General Moeen U. Ahmed’s career details are available online. It says , of course, that he is the first Chief of Staff to be commissioned amongst the officers who graduated in independent Bangladesh. A listing is also given of the commands that he held. However, it is clear on close scrutiny that no dates are given on when he assumed command of these units or when he got his promotions.
General Moeen U Ahmed’s army career stalled until BNP was elected to power in 2001. General Ahmed is from Noakhali, in South-Eastern Bangladesh. Noakhali is close to Feni, birthplace and bastion of BNP supremo Khaleda Zia and her family. General Ahmed made this geographical proximity his selling-point and started strenuous efforts to ingratiate himself with the BNP power-brokers. He paid special attention to the two men who would emerge as the ultimate arbitrators of all military postings and promotions for the army, navy, and the air force during 2001-2006: Khaleda Zia’s brother Major (ret.) Sayeed Iskandar her nephew, Saiful Islam (Duke).
Incidentally, these two men have a lot to answer for. They have been responsible for ruining the careers of some of the most promising men in our armed forces; men who were too straight-laced and professional to kowtow to them. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for us, Ahmed was not one of them. He ingratiated himself with these two men very successfully, and managed to get for himself a prize command in Chittagong and also positioned himself as a key contender for the post of Chief of Army Staff.
Incidentally, these two men are the only two members of Khaleda Zia’s family who were part of the government apparatus for the last five years, but have not been asked to provide wealth reports to the current military government.
Anyone familiar with power politics in Bangladesh is aware of the intense speculation and jockeying that precedes the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff. Various factions vie for the ear of the Prime Minister to get their own candidates chosen. There was general consensus that Lt. Gen. Hasan Mashud had been an excellent Chief of Army Staff, and appointing another decent general after him to lead the army would have gone down well with the country in general and the armed forces in particular. Quite a few members of Zia’s kitchen cabinet were against this appointment going to a political general like Moeen U Ahmed, and her military secretary went as far as to write an official note recommending her against this appointment.
History, however, was on General Moeen’s side. During her previous administration, when it came time to pick a Chief of Army Staff who would serve through the 1996 election, Begum Zia opted for efficiency and service seniority over political expediency, and picked Lt. Gen. Nasim over commanders perceived to be more loyal to the government. Proving the adage that no good deeds go unpunished in Bangladeshi politics, Lt. Gen. Nasim promptly tried to stage a coup and overthrow the government. Keeping that particular lesson in mind, Zia decided to take the low route this time and pick a political general who would know during every second of his job that he was only there thanks to his servilityto his political masters. This, she thought, would ensure his loyalty.
The rest, of course, is history. General Moeen staged a bloodless coup on January 11th and imposed indirect military rule; he has ruled Bangladesh in all but name for the last eight months, given himself a promotion to four-star General, changed the command structure of Bangladesh’s armed forces in order to manage the nice shiny fourth star on his car, and become the first Army Chief in the last twenty years to have his effigy burnt by Dhaka University students.
So this is where our Chief of Army Staff has been. What do you think his future plans are? And more importantly, what do these plans include for us, and for the future of Bangladeshi democracy? Remember, whatever these plans are, he’ll be trying really hard to sell them to various American officials, during his visit to the US, as the best thing that could possibly happen to Bangladesh at this juncture.
Updated: I have since spoken to Brigadier (rt.) Manjurul Alam, Military Secretary to the Prime Minister in 1996-2001, who protected him after allegation arose against Moeen of laundering elephant teeth while in Rwanda. Brigadier Alam saved Moeen from being fired, but insisted that this notification be kept in Moeen’s official file, which comes out every time his promotion is discussed, which is why he never got any more promotions during AL time. After BNP came back to power, Moeen got his revenge by getting Brig. Alam retired and forcing him to flee Bangladesh.
October 16, 2007 at 1:53 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Nasim’s coup against Mrs. Hasina’s government and not against Mrs. Zia’s? At least that is what my memory tells me. Your narrative makes it sound like it was Mrs. Zia’s, that is why I ask.
October 16, 2007 at 9:45 am
Lt. Gen. Nasim tried to march on Bangabhaban and oust President Abdur Rahman Biswas, who had been elected by the BNP government, and who, during the caretaker government, was looking after the defense ministry. DGFI subsequently released tapes of him talking with Captain (ret.) Taj, an AL leader, before the attempted coup, to work out various details of his coup.
