Jahangir Alam Akash: I have a favorite colleague Chapal Saha. The age he is much larger than me. We worked together for the first 24 hours News TV channel of Bangladesh. Today (23 September, 2011), he wrote a status on the social media Face Book. According to his writeup as it is, “we have a house. But we are not owned by it. What wonder! Act only for Hindus. Our property is vested. Who broke this black law? “
In 1965, this black and discriminated law named as “enemy property act” was made. It is a black, discriminated, and extreme inhuman act. This law has deprived to a particular faith of religious people. After the independence of Bangladesh the name of this law had been changed from enemy property act to vested property act. Only for this law, the Hindu family lost their land and houses. But the law still has not been canceled.
We think that there is no mentality or the power or ability to cancel it in Bangladesh. Everyone has their own political interest. Different faith or politics are there, but the interest is same manner. At least from all the gross political parties (of course there are some minor exceptions, left party) influential opportunists grabbed land and houses of the Hindu people. There is an organization in Bangladesh which has branch in Europe and USA. Sometimes the sound of this organization serves to cancel the law. But the sound is biased. So, it is not useful after all. Leadership of that organization is full with political interest and divided by many groups. This picture can be seen in home and abroad.
So, how the justice or equality would come in front of the deprived and oppressed people or how justice will come forward? We do not know it. Maybe you can ask me, I am not an optimist! But I want to tell the truth which I like to say always. I worked and working and would be work to discover or publish the truth. I learned a theme from a Norwegian friend of mine that “Truth is never dangerous.” And it is also my ideology to say the truth.
If Sheikh Hasina and her Grand Alliance government wants to see the equal right for all people then they would cancelled this black law within their first two years. But the government’s two and a half years have already been passed, they didn’t. Now they are too busy to fill their term, and to come in power again. What is the welfare of the people I know it is not any issue of them?
The government of Khaleda-Nizami was tortured openly Begum Motia Chowdhury, Mohammad Nasim, Rashed Khan Menon and many other top leaders on the street. Now time has changed. But the picture is coming back on the eyes of the people as it was before. Government of Hasina has torturing to Joinal Abedin Faruque. Hasina and her intelligence – consultants perhaps do not want to see this picture as any wrong! On the other hand is still in the trial of war criminals. Maybe this is issue is to be hanging for coming election agenda. In fact, they are living of a foolish heaven! They forgot to care of Teeth in time. They are now roaring power.
However, it is the rights time to cancel the vested property act. After the cancelation of this law, the land and houses would be returned back to the original owner of the property and housing would be wise for Hasina government. The people believes that Khaleda never do this job. She and her party is the main shelter of War criminals (Jammat-Shibir). But why Hasina didn’t abolish this law? Is she doesn’t believe in secularism and non-discriminated state-law? Or she is blind on her flatters.
The minority and indigenous people are our friends or important to get votes from them when only the election comes. Just after election everything would be forgot by the politicians. Is possible to establish peace in any society by keeping unfair-discriminatory behavior? Our hope is that Hasina’s government would be taken an effective and truth initiatives to cancel the vested property law for promote the equality, justice and peace in Bangladesh.
Euro Bangla for Peace and Human Rights edited by Jahangir Alam Akash
