Indictment Nonpareil
President Shahabuddin on Thursday brought forth the truth of the national situation in a manner unmatched by even the best of professional watchers of our politics and society. As is his wont, his words were unminced and fair, the position taken indubitable. the politicians may not like his candour but there is not a word in the long speech which they can contest. And, very clearly, he is speaking the mind of the nation. And this lends his words such weight as can be ignored by the politicians only to their own great peril and, of course, also to the grave danger of the nation.
Yes, political parties do adopt means, matter fair or foul, to gain control of the state machinery. And they do use students, industrial work force and even religion to achieve their ends. Moral values and education itself are evaporating from the educational institutions. The financial and industrial system has been disrupted as never before by jumbo-sized loanees defaulting on their repayment schedules with perfect equanimity for years on end. Law cannot touch them as some of them happen to be MPs from this side or that of the fence. These are facts and known as clearly as daylight to all in the nation. We add to say this nation is so diseased that it takes a figure head of a President to articulate these. The nation is divided now between the partisan who want not the truth on one side and the non-partisan majority who either have no voice or cannot come clear of their fear of an unsecured reality.
Being only a nominal figurehead who better not be involved even in the affairs of the armed forces, constitutionally his own preserve, as President Biswas was so foolish to do, it is a most unlikely mantle that President Shahabuddin wears when he feels pushed to it by the unsavoury realities of our collective life. We are most fortunate in this that he keeps the conscience of the nation unsullied by any suspicion of harbouring any covetousness. The unlikeliness of his role has come to us as a godsend. The nation was beside with elation not for nothing when Sheikh Hasina just begged him to accept the office.
The President has spoken. Now it is first the political parties who should respond. Before they decide to try to heal themselves of powerlust, they must take care to see their defaulting stalwarts to pay the banks their due. Two months should be time enough for wiping their names clear. Whoever started and promoted this suicidal default culture we dare the AL government to become one that will bury it.
Soon enough using students and workers and religion for narrow party gains would all become counter-productive. These would boomerang on the users. Politicians would need a perceptive mind to read the signal. The ones that will fail to get the message and reform accordingly would in no time become history.
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