Stephen Gill
in search for peace
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BANGLADESH CAN ADDRESS TENSIONS AS CANADA DOES
Dr. Stephen Gill
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*Talk given at the 86th Birth Anniversay of Sheikh Mujib
arranged by Bangladesh Awami League (Quebec Brach)
on March 20th 2005 at 439 Jean Talon
Quest, Montreal, Canada.
When Bangladesh was fighting for
its freedom in 1971, one night somebody asked me in my dream about
Bangladesh. Next day, I began writing my book titled Discovery of
Bangladesh that was published in England by Colin Venton. When the
manuscript of the book was ready, Colin Venton was the first publisher I tried
and he accepted to publish it at once. I did not write this book to please or
to displease anyone. I wrote this book remaining as much impersonal as it is
humanly possible. It appears that my book was the first in the market about
Bangladesh.
To me Sheikh Mujib holds the same
status as Mahatma Gandhi does in the history of India and Mr. Jinnah in the
history of Pakistan. Sheikh Mujib is the builder of a nation- he is the hope
of Bangladesh. He is the way to peace and prosperity. Sheikh Mujib was the
messiah of Bangladesh who along with several members of his family was
murdered brutally on August 15 in 1975.
Sheikh Mujib envisaged a
secular and multicultural Bangladesh. The founder of Pakistan Mr. Jinnah
also envisaged a Pakistan that would be for Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs
and other. In his first speech at the first national assembly of Pakistan Mr.
Jinnah clearly stated that now Muslims can go to their mosques and Christians to
their churches, Hindus to their temples and Sikhs to their gurudawaras. He
envisaged a Pakistan that would be a secular democracy. The same can be said
about Mahatma Gandhi. His policies were based on tolerance.
In Canada, peaceful coexistence
and respect for human rights are two main areas that shape Canada's foreign as
well as domestic policies. Here freedom is not a matter of resolutions. Here
freedom is a way of daily life. Canadian society permits free development of
every culture, language and religion to work together to achieve a higher form
of the principles of freedom and democracy, equality and justice. I believe that
this is the blueprint to structure the rest of the world, including Bangladesh.
Sheikh Mujib wanted to
structure Bangladesh on the same principles of coexistence. Sheikh Mujib
espoused secularism that is confirmed from the fact that he selected one of
the poems of Robindernath Tagore, a non-Muslim, for the country's national
anthem. The name of his political party is Awami League that has no religious
affiliation. Before 1956, it was called Jinnah Awami Muslim League. The words
Jinnah and Muslim were dropped to make it a party for all, irrespective of
religious connections.
We have gathered here this evening under the banner of Awami League. This is the
political party that won the
general election of 1970. At that time, there was no Bangladesh as a sovereign
state. It was a wing of Pakistan, called East Pakistan. During the general
election in Pakistan, Awami League won majority of seats. As it happens, the
leader of the party that wins the majority of seats forms the central
government. On the contrary, Awami League was denied its legitimate right to
form the government. It was because Pakistan did not want that their country
should be ruled by Bengalees. On March 1, 1971, General Yahya Khan postponed
the Assembly session indefinitely. To protest that decision, he called for a
general strike. Troops of Pakistan moved into action and a curfew was imposed
in answer to that strike. The situation grew tense.
On March 3, 1971, Sheikh Mujib
launched nonviolent, non-cooperation movement. On March 25 the Pakistani Army
started attacking unarmed Bangalees without giving any warning. Sheikh Mujib
was arrested. On March 26, all political activities were banned, press
censorship was imposed, all educational institutions were closed and bank
transactions were terminated.
The Pakistan army unleashed its
terror on the sleeping, unarmed Bengalees on the night of 25th of
March 1971. That night marked a turning point in the history of that country.
Independence of Bangladesh as a sovereign state was declared on a radio. When
this sovereign state was freed, it had nothing but destruction everywhere.