October 16, 2007 at 10:50 am
I think you do the right thing by recounting the Lt. Gen. Nasim story. A fair history of the 1992-2007 period that seeks to pinpoint the crucial junctures where things went horribly wrong for us will pay close attention to the behavior of actors in the military and bureaucracy in 1996, the reaction of the post-1996 government to such behavior, and what this meant for the behavior and incentives of future governments. This of course would not justify what the governments after 1996 actually - I believe that the BNP government in 2001 could have taken the high road but chose not to, and thus deserves some of the moral blame for the way things have turned out. But that being said, it’s important to remember where and how things went horribly wrong for our polity, as they did with the Nasim story.
October 16, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Ahhh yes, it was in the interim period. Excuse me, it has been 11 years, hard to remember the months!
October 16, 2007 at 6:24 pm
I absolutely believe in blaming the BNP government for every single thing they did wrong after 2001. In this particular instance, their mistake is doing the best he can to destroy BNP, so I believe it’s rather obvious. I’m glad you like the fact that I alluded to Lt. Gen. Nasim, I think the seeds of many of the the 2001-06 BNP administration’s failure can be understood in the context of the behavior just two men over a period of five months ranging from January 1996 to May 1996: Lt. Gen. Nasim and Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir.
October 16, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I couldn’t understand this part:”In this particular instance, their mistake is doing the best he can to destroy BNP, so I believe it’s rather obvious.” Who’s the he? Typo for “they”? In which case, why was BNP so self-destructive?
Interesting angle on the Jan-May ‘96 issue. Care to elaborate? Perhaps a blog post on it?
October 16, 2007 at 10:23 pm
The “he” I was referring to is the central character of this post, General Moeen U. Ahmed.
I’ll see about a follow-up about Jan-May 96 events. The thing is, that’ll go back to the whole AL-BNP question, and right now, I just don’t want to get into that right now.
However, I really, really appreciate all the questions and suggestions. Please do keep them coming, and I’ll do my best to cater to the demands of “vox populi.”
October 16, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Yeah that’s the best part about the blog. Sorry for a lot of the confusions regarding the post: been a long day.
Yes, that would bring it back to AL-BNP for a lot of people. My only interest in all this is civil-military relations.
Informative posts tacit. Lots ot chew on. Can’t blame me if I decide to smell the quality of the food first!
October 17, 2007 at 12:27 am
BNP government of 2001 was constantly haunted by te ghost of 1991-1996. In 1991 -96, they wanted to be democratic, tolerant, as a result, the street was in Awami League control. A.L. ruled all the streets all the five years and even publicly unclothed government officials going to office.
The 2001 government was hell benmt in preventing that by hook or by crook, hence we see a violent heavy handed police and not a single inch concession by Khaleda.
In 1991, BNP let secretariate and cantonment run on their own merit. As a result BNP faced a successful coup in the secretariate and a failed coup in the cantonment. Interestingly AL was behind both the coups.
Khaleda was seeing the ghost of February 1996 all through her recent rule. So in 2001, BNP was shamelessly political in redesigning a BNP supported secretariate and cantonment.
People of Bnagladesh don’t know much of the politics that was played with burueucracy, judiciary and cantonment during 1991 through 2001. Thanks to a biased and efficient media, whatever BNP did to counteract 1991-2001 politics, the country was informed of it, most of the time with gross exaggeration.
October 17, 2007 at 12:55 am
And about Nasim’s coup.
Very interesting under the changed circumstances in Bangladesh.
Nasim’s coup was unique in three major aspects,
1. It was one of the first coups which had the backing of a major political party.
2. This coup was effectively thwarted by two subordinat generals, one of them leading DGFI. This was one of the few instances when DGFI did the job what it was meant to do.
3. This was the only failed coup which was later supported and presented with sympathy in a major Bangladeshi newspaper, ‘Bhorer Kagoj’. Thanks to limitless press freedom since 1991, Bhorer Kagoj editor Mr Motiur Rahman went as far as writing commentary in newspaper asking for an explanation of the sacking of General Nasim.
There was a well-planned campaign at that time to show it as a fight between a freedom fighter ( Nasim) and a Rajakar ( Abdur Rahman Biswas). The campagn was led by none other than our good old Motiur Rahman.
The two generals who resisted Nasim’s coup were Maj Gen Motin and Maj Gen Subid Ali Byuiyan (Both freedom fighters). After coming to power in 1996, AL government didn’t wait too long to get rid of these two generals.
