Let’s have two medical universities instead of one !

The Jatyiotabadi doctors of BSMMU who are members of DAB (Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh, an outfit of BNP) came out on 05 October, 2008 in full strength to oppose the newly appointed VC, two Pro VCs and the Treasurer alleging that the newly appointed ones belong to the Awami doctors’ organization called SCP (Swadhinata Chikitshak Parishid, an outfit of Awami League). The doctors in Bangladesh, like all other members of the learned professions like engineers, agriculturists, lawyers, teachers, journalists etc, are so highly politicized that they can never look beyond their political nose. They always smell something foul whenever someone not belonging to their own camp is appointed to a senior or important post. A highly educated person, in whatever profession s/he might be, and notwithstanding his/her personal political belief, is expected to be a highly conscientious person. S/he is expected to discharge her/his professional duties with utmost professionalism, honesty and patriotism. But unfortunately in Bangladesh we find just the opposite with most of our professionals, as we now find with the doctors of BSMMU. We never heard the Jatyiotabadi doctors of BSMMU protesting against the irregularities (in the appointment of teaching and administrative staff), corruption (in making purchases of equipment and stores) and crimes (by issuing fake medical certificates to their political masters) committed by the removed officials. What a shame !
Our present political leaders are partly responsible for making our professionals, many of whom proudly identify themselves as the members of our civil society, corrupt in deeds, thoughts and words. But the main onus of responsibility lies on the professionals themselves, individually and collectively. For gaining undue favors they should not have allowed themselves to be pawns in the hands of irresponsible and corrupt politicians. Their higher level of conscience should have restrained them from doing so.
Dear professionals, still we have reasons to believe that the great majority of you, specially the younger ones, have not yet become corrupt under the leadership of your corrupt and oppurtunist seniors. You can still rise against the corrupt seniors who are using you as tools under the banners like DAB, SCP, White or Blue Panels (in DU) etc. The poor people of Bangaldesh with their hard earned tax money have been running the higher seats of education with the hope that you will change the face of this nation. Please think of these helpless poor people and refrain yourselves from doing anything which is unbecoming of a professional.
Otherwise, one day we shall have to set up two medical universities, one for the Jatyiotabadi doctors and the other for the Awami doctors.

Law, morality and politics in Bangladesh

Recently, I watched Barrister Rafiqul Islam talking in a TV talk show (29 October). During the talk he time and again mentioned that those politicians, most of whom belong to his own party BNP, who were convicted by lower courts recently under EPR for corruption and have appealed to the higher court against the judgments of the lower courts, should be allowed to contest in the upcoming national election, if necessary by carrying out an amendment to the EPR. His point of argument was that our constitution and normal law of the land does not hold a person guilty of a crime till s/he is found guilty by the highest court of the country, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Many others are also expressing the same view to the media. Legally they are right. There is no doubt about that. May I ask the barrister and others holding the same view if they are morally right in saying so? Suppose a domestic male servant behaves very indecently with the daughter of the master of a house. The servant is found guilty by the lower court and is given due punishment. The servant appeals to the higher/highest court against the conviction where the trial is not over even in, say, 10 years. The servant comes back on bail and asks his master to reinstate him, saying that he is innocent as the higher/highest court has not yet found him guilty of the charge. In such cases notwithstanding what is given in the holy books of law, the masters of the houses will be guided by common sense and morality and reject the requests. Is the law totally devoid of morality? If Bangladesh is a house, its people are its masters. The makers of its constitution and laws could never think that there would be so much of degeneration among the senior political leaders that they would disgrace our parliament by making professional goons members of our parliament. Should the master of Bangladesh, its people, give an opportunity to all such convicted persons to become members of parliament again? We need to change those laws which are not compatible with morality, and that cannot be done by members of parliament who are beneficiaries of such immoral laws. We have an opportunity now under the EPR to get rid of those persons with questionable morality and elect at least a set of honest people as the representatives of the people of our country. To save this country from its present maladies, first of all we need to amend our constitution and change all laws which are not compatible with morality and the ethos of our people. I appeal to all concerned, including the lawyers who are defending the cases of the corrupt, to give the people of our country an opportunity to clean the political garbage. If not for anything, at least for the future welfare of your grandchildren give us an opportunity!