EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

              

 

Celebrating Mujib Nagar Day

Remembering the occasion is vital

There are a few events, and a few days, in a nation's history that wield the utmost influence not only in shaping the course of current developments but sets the path for future course of events. 17th April is such a seminal event in the history of Bangladesh whose significance it appears the nation is gradually becoming oblivious of. It only demonstrates the collective lack of understanding of historical events, and sometimes it is perhaps intentional, and sometimes it stems from an indifference to the past. And on both counts the nation is the loser.

It must not be forgotten that on this very day 40 years ago the formal declaration of Independence of Bangladesh was made heralding the emergence of a country whose people had been a nation for centuries but without a state they could call their own. It was a day when the four trusted lieutenants of Bangabandhu formally declared the nation's resolve to free the country from the rapacious onslaught of a marauding occupation army.

The events in Baidyanathtalla in Meherpur, renamed most appropriately after the undisputed leader of our freedom struggle, resuscitated the glory of the Bengalis that had been lost on the battlefield of Plassey more than two hundred years ago, not very far from the spot where the flag of a new born country was unfurled.

The prime minister must be congratulated for starting what we hope will be the tradition for the future because it is essential that we not only celebrate but also grasp the significance of what is a landmark event in the history of the nation.

Tension in the CHT

The root cause needs addressing

In spite of the more than decade long existence of the CHT Peace Accord, one very pivotal area of discord remains festering to this day. This has to do with land disputes. These sometimes take on a violent form. It was evidenced on Sunday by a string of clashes between Bengalees and Adivashis in Ramgarh and Manikchhari in the CHT. The trouble originated in the ploughing of a disputed land by some settlers who claimed to have been using the plot for a long time. Then it spread out.

Although the situation seems to have been brought under control and the local authorities do not regard it as being 'serious', clearly tension prevails. Further backlash cannot be ruled out.

What this spurt in violence indicates is the urgency to come to grips with land rights and settlement issues. An under-staffed and ill-equipped Land Commission with an undefined mandate, hardly attuned to the demographic peculiarities of the region, virtually remains a non-starter. The fundamental problems centered around lack of land documentation based on land survey as would reflect realities on the ground. The Adivashi leadership should be fully taken on board by the concerned ministry, regional council and the Land Commission for devising ways and means to overcome the legalistic deficits in the land ownership patterns. Their rights to land would have to be fully protected and unassailably documented.

The Adivashi communities and the Bengalee settlers should learn to live in peace and harmony in their greater collective interest. For our part, we should give no cause for grievance to the Adivashis as to their distinct identity and cultural ethos that are a value addition to our national heritage. Similarly, the detractors of peace accord should abide by a sense of collective ethos for mutual co-existence. The fact that the CHT people are overwhelmingly in favour of a full implementation of the peace accord as a necessary precondition to all round development of the region is good augury. And this will have to be cashed in on.