FW: The mystery of the letter to Dr. Rice (The Daily Star, Sep 23, 2005)

(http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/09/23/d509231501109.htm)

Letter From America
The mystery of the letter to Dr. Rice
Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed writes from Princeton

I was intrigued by the US lawmakers' letter to the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, published in the front page of The Daily Star on September 15, recommending that President Bush raise the issue of political violence in Bangladesh at the United Nations World Summit. (President Bush did not raise it.) First of all, I wanted to congratulate The Daily Star on the scoop, because I could not find the statement printed anywhere in the US press.

Then I tried to contact the various US Senators and Congressmen for a copy of the letter they were signatories to. Then an extraordinary picture began to emerge. Except for Senators Barack Obama (Illinois) and Senator Barbara Boxer (California), seven of the nine Senators listed were either from Massachusetts (Edward Kennedy and John Kerry) or the New England states bordering Massachusetts: Senator Lincoln Chafee and Senator Jack Reed are from Rhode Island, Senator Patrick Leahy is from Vermont, Senator Olympia Snowe is from Maine, and Senator John Sununu is from New Hampshire.


The Congressmen named are also predominantly from Massachusetts. Except for Congressman Gary Ackerman (New York) and Alcee Hastings (Florida), five of the seven Congressmen listed -- Barney Frank, John Olver, John Tierney, James McGovern and Martin Meehan -- are from Massachusetts! The conclusion is bizarre: only the Massachusetts area (Boston is the largest city and the state capital of Massachusetts) Senators and Congressmen are selectively outraged by what is happening in Bangladesh, and the Senators and Congressmen from the rest of America are not! The only other possibility is more disturbing: someone or some groups from the Boston area are orchestrating an anti-Bangladeshi smear campaign. I know from personal experience that to secure a constituent's vote, Senators and Congressmen from one's own state are too eager to oblige the constituent, if the request is of a minor nature and of little political significance. Such services to the constituents are routine.


It is inconceivable that Senators of the calibre of Ted Kennedy (who was a staunch supporter of Bangladesh during our war of liberation), John Kerry, and Barbara Boxer, and Congressmen of the stature of Barney Frank, John Tierney, and Gary Ackerman would ask President Bush to implement initiatives to prevent "catastrophic terrorism" in Bangladesh. By now it is clear that only those who stand to gain by Bangladesh becoming a "failed state" promote and perpetuate the myth that Bangladesh is well on its way towards national suicide. I do not believe for a moment that these stalwart legislators, all well-known friends of Bangladesh, would knowingly succumb to such malicious propaganda.


As in neighbouring countries, indeed many parts of the world, political and religious violence are facts of life in Bangladesh. For the sake of Bangladesh and not to please Bangladesh's detractors, the government must tackle and defeat religious and political violence, starting with the extremist elements within the ruling party itself. There is no question of negotiations with the terrorists. Terrorists like Bangla Bhai must be hunted down and brought to justice. However, to suggest, as the letter does, "if these alarming trends continue, there could be serious consequences for regional peace and security as well as international terrorist activity in the region" is a stretch. American newspapers are full of reports of terrorism in the Indian states, such as Assam, that border Bangladesh. Yet, the US legislators do not seem to be worried about terrorism there. Have any of these US legislators condemned Narendra Modi's Gujarat-state sponsored terrorism that was responsible for the massacre of thousands of Muslims in India in February 2002? I wonder why not.


It is disgraceful that the terrorists who assassinated the former Bangladesh Finance Minister SAMS Kibria earlier this year have not yet been brought to justice. I have not met a single Bangladeshi who is not appalled and angry at the assassination of Mr. Kibria, a brilliant intellectual who was not even a career politician. Every day the perpetrators of Mr. Kibria's murder go unpunished, is a shameful day for Bangladesh. Bangladeshi government should and must do better to administer justice and sooth the raw wounds of the bereaved families. As The Daily Star columnist Brig. Gen. Shahedul Anam Khan pointed out in his September 22 column, why are the US legislators so obsessed with Mr. Kibria's murder only? Why not ask for justice for all victims of political and religious violence in Bangladesh and elsewhere? No one aggrieved family's grief is superior to another's. And it is imperative upon the aggrieved family members not to take out their frustration over government inaction by attempting to destroy the reputation of the whole nation. Our former Prime Minister and the current leader of the opposition, Shaikh Hasina, was almost assassinated last August. Why have the US legislators not asked about sending "UN special envoy" to the trial of Shaikh Hasina's would-be killers?


Talking about the UN, let us not forget that the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq without the backing of the UN Security Council. It is amusing, then, for the legislators to now ask the UN to run errands for them in Bangladesh. Starting with the US Supreme Court, most judges in the US are strictly political appointees. At a time of political bickering over senatorial hearings to confirm President Bush's nominee for the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, John Roberts, it is comical for the US legislators to comment, "The lower courts (in Bangladesh) are under the authority of the executive and they lack independence." The degree of political independence of the judiciary varies from country to country. And it is fascinating that the US legislators would take such keen interest in the working of Bangladesh's lower courts! Let us recall that in 2000, it was not the American voters, but the US Supreme Court which in a 5 to 4 decision installed George W. Bush as the President of the United States.


According to The Daily Star Staff Reporter, the letter of the US legislators also said: "They said that the Transparency International (TI) has given Bangladesh one of the worst ratings in the world of corruption, emphasising that "corruption has assumed serious proportions and it has infected every nook and corner of the country. Among the 145 countries surveyed for the TI rating, Bangladesh is tied with Haiti as the country most widely perceived as corrupt." I cannot believe that the US legislators would quote TI and would be so mean-spirited to take such a swipe at Bangladesh. They are far too decent and classy to be so crass.


Instead of attempting to parry questions raised in the letter, the foreign office of the government of Bangladesh should request the US government, and the Senators and the Congressmen, for a copy of the original letter that bears the legislators' signatures. If the Staff Correspondent of the Daily Star could procure a copy of the original letter, the government of Bangladesh should be able to do the same. The government should then carefully study the letter and respond fully to the criticism leveled against Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh should also inquire of the Senators and Congressmen about the origin of the letter and whether all those listed did actually sign the letter. (I have my doubts on both). If the Senators and the Congressmen did not compose the letter, the government of Bangladesh has the right to ask them who did.