Matin maintained contact with BNP and and when BNP returned to power, Matin was rewarded and made DG of anti corruption Bureau. Subid Ali bhuiyan joined BNP and tried to get nomination from his Daudkandi constituency. However Daudkandi was the area of BNP top tier leader Dr Khondokar Mosharraf Hossain and Subid Ali buiyan quickly understood that he will never get nomination from Daudkandi. So later he joined Awami League.
And now, Matin is a pillar of this government and Subid ALi Bhuiyan is one of the leading AL conformist and CTG critic.
[ Short Note: After Gen Nasim was sacked, Abdur Rahman sat with DGFI Chief Matin and Subid ali bhuiyan in Bangabhaban to decide the next Army Chief. Biswas was adamant to put a freedom fighter in that post as he thought that appointment of a non-freedom fighter chief by him will be questioned in the media. Anyway the decison eventually was to go by the book and the second in command, Gen Mahbubur Rahman ( Not a freedom fighter) was appointed as the army chief. This Mahbubur Rahman joined BNP after retirement, promoted to standing committe few days before 1/11 and now a leading reformist colleague of Mannan Bhuiyan. ]
All of it could make a good Hollywood thriller.
October 17, 2007 at 4:10 am
Tacit, it’s not only 1996 that civil-military bureaucracy abandoned their political masters and forced a change in government. People of our generation and the one before us have fond memories of 1990 anti-Ershad andolon. But what we romanticise as a people’s power uprising was really not much more than senior bureaucrats like MK Anwar and generals like Nuruddin Khan telling Ershad that the game was up. This is not to belittle the genuine student uprising, but the uprising wouldn’t have been successful without the civil-military bureacrats changing side. Three years earlier, in 1987, the andolon was more violent, and had an icon in Nur Hossain. It failed because the army and the bureaucracy stayed with Ershad.
Awami League learnt this lesson very well, and used it in its andolon against the first Khaleda government. AL also learnt that under our post-1991 democracy, the winner can get away with controlling everything. This was why we saw unprecedented appointment of party hacks everywhere. BNP post-2001 was just took it to an art form.
We have a tendency to pin the blame on individuals. That’s why we harp on about jailing corrupt leaders. Blaming individuals like MK Alamgir or MK Anwar is in the same vein. I argue that this kind of behaviour, both by the all-powerful bureaucrats and politicians hell-bent on dokhol everything, are rational responses in the institutional set up we created.
October 17, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Jyoti bhai, definitely agree with you. While I was using the example of individuals as prisms through which motivation has shaped the behavior of successive governments, there is no doubt that you’re quite correct in observing that it is the system that is throwing up the individuals.
Rumi bhai, as you say, Begum Zia took steps post 2001 to try to fix her perceived former mistakes. The results of those steps are extremely depressing. There has to be a middle way found between the two.
AsifY, this blog is your oyster. Enjoy.
October 17, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Thank you tacit, much appreciated :)! And enjoying immensely I must say.
Yes, you do try to make individual stories prisms through which we can better understand the systemic forces. A skill I wish I had!
You should seriously consider journalism. I find myself speaking in abstracts half the time.
Jyoti bhai, so what institutional set-up do you favour? How do you establish political supremacy over bureaucrats without “doliokoron”? What are the other options without giving bureaucrats all the power?
October 17, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Jyoti, there may be qualitative difference between 1990 and 1996. In 1990, it was peoples’ movement first reached its climax ( aided by some coincidences, Dr Milon’s death is one such and instintual weakness of Ershad) , and then cantonment and secretariate had no other option but to follow the street. 1996 or even 2007 was different as secretariate or cantonment took over when there was not enough force in the streets.
And agree with not blaming a person rather the culture ( Please remember Aziz). I blamed Dr Alamgir a lot for 96, but he was one of the very few bureacrates who decided not to remain under disguise of civil society leadership or be opportunist in taking an ambigous view. He is probbaly the politician who suffered the most in post 91 Bangladesh for his political activism. MK Anwar’s political views was never transparent until he finally sealed BNP nomination. late Mr Sadeq ( another 1990 bureaucrate, very recently deceased) first went to BNP for nomination and failed. Later he went joined AL and became education minister. And see, todays, nobody knows which side MK Anwar stands.
