Modern times : Smokey scenes in Bangladesh 2

Are we actually going to have any elections on 18th december? This question mark is my personal and also many others reaction after the final decision by the Government today. After the end of B.N.P.'s 48 hours ultimatum the Government failed to bring two major alliances in any agreement. Although some other parties inside B.N.P. led four party alliance like Jamayat-e-Islami wanted the elections on 18th december till last week, B.N.P. has taken hard line about the schedule. There was an offer from the Government to B.N.P. to switch the election date to 28 december, which had been also opposed. On the other hand Awami League led 14 Party alliance and also the socalled greater alliance which was formed at the end of december 2006, wants the elections to be held on the fixed date at any cost.

One would find these news on newspapers, radio and tv channels. But what actually or wheather there are something else behind the cartain brings the anxiety to the people. If Emergency is withdrown before the last date of nomination paper submissions, those who have been punished by the law would be unable to join the election. If after the submission then the well known criminal faces will return, in fact many of them are already there and waiting for others to come out of jail soon. The present Government had taken hard lines against corruptions and terrorism at the very beginging. Then in last two years one can see a regular decrease in their degree of interests to do something in deed. There were big chaos before they came on 11/01/07. There was also an election shedule and the alliances were fighting almost everyday on the street. At that time B.N.P. led alliance wanted the election badly, with their manipulated voterlist, which could have been emended before the end of their time in Government till 28 October 2006. We have seen plenty of discussions between these two parties only any sort of initiatives were absent. It seemed to a silent observer like me that the socalled indirect military takeover on 11th of january 2007 had been planed by both of the parties during those lengthy and meaningless discussions. There are some similarities in the present situation. The parliament elections had to be held two years before. If we do not have any elections in december then comes the question that I asked at the begining of this post.

Like Rezwan Islam I am also worried.

A brief Histroy of Bangla Blogging...At the very begining (2)

From the very begining there were several attempts from the fundamentalists to take control over the front page, interpreting history of Bangladesh with their unhistoric approaches which were naturally full of lies, to construct a different image for the ongrowing IT generation and for the Bangla blogsphere about the liberation war of Bangladesh'1971 and religious fundamentalism as well. There were also some people, claiming themselves as real free thinkers, who refuse to call anyone or simply use the word Rajakar, for the sake of their postmodern view. As reactions came very strong protests from Bangladeshi bloggers with pro-liberation and anti-fundamentalist view. At that time there were hard debates on political and cultural histry, religion, philosophy and above all freedom of speech. Among these themes, pro & contra-liberation servived as the key divider of the polaraization. However, after first two months the first ever Bangla Blog community had been parted into two major groups. The conflict was often hard enough to make bloggers thinking about alternative internet platforms. Naturally the pro-liberation group was stronger and within the end of March 2006 they managed to create an atmosphere for creative and informative writings.

I consider, as an active observer of the history, April and May 2006 was the golden hours of Bangla Blogging.

(to be continued)

AqimudDeen or AqimutTakht?

Lots of funny thing are happening in Bangladeshi politics. The funniest one, from my point of view, making big slogans for the holy reform which ends with unfinished registration of the political parties and return of the previous leadership and every evil things related. The seccond joke is the registration-affair of Jamayat-e-Islami. They have renamed their party bringing Bangladesh at the begining, which is clever, but leaving Aqimuddeen form their logo is one of the biggest jokes of the century. They would have treat it as a mutual with the reality. Then one can ask, what reality can be there which is more important than establishing Deen on earth for a muslim (according to their conception of religion)? They have removed Aqimuddeen from their logo because they want to continue their corporate part in the horribly corrupt power structure of Bangladesh.

Jamayat-e-Islami should have put Aqimuttakht on the logo to make their stand clear.

The Spectre still hunting?

Newly-elected next president of USA Barak Obama has been several times convicted as a socialist or having socialist tendency. It is obvious that he is not. But for his opponents anything with the smell of protectionism appears as socialist monster. This reminds me what Engels said 113 years back:

A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.
Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as communistic by its opponents in power? Where is the opposition that has not hurled back the branding reproach of communism, against the more advanced opposition parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries?
Two things result from this fact:
I. Communism is already acknowledged by all European powers to be itself a power.
II. It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Communism with a manifesto of the party itself.

For the recent context one may replace monopoly for europe.