#Shahbag: What Revolution? Who's Revolution?

If these chains of corruption and the political nexus are not broken they will keep ruling and oppressing forever.

globalvoicesonline.org

(YORK, UK) - #Shahbag movement began on 5th February 2013, with the demand of capital punishment for Abdul Quader Mollah and all the other accused war criminals of the 1971 war.

Abdul Quader Mollah thedailystar.net

#Shahbag is in line with specific demands, those are political and economical in nature. In Pakistan, the Hindus were declared enemies of the state and that victimization continued in free Bangladesh.

Time now has changed; the ruling Awami league movement is defining the new type of enemy of the state, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh. The government is preparing to ban Jamaat. Who will benefit from this? Politically, Jamaat is a big challenge for the Awami League, because of its growing popularity and its close alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

In a few years, Jamaat as an institution became financially very strong. Jamaat as an institution was emerging as a shadow government. Jamaat had developed its presence in all most all sectors, from banking, education, health care, food, medicine, garments, textile, media, garments, paper, leather, iron and steel, cement, drugs and pharmaceuticals.

Let’s take a close look at the Jamaat banking institution, Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, which is the largest private banking network in Bangladesh, with $244.87 million in authorized capital, and $122.53 million in paid-up Capital. It has $4,176.44 million in deposits and a $3,943.33 million investment including investment in shares.

#Shahabg is demanding the boycott of different institutions of Jammat includes Islami Bank Bangladesh.

Why is #Shahbag demanding a boycott of IBBL? Why it is in their agenda? Who will be benefit if not people?

Obviously if people keep boycotting the bank, there will be a gap, and the close competitors of the bank will be the benefactors.

Who are the possible institution who can take over the business of IBBL’s business in consumer banking, corporate banking, investment banking or other banking services?

Why government or #Shahbag is trying to create that gap?

These questions should be asked of #Shahbag.

At the same time I am asking #Shahbag, why they are not demanding to boycott the largest state-owned commercial bank, Sonali Bank Limited? Sonali Bank Limited is responsible for illegally disbursing a loan of Tk 260 billion.

Let me share my answer to #Shahbag, you are on the side of the beneficiaries of the people who get the best benefits of the gap of the banking system and as a whole you are serving the corrupt parliamentary capitalist forces.

#Shahbag, do you really understand the gap of the banking system, who benefits, who gets corrupted, for what, and how that will cost the lives of many?

#Shahbag, what about the embezzlement of Tk.596 crores, which was withdrawn without cheque from Oriental Bank in 2006. It has been alleged on this embezzlement, that Tarique Rahman of Senior Vice Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was connected.

#Shahbag, you are serving the corrupt parliamentary capitalist forces, you people are part of a well designed process to reshape the market of economy and politics. #Shahbag, you know that as well than me.

#Shahbag has also demanded the boycott of a major newspaper, The Daily Amardesh, Daily Naya Diganta, Diganta Television, and Islamic TV.

All these media groups are largely known as pro opposition news media.

#Shahba, you people are threat for democracy.

#Shahbag, freedom of expression and media is a pre-condition and very essential for democracy.

#Shahbag, who will benefit from boycotting the media, in absence of these media?

#Shahbag, why you are demanding to boycott these media?

#Shahbag, do you respect indifference of opinion?

#Shahbag, Awami League government had stopped Channel One. The channel's founder Giasuddin Al Mamun is known as a close associate of BNP chief Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman. #Shahbag, media plays a vital role in shaping politics and market economy.

In August 2002, the government shut down the operation of Ekushey Television, the first private television channel in the history of Bangladesh. The shutdown of ETV created a gap, both politically and economically and it benefited the politicians largely and made places for others who are the beneficiaries of the gap in the market.

The last caretaker government shut down broadcasting of news channel CSB News, Bangladesh’s first 24 hour news & current affairs channel in September 2007. CSB News was initiative of Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury who is a member of the Standing Committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

#Shahbag, the country spends $11 million annually to rent foreign satellite facilities for private television channels, telephone and radio. There is a huge market out there, these outlets shape our country today and tomorrow, it shapes how people will think, how they will act, how they vote. The media outlets are largely owned by the corrupt parliamentary capitalist forces.

#Shahbag, you are demanding to boycott, the particular media outlets which supports mainly the oppositions parties. So it is clear who will be benefited out of this politically and economically by this boycott, obviously it is the ruling political party and its allies.

#Shahbag, there is a huge gap between promise and performance of the governments since 1971 to now.

#Shahbag, you claim you to be a pro liberation forces, but in reality, you are pro-corruption parliamentary capitalist forces.

#Shahbag, you can be appropriated with the word shame.