October 18, 2007 at 4:15 am
AsifY: so what institutional set-up do you favour? How do you establish political supremacy over bureaucrats without “doliokoron”? What are the other options without giving bureaucrats all the power?
Hard questions, and I wish I had solid answers. Unfortunately, I don’t. But I don’t think anyone does. And anyone who says they know are either knave or naive. I’ll give you what I think would make sense. Long comment, apologies.
I think any political set up we create post emergency should reflect the political realities of Bangladesh - unchanged since the early 1990s, if not earlier - that Awami League is the largest party commanding supports of anywhere between a quarter and 40% of the people, but it’s not the majority party. I think the institutions should allow Awami League and its centre-right rival (BNP or whatever it turns into) to share power and keep each other in check.
There are a number of ways this could be achieved - parliamentary oversights, term limits, strong local government, proportional representation, increasing presidential power. Some of these are better than others. I started doing a series in UV back in May/June. But the events since July (and lack of time given other writing) made me wonder the utility of continuing that discussion.
On how to keep bureaucracy in check without doliokoron, the answer is to empower elected representatives. This may sound odd - weren’t politicians in power before January? I’d argue that no, they were not. Only a handful of leaders were. So, we do need regeneration (reform has become a dirty word already) of our parties. But that kind of regeneration takes time. History doesn’t like short cuts.
Now, we can argue that Hasina-Khaleda didn’t have any incentive to regenerate the parties. Yes, this is true. But here I think Khaleda deserves the most blame. See, Hasina was the direct beneficiary of confrontation and winner-takes-all politics of the 1990s. That’s how she won in 1996. Khaleda didn’t win in 2001 on the basis of politics of confrontation. She won because she had a better organised campaign (including alliances) across most seats. That is, she beat the system AL set up. So she was in a place to break away from the 1990s. Also, hers was easily the most experienced cabinet in the country’s history (going back to the British days). Everyone talks about Tareque’s financial corruption. Much worse the lack of direction in policymaking because no one knew whether it was the PM’s office or Hawa Bhaban that was in charge.
Finally, Rumi bhai, you make an important point. If bureaucrats and other opinionmakers are to join politics, they should do so formally wearing party colours, not hide behind civil society masks. My example is the late Dr Kibria. If he hadn’t joined politics, he could quite possibly have been the face of the regime today unlike the other eminent economist.
October 19, 2007 at 3:02 am
Apologies for the shameless blog promotion, but I’d like to have people’s comments on the video: http://dhakashohor.blogspot.com/2007/10/general-moeens-q-in-london.html
October 20, 2007 at 3:56 am
I know they say that imitation is the sinerest form of flattery, but this bloke seems to have plagiarised your post without giving you credit: http://0-2-hero.blogspot.com/2007/10/general-moeen-u-ahmeds-career-details.html
Unacceptable if you ask me.
October 21, 2007 at 3:01 am
asify, i htink u should go back and check it again. its mentioned from where the article is taken. with due respect, i have used this article in my blog and mentinoed the exact link from where i have taken the article. its a good article and thanks to the writer.
October 21, 2007 at 2:05 pm
asmm,
I’m glad it’s there. I went to your blog and found it uncredited at first. If I ever see the same happening to one of your posts I’ll do the same for you. No harm meant.
January 7, 2008 at 10:00 pm
very interesting.
i’m adding in RSS Reader
January 20, 2008 at 8:52 am
This is cetrtinly not “everything-you-need-to-know-about-general-moeen-u-ahmed”.
Your story might mention how moeen has pursued his goal to reach the top. But I failed to see how you can draw the conslusaion you have drawn from any of that information.
What a story you have come up with relating him with Sayeed Iskandar and Duke!
This post is a propaganda launched against his regime because he has taken a strong stand against corrpution and nepotism those have become a culture of ours.
Unfortuntely, stories like yours sell and that is why what we are now.
January 20, 2008 at 10:53 am
You fail to see, how after a career based on opportunism and naked sycophantism, Moeen is going to do all he can to ensure that he can maximize his duration in power?
Is his relationship with Sayeed Iskandar and Duke a story? Do you think so? Don’t take my word for it, ask anyone in Dhaka knowledgable about the inner workings of the last government.