The transport and communication system, railway tracks and signals, and major
bridges were destroyed. There was no currency, there was no food, there were no
industries, there were no administrations and no defence. The land of
Bangladesh became red with the blood of three million Bengladeshis. Ten
million escaped to the neighbouring country of India. Millions of other
Bengalees had their cattle killed to feed the Pakistani army. Moreover, their
houses were destroyed and their property looted. Riots, fear, and exodus of
citizens left most of the land uncultivated. Many months after the war, many
factories could not be worked to their full capacities due to lack of skilled
managers and administrators, who came largely from Pakistan. The retreating
Pakistani army created threat and insecurity for the citizens by freeing every
prisoner. Armed robbery became the order of the day. There were cries from the
raped women. It was a land of anarchy and atrocities. Out of the confusion and
atrocities on defenceless persons, there emerged a new nation that is called
now Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujib became prime minister of a country that faced
“the greatest manmade disaster in history,” as he once said.
There was still something vibrant
in the country that no one could destroy. That was the hope of Bangladeshis,
that was the self-determination and love to work to build a new future
for Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujib and his government adopted four main
ideologies to follow. They included Bengali nationalism, socialism, secularism
and democracy. His secular democracy is almost the same that was of Jawaharlal
Nehru, the first prime minister of India. It may be called Nehruvian or
democratic socialism.
Sheikh Mujib believed in
secularism and democracy. Secularism means also multiculturalism. It also means
coexistence. Multiculturalism is based on the principal of live and let live.
That is a secret of the progress of Canada. That is a secret of the progress
of western democracies. That is what Gandhi and Nehru wanted for their countries
also and this is what Mr. Mohammed Ali Jinnah wanted for Pakistan. That is
what Sheikh Mujib wanted for Bangladesh.
Peaceful coexistence is possible
when there is rule of law. And when there is rule of law, minorities
participate fully in the nation building activities. And when minorities
participate fully in nation building activities there is significant reduction
in the brain drain that is caused by fear. This situation brings more money
within the country and more peace. That peaceful coexistence is the official
policy of Canada.
Canada expressed her desire for
peace more vehemently long before through her child Lester B. Pearson. He was
instrumental in establishing the United Nations, and he was also instrumental in
transforming Canadian society into a United Nation in the microcosm. Lester
Pearson,born in 1897, influenced the domestic and foreign policies of Canada
considerably. He describes his path to achieve his ideal society in The Four
Faces of Peace :
"... .How can there be peace
without people understanding each other? How can there be cooperative
coexistence, which is the only kind that mean anything, if men are cut off from
each other; if they are not allowed to learn more about each other? So let's
throw aside the curtains against contacts and communications." 1
Pearson's emphasis is on
multiculturalism. Before him, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, another Prime Minister of
Canada, said in a more poetic way:
"I have visited in England one
of those models of Gothic architecture which the hand of genius, guided by an
unerring faith, has moulded into a harmonious whole. This cathedral is made of
marble, oak and granite. It is the image of the nation I would like to see
Canada become. For here, I want the marble to remain the marble; the granite to
remain granite; the oak to remain the oak; and out of all these elements I would
build a nation great among the nations of the world."2
The above is one way to express
the multi racial character of Canadian society. Another way to express the same
thought is that of Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker. He said in
1961:
"It is rather a garden into
which have been transplanted the hardiest and brightest flowers from many lands,
each retaining in its new environment the best of the qualities for which it was
loved and prized in its native land."3
Mr. Pearson, a Nobel Prize
laureate for peace, puts in a different way :
"We are now emerging into an age when different civilizations will have to learn to live side by side in peaceful interchange, learning from each other, studying each other's history
and ideals and art and culture, mutually enriching each other's lives. The alternative, in
this overcrowded little world
is misunderstanding, tension, clash and catastrophe."4
There have been movements in
Bangladesh to crush the dream of Sheikh Mujib. That dream of Sheikh Mujib was
to live side by side with minorities in peace. The latest incidents of
religious intolerance in Bangladesh confirm that the country is turning into a
hotbed for fundamentalists. There have been attacks on religious minorities as
well as on secular intellectuals and journalists. These incidents do not bring
any credit to Bangladesh from the international community. These incidents of
intolerance will isolate Bangladesh further. International corporations do not
want to invest their capital in a country where there is no security. Such
countries create problems for other countries through the influx of refugees. A
country that has no security will not attract tourists that is a big industry
in this century. Several countries depend on the industry of tourism to earn
their foreign currency. To build a strong tourist industry, it is vital to have
security first.
I believe that peace comes
through peaceful means. I also believe that no government has any business to
get involved with religion. I also believe that peace and progress go together.
