaders have been great patrons of these. Nobody saw the moral chink in the whole exercise in a country where such a vast majority of the population lives below the poverty line and where basic necessities elude so many. It is unlikely that such a palpable message was lost to all of whom who had been calling huge iftar parties so far.
We feel not just in the matter of unnecessary exhibition of victuals at the time breaking the day long fast in the holy month, there are great many areas in our social life where we can exercise austerity without telling on the social , moral , religious life of an individual. Let it be the lesson of this particularly chilly Ramadan that we would avoid waste where we can help. Let our surplus be of use to those who need.
However, we hope that the Prime Minister's gestures will not end up being just a token. Not only in Iftar but also in all of her other actions and those of her cabinet ministers' austerity should become the way. Only then this particular gesture will acquire a deeper meaning and become an example to emulate.
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