And as for strong stand against corruption, please do not make me laugh. I wrote this piece even before the Trust Bank scandal became public. I have since spoken to Brigadier (rt.) Manjurul Alam, Sheikh Hasina’s military secretary, who protected him after allegation arose against Moeen of laundering elephant teeth while in Rwanda. Brigadier Alam saved Moeen from being fired, but insisted that this notification be kept in Moeen’s official file, which comes out every time his promotion is discussed, which is why he never got any more promotions during AL time. After BNP came back to power, Moeen got his revenge by getting Brig. Alam retired and forcing him to flee Bangladesh.
January 21, 2008 at 12:22 am
Yes I fail to see “naked sycophantism”. Oppotunism … heh!
Opportunism (yes there should be a limit) is not necessarily an evil. Quoting from wikipedia, ‘Most politicians are “opportunists” to some extent at least (they aim to utilize political opportunities to their advantage), but the controversies surrounding the concept concern the exact relationship between “seizing a political opportunity” and the political principles being espoused.’ All the people you quote, are they not opportunists? I have been taught be an opportunist to succeed in today’s corporate world. Especially in a place like Bangladesh, I can’t see how one can survive without being an opportunist. However, all the inside information you have provided here picture him as a person with a good strategy. Why are you trying to use them to prove he is a daemon.
Zia, The most effective leader (imho) Bangladesh has ever seen, has been the most opportunist. You, with close ties with the elites, should find it hard to disagree.
One question got me thinking though. If he is a ‘loyalist’ (setting Duke and Eskandar free) why would he be not so loyalist to Khaleda! The rhetoric and logic don’t actually promote each other.
Are you sure that none of your relatives, friends or acquaintances are behind bars for corruption charges now which is motivating you to launch this holy war. I ask becuse a friend of feiend mine is spending in millions to promote hatred against the CTG, his father is injail and he figures this is the only way to free him and unfreeze the billions they can’t access after the CTG came in to power. What my understanding is so far (inspired by this trailing this feidn chain) there are two ways you can overthrow this CTG. To uneducated people you will sing the song of ‘price hike’ and to the educated people you deliver ‘inside stories”. Make stories, twist stories and present them - this works well, have always worked well.
Look … when the military Government came in to power, I wished that the long haul of corruption will come to an end (or the process will start). Nothing is worse than having BAL and BNP in power and opposition. Give this dude a chance (unless you are a close ally to any of the key stakeholders of the pre 1/11 era), don’t dismiss him so early, we are too quick in dismissing them who don’t speak in our note.
Compared to the people behind bars he is a saint.
January 21, 2008 at 12:43 am
Yes, of course, anyone who writes or speaks out against this government is only doing so because they or their loved ones are in jail. That’s why Prof. Anwar Hossain is now in jail and criticizing Moeen, you see.
If he had set Khaleda Zia free then he wouldn’t be able to run Bangladesh today, would he? You feel that my logic does not work? Read through my article again, read through all the pages after pages of evidence that have been given about the Trust Bank loan. Then please ask yourself in which side the logic seems clearer.
We live, or used to live in a democracy. The only individuals the people of Bangladesh will give a chance to are the people who will come to us during an election time, and tell us why we should vote for them. We will not give chance to some government servant who thinks he has the right to rule our country just because he has more guns than any one else.
It’s interesting that I’m being accused of twisting stories while so far, the only criticism that has been presented of this blog post has been questioning my identity and personal motive. These tactics are usually used when nothing can be picked to question the article itself.
January 21, 2008 at 1:11 am
Funny that you say, “The only individuals the people of Bangladesh will give a chance to are the people who will come to us during an election time, and tell us why we should vote for them.”
Yes we will give chanes to people like Babar and Joianl Hazari just because they are not Government Servants and they come to us during campaign. You seem to have a problem with people with Guns. Don’t you know or you don’t want to know that the so called ‘democracy’ in bangladesh is a game through which people with Guns (and Money) are the ones who prevail!
Prof. Anwar Hossain has his own motives - I’m sure. I don’t belong to the cult who believe that DU teachers are sains by birth. If they are so good why they are so politically motivated … the red panel blue panel … Jesus! DU and its heritage has been used by many for their own means … When I see people lecturing about DU, drives me nuts. A safe heaven for political and intellectual culprits.
I should not have doubted your motive. I’m sure you are writing this article because you want Bangladesh to be corruption and poverty free (and also moeen free). You are another kind soul like millions of politicians - who will someday be voted to (holy!) parliament to write another chapter in our sad history.
I will not make a big fuss about the information you provided - most if not all are stories picked up from party gossips and I have learnt how to digest them.