#Shahbag, let me share who are the beneficiaries of 1971 war. Let me help you to identify the chain of corrupt parliamentary capitalist forces, the families who turned Bangladeshi into a corporation.

They are fighting among themselves for years in so called democratic electoral process and keep looting the country and its people from term to term.

#Shahbag, Chowdhury family; Fazlul Quader Chowdhury was a Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly, Former acting President of Pakistan, President of Muslim League. Now from that family we have Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, who is a former Cabinet Minister, member of BNP standing committee, MP Bangladesh Nationalist Party parliamentarian from Chittagong. From the same family, Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury who is a former MP, President of Chittagong BNP (South) of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. This family has gained huge amounts of property and keep ruling the people, by a so-called democratic process.

#Shahbag, let me introduce you to the Sheikh Mujib Family, who are the people from this family? Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Prime Minister of Bangladesh, 1972–75), Sheikh Hasina (daughter of Mujibur Rahman; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, 1996–2001 and 2009–), Sajeeb Wazed- son of Sheikh Hasina. On 25 February 2009, Wazed officially joined the Awami League as a primary member of the Rangpur district. Many others from the same family are politically active and waiting to inherit their power to rule the people of Bangladesh.

#Shahbag, you better know this about another Ziaur Rahman Family. Ziaur Rahman (President of Bangladesh, 1977–81), Begum Khaleda Zia (wife of Ziaur Rahman; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, 1991–1996 and 2001–2006 ), Tareq Rahman (son of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia). There are also many others from the same family who are politically active and waiting to inherit their power to rule the people of Bangladesh.

#Shahbag, Chowdhury Family of Dhaka. A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury (President of Bangladesh, 2001–02), Mahi Chowdhury (son of A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury; Member of Parliament).

#Shahbag, there are many other families who remain at the center of the power. The members of these families ruled the country as elected members of the parliament in different times and passed the inheritance of ruling and oppressing to their next generation since 1971.

Many of these families made their own contributions during the 1971 liberation war and now they are sharing the benefits of the liberation among them.

Let me name these familes, Ershad Family, Khan Choudhury Family, Taj Family, Islam Family, Chowdhury Family of Tangail, Khans of Chittagong, Khans of Dhamrai, Khans of Barisal, Chowdhurys of Faridpur, Syed Family of Faridpur, Family of Mansur Ali, Zillur Rahman Family.

#Shahbag, you are demanding the banishment of Jammat. Who will be benefited from this ban? Obviously, the Bangladesh Awami League and its grand alliance.

In the last parliament election, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh got 3,186,384 votes which is 4.6% of the total vote and they received only 2 seat in the parliament. Although Jamaat is minority in parliament, they are given so much political importance.

The reason most likely, is their alliance with the Four Party Alliance. If this party can be opted from the electoral process, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party will lose it support on the ground.

#Shahbag, to fill the political gap of Jammat, had designed Jatiya Party, will emerge as main opposition. This will make BNP the third opposition party and the Awami obedient leftist political parties will try their best to grab the market.

#Shahbag, you may ask me why I am against these families coming to power again and again if they come to power by electoral process. The political platform has made muddy for the ordinary people. Ordinary people keep fighting for their daily bread, but those families with the presence of a dysfunctional system, keep ruling us for years and years.

If these chains of corruption and the political nexus are not broken they will keep ruling and oppressing forever.

#Shahbag, you are a false revolution, without making an actual revolution. The real burden to society is not the poor, but the corporate rich. Ordinary people simply can no longer afford these corporate families who are illegally ruling Bangladesh using the so called democracy.

#Shahbag, in reality democracy is absent in Bangladesh.

#Shahbag, you claimed to be the Tahrir of Bangladesh. Tahrir was pro-democracy and pro people.

#Shahbag, you are pro corrupt parliamentary capitalist forces, you have denied to identify the struggle of the working class. #Shahbag embarrasses freedom, equality and solidarity.

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Salem-News.com Human Rights Ambassador William Nicholas Gomes is a Bangladeshi journalist, human rights activist and author was born on 25 December, 1985 in Dhaka. As an investigative journalist he wrote widely for leading European and Asian media outlets.

He is also active in advocating for free and independent media and journalists’ rights, and is part of the free media movement, Global Independent Media Center – an activist media network for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate telling of the truth. He worked for Italian news agency Asianews.it from year 2009 to 2011, on that time he was accredited as a free lance journalist by the press information department of Bangladesh. During this time he has reported a notable numbers of reports for the news agency which were translated into Chinese and Italian and quoted by notable number of new outlets all over the world.He, ideologically, identifies himself deeply attached with anarchism. His political views are often characterized as “leftist” or “left-wing,” and he has described himself as an individualist anarchist.