Bangabandhu and Mujib Borsho

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would have been one hundred years old in March this year if he was alive. It is an emotional matter for the people of Bangladesh to observe the birth centenary of Bangabandhu. For this reason the government and the country's people have decided to celebrate Bangabandhu's birth anniversary in an official way.

We hope that the nation will observe this day with due honor and sublimity. A great deal of programs will be carried out throughout the year on this occasion.

It deserves to be reviewed to what extent Bangladesh has moved forward in light of the dreams of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We have to judge how far Bangladesh has been able to follow the ideology of Bangabandhu in terms of state mechanism. We get to know about Bangabandhu's philosophy and thoughts going through his essays and listening to his speeches.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the greatest ever son of the soil. He is the architect of independent Bangladesh. Bangabandhu's political career was influenced by the life and works of Shaheed Suhrawardy, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi. There was also influence of Jawaharlal Nehru on Bangabandhu's politics.

Bangabandhu established his concept of statehood on four pillars-Bengali nationalism, democracy, secularism and socialism. The section 8(1) (2), section 9, section 10, section 11 and section 12 of our constitution need to be understood. The section 8 of the constitution states that Bengali nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism will be regarded as the main policies for running the state.

Sub-section (2) states, "Bangladesh will be conducted in light of these policies and these policies will be applied while making laws. The explanation of the constitution will be made in terms of these policies. These policies will also be the basis of the activities of the state and citizens."

The detailed description of these points is illustrated in sections 9, 10, 11 and 12. Section 9 says, "The Bengali nation has achieved independence and sovereignty on a united basis of their language and culture. The solidarity and unity of the Bengali nation will be the basis of Bengali nationalism."

We need to think about the fact that whether the present realities come on equal terms with the above points cited from the constitution. The prevalence of quarters sticking with pro-Pakistan ideas and anti-liberation concepts is seen everywhere. These people speak of Sheikh Mujib verbally but there is no similarity between their real characters and Bangabandhu's ideology.

Section 10 of the constitution says, "Socialist economic system will be founded to free people from repression." A lot of socio-economic discrimination is going on. The country's banking system is about to break down. Culprits are plundering banks and financial institutions with audacity and without hindrances. These things are not at all helpful for the prevalence of a repression-free society.

Democracy and secularism are facing impediments too. Section 11 of the constitution states, "The republic will exist in the form of a democracy where basic human rights and ethical values will prevail. People's participation will be ensured in all activities conducted by the public representatives."

A few questions come up in this regard. What was the plight of democracy after the assassination of Bangabandhu? Has democracy gained an institutional form in our country?

Are our democratic institutions working properly? How do the people evaluate the existing phenomena? Have we been able to build up the democratic society that Bangabandhu had dreamed of? Bangabandhu wanted to build up Bangladesh like Switzerland. Have we been able to achieve that objective?

Now let's see what our constitution says about secularism. According to the constitution, all kinds of communalism and misuse of religions will have to be eliminated to make secularism prevail.

Torment on the followers of any particular religion will be eradicated. Time has arrived to assess whether we have been able to do these things in Bangladesh during last nearly fifty years. Communalism is present in the country. It is sometimes difficult to realize whether Bangladesh is a secular state or a communal country.

These matters put us in deep worries. Those of us, who participated in the Liberation War putting our life at stake, had never thought that practicing Bengali cultural heritage would be a hard thing to do. There is also another question to what extent we have been able to materialize the ideals of Bangabandhu.

The evil assemblages that assisted the Pakistan authorities and opposed Bangladesh's independence during 1971, these opportunists have been able to get hold of powerful connections in the present time. These fraudsters are rampaging the state's wealth in an irresistible manner. Some freedom fighters have moved away from their uncompromising stature which is responsible for this scenario.

We want an end to all malpractices and diabolic things in Mujib Borsho. It should be our pledge in Mujib Borsho to establish a Bangladesh which will vibrate with secularism, democratic values and which will remain free of persecutions where people from all walks of life including the ethnic minorities will be living in peace and harmony. Bangabandhu's Bangladesh stands for liberating the country from communalism, injustice, deprivations and religious bigotry. Joy Bangla. Joy Bangabandhu.

The writer is an eminent politician and Member of Parliament, Awami League, Brahmanbaria 3.