January 21, 2008 at 10:43 am
If the problem is a democracy in which guns and money prevail, then the solution isn’t a democracy in which guns are directly the sole arbiter of popular will, the solution is a democracy in which rising affluence and social awareness of our people make gun and money more and more ineffective.
For every Jainal Hazari or Babar you take out of the picture now, there are thousands, yes thousands more, waiting in the wings, the economic situation of Bangladesh makes that inevitable. In fact, I would guess there are probably two hundred and sixty Babar and Hazaris being groomed by the military government right now to represent them in the next parliament.
And the Hazari and Babar whom you so hate now, what has the military government done against them? Babar has been in jail for almost seven months now, I think. As far as I know, the only conviction so far against him has been a ten year prison term for keeping two revolvers in his house illegally. So, by your own arguments, either the military government is grossly, stupendously, sadly inefficient, or you overestimated, by many dimensions, Babar’s guilt and crimes. Which ones is the correct option?
No one, in any website, has said that DU teachers are saints. However, when a military goes to war against elderly gentlemen wearing glasses, and loses so miserably and utterly, then they make themselves look very, very foolish.
Whether you make or do not make a big deal of the information I provide, is, like all of my readers, completely up to you. I do not force my posts upon anyone; if people read it and are struck by it, maybe it is because their innate sense of fairness knows the truth when they see it.
January 21, 2008 at 11:58 am
I could not agree more when you say, “the solution is a democracy in which rising affluence and social awareness of our people make gun and money more and more ineffective.” But has that been the case for us? Democracy has been weaker and weaker by each generation. The incident of 9/11 proves how fragile it has been for us just over a year ago. The preaching has miserably failed and thus came this new reigme as last resort! Have you forgotten how it was right before 9/11?!? How can one with his sane mind can. I heard one of the polictal jaints in a business meeting back in Dhaka say, “Our (bangladeshi population) memories are like gold fish, when gold fish goes to one end of an aquarium, it forgets the other. And it always thinks it is in a ocean.” He indeed was right. We do wish to loop back over and over to the same political cults.
You then say, “For every Jainal Hazari or Babar you take out of the picture now, there are thousands, yes thousands more, waiting in the wings, the economic situation of Bangladesh makes that inevitable”. I too agree that the economic situation makes this sad repetition really inevitable, that just goes to prove why typical attemts of promoting ’social awareness’ has failed and most likely will fail in the future. I am dreaming, craving for a new leadership. A leadership that will guide us and guard us while we promote the ’social awareness’. I am still waiting to see that in in this administration.
Your guess about 260 new Babar and Hazari being groomed in this administration just pictures how far you can go with your speculation. But I wish to wait and see you being proven wrong.
And then you say, “And the Hazari and Babar whom you so hate now, what has the military government done against them?”. I will not go in to analyzing the complexity or implications of our judicial process. I hope you are not suggesting that the administration should have hanged and run them through cross-fire by now to prove its effectiveness. I am optimistic about the process in which they arebeing tried. Please be patient. Who could ever imagine that those culprits will be brought under justice!
This administration has proved that we too can prosecute the oppressors! No other previous Govenmnet had the will, courage or strength to do this. I wonder why you never go about criticizing that? You go as far as to quote source from other regime who did not punish a thief and then got himself deported from the country. A person with deprived morals is your witnesse!
Military going to war against elderly gentleman wearing glasses … sorry I should have mentioned that elderly gentleman wearing glasses are saints! ButI agree that the loss is miserable. That is a tragedy I think, if you are from within DU (especially elderly with glasses from DU) - you have the power to defeat anyone. You will never be tried, you can never be tried, ’cause you can raise a chaos just by raising a finger of your hand! I taught for a years in an Uni - I came to realise how demented manipulating bastards some of my colleagues were. And some of them were elderly and used to wear glasses too. So I had to pack my bags at the end.
The way you and your mates are launching information terrorism … and with your added knowledge on search engines, I am sure many people like me will hop in here and will leave with bitter feelings. The bank reports I have seen in one of the pages could have just as easily been produced by anyone. But still, it is good enough to confuse anyone, even one with a ‘innate sense of fairness’. I wish that people (and journalists) would stop supplying information and supplements without proper authenticity. May be that could be a good start point in promiting ’social awareness’.
