Thoughts on Noor Hossain Day

On November 10, 2006 on all local TV channels I saw politicians of various hue and shade paying their respect (?) to the departed soul of Shaheed Noor Hossain who was shot down by the forces of autocratic Gen Ershad on the same day in 1987. The next morning their photographs with flower bouquets in hand adorned the front pages of the national dailies.

Noor Hossain’s fault was, he asked for the restoration of democracy. In the last 19 years, since the death of Noor Hossain, have our politicians been able to learn the essence of democracy themselves and restore democracy in our country? Do they practice democracy within their respective parties? Certainly not. If they had learnt the essence of democracy how could they nominate their own young family members, superseding many senior and capable party members, to senior party positions? How could they establish ‘familicracy’? And finally, how could they go for the caretaker form of government, which is totally against the spirit of democracy?

If, by any miracle, Noor Hossain could come back from heaven, he would have spat on the faces of these hypocrites.