Dr. Kamal Hussain- An Optimist with a Good Reason?
Jahed Ahmed
Many- even among those who regard him as a man with good sense of ethics- have an allegation about Dr. Kamal Hussain: he’s an elite politician- one who likes to spend more time outside Bangladesh than with his country men. Others say, he should not have parted himself from Awami League (AL), the party with which he has spent most of his political life. That may be because people’s aspirations on Kamal Hussain, the cardinal brain behind the composition of country’s ’72 constitution, and a close associate of Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-the architect of the independence of Bangladesh-is higher than what they expect of a typical politician.
Lately, Kamal Hussain is in discussion for several reasons. One is restoration of his once maintained cordial rapport with AL chief Sheikh Hasina in a touchy manner. This is particularly significant at a time when corruption, rise of anti-secular and anti-democratic forces are making regular headlines in the politics of Bangladesh. Besides acting as the President of Gono Forum (People’s Forum), Kamal Hussain is also leading Jatiyo Okya Mancha (National Unity Alliance). Therefore, this came as a no surprise to me when I saw a good number of people gathered in New York on last Saturday (June 11, 2005) to hear what Dr. Kamal Hussain has to offer. The meeting was arranged in ATN Bangla office in Queens by the New York based International Forum for Secular Democratic Bangladesh, a think-tank consisting of secular expatriate Bangaless living in USA. Mr. Syed Mohammad Ullah, a respected Secular figure among expatriate Bangalees in NY, presided over the meeting.
In his about 2 hours long speech, Kamal Hussain talked about the current political turmoil in Bangladesh such as the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, abuse of power and law enforcement system by the government, the degradation of the education system, etc. He also informed us- how he’s working on a common manifesto- aimed at creating an effective parliament (Karjakar Songsad) with provisions of accountability and transparency for the elected representatives- for the coalition of all pro-secular and progressive political parties in coming election. He cited the example of the victory in recently held Chittagong Mayor Election to make his point for a broader coalition of all like-minded forces. But if one is to identify the single most salient feature of Dr. Kamal Hussain’s long speech, it’d be- most probably- his repetitive tone of optimism. It’s not that Dr. Kamal is unaware of the ongoing restlessness and anomalies in country’s politics; indeed, on more than one occasion- he, himself, was targeted, harassed by the hired hooligans of the government in power, and felt lucky to escape. Recently, he’s been also declared a ‘Murtad’ (apostate) by the radical Mullah gang. Yet, Hussain likes to remain an optimist. “It’s NOT Bangladesh, but the government in power, which is a failure,” replied Hussain while answering a question from the audience. Despite all his positive utterances, possibly, Kamal Hussain, too, knows it well- skepticism about country’s future is prevailing among many including the Bangalee expatriates who came to attend his meeting. Therefore, at one point, Kamal said, “I may sound too much idealist but I’ve a basis for my optimism.” What made Dr. Kamal feel so optimistic about the future of Bangladesh? Kamal answered it himself. “Common people of Bangladesh have always stood against oppression and injustice. And they are the people who have been working hard for the progress of country without the hope of any personal level reward.” Kamal illustrates it with the following example: “it’s the rural farmers of Bangladesh who have now made the country self-dependent in food production by their hard labor and patience, and they are not fundamentalist, greedy, or corrupt people.”
I’m not a bright optimist by nature even though I enjoyed hearing Dr. Kamal Hussain’s optimistic speech because, to me- this time- Kamal Hussain sounded and appeared like a politician who has spent some time talking and interacting with common people. “An optimist sees opportunity in every danger, whereas a pessimist sees danger in every opportunity”- so goes a famous saying by Sir Winston Churchill. But I’d love to believe- the origin of Dr. Kamal Hussain’s optimism is NOT just Churchill; it’s the common people of Bangladesh- our ultimate beacon of hope!
New York 06.13.2005
(Jahed Ahmed is a Moderator at www.mukto-mona.com)