January 21, 2008 at 3:32 pm
It’s quite symbolic, I think, that you mentioned 9/11 by mistake (I presume) in your earlier comment. This is a great symptom of how national events and politics have become reduced to just catchy, vapid, empty phrases. So, it’s not a military coup where a clique of greedy generals overthrow a constitutional government (which the Iajuddin administration was, however much he may be disliked). It’s just 1/11. And then, like Animal Farm: pre 1/11 bad, post 1/11 good.
I don’t see anyone except you repeatedly calling the professor saints. I’d again repeat the arguments I’ve already made so many times, but seeing that the government is well on their way to capitulating to every demand of the DU students, maybe you should ask yoursef why a government you seem so fond of is surrendering to “political and intellectual culprits?”
January 21, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Very elegantly put. I guess my mistake about refering 1/11 to 9/11 can be used as an example how one can, motivated by own biases, steretype political events. But I would like to think, in this case, it was a bit more than that.
I was an international student during 9/11 in the US. I saw how Americans changed over night after 9/11. Their perspectives, attitude and feelings towrds us (muslims) went through a magor trauma, overnight. Incidently I was in Bangladesh for a month long vacation during 1/11. I saw the similar change in Bangladesh. One night the people were in dark and all hopes shattered. The next day (with the emergency put in place) - the hopes were brought back to life. The change in public sentiment is both 1/11 and 9//11 were rapid and vivid. May be this 1/11 administration will fail. But the feelings, glory and sense of honor I saw in Bangladeshis upon which this administration came in to power will never fade away. But people loyalist to BNP camp responsible for massacaring the election will ofcourse have their own way to interpret things.
The protest in recent days in DU are to free the DU staffs and students. But the people behind this protests actually thought that the administration will be adament and will not free those under charge, providing them opportunity to create more chaos (beyond what has already created). Yes, the administration had to surrender, because they have bigger fish to fry. You can not lead a nations to prosperity with Khaleda and Hasina ego. Politics, like many others, has many battles - you win some and you lose some. But a good politics makes the best out in either outcome.
You were pointing out the Governmen’s failure in dealing with the DU incidents - I thought you had a soft corener fot those folks in DU. But aparenty you too are just using them to get back at the Government. So, yeah you can safely ignore my cynical attitude towards the Professors.
Thank you providng me an opportunity to speak here.
January 22, 2008 at 12:00 am
Yes, 9/11 did provide a major change in American attitude towards muslims, because before 1/11, they always used to support the Arab armies and the PLO against Israel, right?
January 22, 2008 at 1:37 am
Before 9/11 most Americans used to think avergae muslims living in the US were harmless. After 9/11 they became fearful just about every muslims they used to see walk passing by. It radically and overnight changed how we were treated in social or corporate arenas. I hear things are getting better now as they have had their revenge.
If they had sympathy for Arab armies or PLO there wouldn’t have been been a 9/11. However, sarcasm noted.
February 1, 2008 at 1:39 am
A few things to note:
1. Little effort was put forth into writing this article
2. There is much more to the current situation in Bangladeshi politics
3. You can Blame the BNP and the AL for the president issuing a state of emergency after all it was these two groups how started the protest which were directed at hindering the Jan 22 2007 elections which you considered to be a coup
4. Not only did he promote him self but other officers within the military also and it was mainly focused at mid to high ranking soldiers.
People you need to do your research before posting such bias reports, everyone has an opinion yes but to be totally one sided and not trying to portray even a small piece of the other side is bogus.
If you are going to write an article that is focused at slandering a person or group focus on the RAB or the BDR.
5. Americans do not hate Muslims there are areas within the US with large muslim based communities which rarely have any issues with the non-muslems. Its just like any other race or nationality. There is always someone else out there who do not agree with others in some manner.
February 3, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Chaos,
I am always open to suggestions about improving my writing style, or to correct any factual errors I make. If you have any such suggestions on any of these fields, please fell free to make them. Otherwise, I am afraid I have to discount your comments as not really adding anything to the conversation on this website.
If the BNP and the AL are responsible for the current situation, they how is it they are currently the two most persecuted social groups in our country?
About the 4th point, you raise, I do agree, but the sole focus of these promotions were towards placing officers loyal to Moeen in key command and control positions.
What about General Moeen’s side would you like me to portary? His betray of fifteen years of visible non-intervention by the army into civilian affairs? The launching of our country into a protracted human rights nightmare? The soiling of our constitution? I look forward to your suggestions.
