The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has ridiculed critics who she said find faults with the government and shower good advices in their writings and TV talk-shows, seminars and discussions.
In a signed article titled 'Bhalor Pasra' (good advices on display) and carried by a number of Bengali dailies on Monday, she said that such intellectuals were trading in poverty and miseries of the poor.
She said that such intellectuals were blind to the good things done by her government which she said had already done a lot for the betterment of the country and the people.
She said, 'The reason is that they are on demand when there is an undemocratic or unconstitutional government. Such type of people are unable to go to the people or get themselves elected, but cannot give up their greed for power. That's why they are untiring in talking about democracy though they are simply a band of sycophants readily available to flatter undemocratic or unconstitutional governments.'
'The people are benefited if the pro-liberation force is in power. But if there is no poverty, this class will lose business because poor people are their main commodity. They make fortune on the sufferings of the poor.'
'I will not allow any more game with the fate of my countrymen till I am alive,' Hasina vowed.
She, however, conceded that the critical comments of intellectuals were influencing the general people.
She also censured the intellectual for not being critical of past governments.
'The intellectuals who seem as if they are about to jump out of the television screen and pounce on my government, fall silent during military rule,' she said.
She said that no dialogues, talks and advices were heard after the carnage of August 15, 1975, killing of four Awami League leaders in jail on November 3, 1975 and killing of freedom fighters in early 80s.
This section of people turned active when military dictators began trading in politicians, she said adding that those who fell behind, cried out: 'use me'.
Those who were finally left out, changed their faces with the changes in the situation and turned revolutionists, said the prime minister in her signed article.
The people, who were critical of her 1996-2001government, remained silent during the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government, she said.
Hasina said that 13 secretaries of the government were sacked immediately after Justice Latifur Rahman was sworn in as the caretaker government chief in 2001 even before the appointment of the 10 other advisers, frightening the administration, but none of this band of people protested against the action.
She asked the then president Shahabuddin Ahmed and chief adviser Latifur Rahman how the telephone lines and power supply to Ganabhaban were snapped when the law enacted by parliament to provided security to the living two daughters of the country's founding president Sheikh Mujubur Rahman was in force.
'Who among this section of people protested against such injustice,' she said.
During the BNP-led alliance rule in 2001-2006, people were killed by the army in the name of 'operation clean heart', Awami League's research centre was closed down, Rapid Action Battalion was formed and killing of people in the name of 'crossfire' began, but there were no protests at that time, she said.
The prime minister said that at that time she had criticised the formation of RAB and 'crossfire' but faced criticism from this section of people.
Hasina also said that a military coup was attempted in May 19-20, 1996. During the tenure of the caretaker government led by Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, a military coup was plotted to strangle democracy.
The then president Abdur Rahman Biswas also tried to hinder handover of power to the elected government led by her, Hasina said.
Source : New Age
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