I believe that to achieve peace, majority has to take steps to make minorities
proud of their country. If there is no peace, intellectuals and highly skilled
persons will leave the country to settle where there are better opportunities
for them and also for their children. As a result of this brain drain, the
third world nations are becoming more and more poor.
We are living in a global state. The globe is under constant change though it does not
have its own government. In the
matter of taste, fashions, ideologies, travels, communications and several other
ways, the world is one. Telecommunication and internet have shrunk the world
further. For internet users there are no boundaries. We are living in a world
that is on the way of forming one secular democratic government. Just look
around this hall. We have people from different religious backgrounds and races.
It is just not possible to have only one race or religion in a country by
suppressing or killing others. It is just a dream to think of homogeneity in the
area of religion or race Why to try to have only one race or religion when it is
not even possible. No country can move forward without rule of law. This rule
of law must be enshrined in the constitution as well as in the souls of
the citizens.
Love begets love and hatred
begets hatred. Where there is hatred there cannot be peace and where there is no
peace there cannot be progress of any nature. Bangladesh is a country of
different religions and ethnic groups. Canada has even more diversity than
Bangladesh has. Here governments have been encouraging multiculturalism that
means that all citizens are equal before law and have equal opportunities for
progress. This practice has been promoting ethnic, cultural and religious
understanding and harmony. This practice also discourages hatred, violence and
ghettoisation. This practice encourages citizens to participate actively in the
social, economic and political life of the country.
This does not mean that Canada
does not feel tensions from differences. However, Canada learns to address
these tensions through peaceful means.. Canada is a signatory to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and also of several other treaties with the
international community. Canada has been learning to solve tensions through
dialogue and laws.
I believe that Bangladesh can
also solve its tension between its religious groups by recognizing diversity and
through dialogue and the rule of law. The future of Bangladesh depends on a
policy of peaceful coexistence with its minorities. Diversity is a natural
phenomenon. Every individual is different, every ethnic group is different,
every nation is different. No one can bring uniformity in creeds and colours.
Even God does not want it. In the garden of the world, God has created flowers
of different colours of different shapes and of different sizes and beauty. He
sends his sun to shine for everyone and sends his rain to fall on cottages as
well as on castles. It does not help anyone to shed the blood of those who do
not think or behave as the majority does.
For the sake of peace within and
without, there should be bridges of understanding, bridges to recognize that
diversity is the law of nature, the bridge of acceptance for the common good.
The majority that accepts this fact promotes peace, encourages prosperity and
stimulates the nation to move forward towards the smiling fields that nurture a
healthy growth.
Sheikh Mujib and Mahatma Gandhi
espoused coexistence that is the prerequisite for peace. The policy of live
and let live is based on the rock of tolerance. This philosophy promotes peace
and prosperity.
On the other hand, intolerance is
the sword that uproots the lilies of harmony. Intolerance is the poison that
kills life. It is the wall that creates division. It is the hand that
causes isolation and destruction. Intolerance is the same sword that divided
India and created Pakistan, causing a horrific bloodbath of the twentieth
century. Intolerance is the same sword that divided Pakistan and created
Bangladesh, causing another horrific bloodbath. The same sword is flashing in
Bangladesh again that has started causing another division. It is the right
time to break this sword for the sake of prosperity, progress and
solidarity within the country, and also for opportunities for everyone.
Intolerance is a rusted weapon now..
In the twenty first century in
which global unity is clearly visible, minorities are not that week as they used
to be and majorities are not that powerful as they assume themselves to be.
Moreover, every religious minority is in majority somewhere and every majority
is also in minority in other places. Suppression of minorities under one or the
other excuse is the suppression of beauty in the garden of humans. It is to
plant the shrubs of agonies in the valley of happiness. This does not help
anyone in any shape in any shape.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1Pearson, Lester B. The Four Faces of Peace. McClelland & Steward Limited, Toronto. 1964, page 17.
2Yuzyk, Senator Paul. For a Better Canada. Ukranian National Association, Toronto, 1973, pages 39-40
3--------------------. For a Better Canada. Ukranian National Association, Toronto, 1973, pages 88
4Pearson, Lester B. Democracy in World Politics. S.J. Reginald Saunders and Company, Toronto, 1955. Page 84
©Stephen Gill