February 7, 2008 at 4:05 am
Of course the BNP and the AL are despised by many, its all in how you look at the picture. Its just like Republicans and Democrats within the United States or any group for that matter. The larger that you portray yourself to be the more people are going to show their discontent towards you or you affiliated group. Hasina and Zia were two of the most corrupt politicians the country has seen and they are the ones responsible for bringing this retribution unto their parties. It is unfortunate that the parties are seen as supporters of the extortion when they had little to nothing to do with it. However, both of these parties were using less than honorable means to have the January 22, 2007 elections postponed if you would like to know more about that look it up. Editorials are located in both the New Age and the Dhaka Daily Star.
Not saying that you were stating this but, it is not fair to say that Gen Moeens views are against both of these parties because if you look at his past he tends to be Pro-BNP there for this and he was appointed by Zia to his current position as COAS therefore there had to be some underlying connection between the two.
When Gen Moeen took control of the CTG he said came out with a 7 point proposal in which his main goal was to remove corruption from both politics as well as law. Therefore removing a former PM that he once supported was necessary to fulfill these goals.
Now a ruling was recently released by the HC that these charges were unconstitutional and my guess is with the power these two have and their access to many resources it is likely money was involved once again, so now Moeen is sending it his appeals to the SC.
Another reason that Moeen has been in for so long and has yet to carry out elections is he knows as well as they do they must be pursecuted under CTG law since the CTG is responsable for having them arrested in the first place and failure to do so would mean the dismisal of their cases as well as give them the ability to run in up coming elections. So by staying in charge of the CTG it allows the court time to carry out such cases but if he is to hold elections this would also be the end of the CTG and then again they would exempt from the charges
As far as Portraying Gen Moeen goes:
1. He is playing with a full deck of cards or he is one step ahead in the chess game he is aware Zia and Hasina are trying to exploit these legal loop holes and is taking all means to prevent it .
2. Attacks by JMB or HUJI-B have been on the down fall since Moeen put forth the effort to capture 6 of the top leaders had successfully prosecuted.
3. Border security that was allowing from the movement of these individuals has been hampered now that the BDR and the BSF are currently working together in a positive manner.
4. he is hand delivering aid to those individuals who were hit very hard when cyclone came through.
So ousting Moeen in a situation such as this would be one of the most poor choices to make as it would cause so much instability.
One other thing of note: Gen Rokon who is next in line according to date of rank would take over the COAS if Moeen steps down or relinquishes his position in June strongly shares his views with Moeen and would likely see him for guidance if this situation is not taken care of by this time
February 7, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I think in your comments, you have revealed the key reason for the failure of this government. What was Moeen’s first and most important mission? To get rid of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. There were two problems with that. The first is that when your policies are based on specific people, then you are no longer governing, you are no longer following the law or the constitution. The second problem is, of course, that even in this little task, General Moeen failed badly and miserably. He has been made to look a fool for the past twelve months. If he can not stand up to the moral courage and farsightedness of just two individuals, locked up in their old age away from their friends and family, then he should not even think of anything beyond that. Moeen has disgraced himself and the post he holds. He has already replaced Ershad as the most hated COAS in Bangladesh’s history; we shall now see in what form history delivers its verdict to him.
February 7, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Also, I’m a bit confused about the last point you made. After Moeen, one of the three lieutenant generals: masududdin chowdhury, jahangir alam chowdhury, or zahurul alam would take over. Probably Masud, as far as I know, he’s the senior-most of the three. Also, Moeen does not retire until 2010, it was one of the main reasons he promoted himself to General.
February 7, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Yes you are correct he does retire until 2010 but his position of COAS ends on in June of this year if he steps down at the end of his 3 year term.
Zia and Hasina have yet to be sentenced as i said before, this is the reason that Moeen can not carry out elections yet. The reason for this is stated in the paragraph before Portraying Moeen.
It is not just these to two that have charges pending against them there are almost another 150 political members as well as business men facing the same charges, however they are not as focused on as these two former leaders. Again it has to do with exploiting political leaders as this is what sells in the press. There was an article that talks about how the HC has ruled the case against these individuals unconstitutional and how Moeen appealed it to the SC posted in the dhaka daily as well as the new age; it will give you some of the answers you are looking for.
The general i was refering to is the current Quartermaster general Gen. Roshde i wrote Rokon this was my mistake.
March 30, 2008 at 1:09 pm
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