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Problems play on Bangladeshi minds
Dhaka has turned to New Delhi for assistance, but this makes some people uneasy.
- By Kuldip Nayar, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 22:16 September 18, 2009
- Image Credit: Illustration: Adriene Harebottle/Gulf News
It was a feeling of humiliation that prompted the people in East Pakistan to build a country of their own. That was some 38 years ago, when Bangladesh was born. A lack of resources and a large population did not diminish their determination to turn the country into a Sonar Bangla. But gradually a mood of uncertainty has overtaken the nation.
The first blow came when Shaikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation, was assassinated. He had the vision and the support of the people, who were willing to offer any sacrifice at his asking. The second blow was the military-inspired coup that damaged an open and democratic society.
Bangladesh needed unity to develop, but instead it suffered through military rule and authoritarian regimes. Then there were the battling begums - Shaikh Hasina of the Bangladesh Awami League confronting Khalida Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The exasperated nation has gone full circle and given more than two-thirds of its parliament's seats to the daughter of the founder of Bangladesh, Shaikh Hasina. Still, political unity remains elusive because the BNP has boycotted parliament.
Some developments are ominous. Extremism is rearing its head again, spreading hatred and anachronism. That the hanging of Bangla Bhai and his eight fundamentalist conspirators last year did not evoke any protest is a healthy sign. He was more of a killer than a religious figure and even the clerics were relieved by his passing.
The manner in which the fundamentalists have joined hands with the BNP indicates that religion and politics will likely remain connected. The Jamaat-e-Islami supports the BNP. The Awami League, slipping in performance, may find that these forces are catching the imagination of the common man, despite the liberal temperament of Bangladeshis.
The other unfavourable development is that Bangladesh has become a haven for organisations banned in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The United Liberation Front of Asom, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and other lawless groups operate from Bangladeshi soil and find it is safe to do so.
Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni promised Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna a concerted fight against these groups when the two officials met in Delhi a few days ago. "We will not allow any terrorist on our soil, of any creed or colour," Moni said. "We are taking action to arrest and uproot them." She has signed an agreement to combat international terrorism and crime.
India has, in turn, allowed cross-border markets and given Bangladesh 1,000 megawatts of power, in addition to undertaking to help develop a power grid. After straightening things out with the West, India was the first country to which Shaikh Hasina sent her foreign minister as her emissary to assess how far India was willing to accommodate Bangladesh. It is apparent that Shaikh Hasina cannot be satisfied with an agreement on power - she expects wider and closer economic cooperation.
After the liberation of Bangladesh, New Delhi and Dhaka formed a joint planning board to explore economic cooperation. However, there has not been much progress beyond the planning stage. New Delhi has its own limitations, but it also has a larger economy and the potential to do much more than it has promised.
Perhaps New Delhi can encourage some private investors to pump money into Bangladesh or set up joint ventures to produce what India requires. The Tatas had a bad experience, but the BNP was in power then.
India has exacted a price for cooperation in the shape of Dhaka's undertaking to go after extremists and militants. But it is not easy to fight these elements when they have friends in high places in both countries. Drug trafficking gives the militants a substantial income.
The problem is that New Delhi expects much more than Dhaka can deliver. There is apprehension in Bangladesh over the Tipaimukh Dam project located near the confluence of the Barak and Tuivai rivers in Manipur.
New Delhi says that there will be no diversion of water, but there are lingering doubts. There is a feeling that India is becoming increasingly conscious of emerging as a world power and tends to throw its weight around. New Delhi must alleviate suspicions through its actions.
Kuldip Nayar is a former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and a former Rajya Sabha member.
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