 |
| Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal |
Professor and head of the department of Computer Science and Engineering at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST),
Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal obtained his Bachelors in physics and Masters in theoretical physics from Dhaka University. He did Ph.D in experimental physics from University of Washington, Seattle and post-doctoral work at Caltech. He joined SUST as a Dean and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering as the Head of the Department. Dr. Iqbal was a pioneer in the development of Bangla computerization in the country. Zafar Iqbal is a prolific writer, the author of more than 119 books on fiction, science fiction, science and mathematics. His books earned him numerous awards including the prestigious Bangla Academy Award.
Abul Kalam Azad took the interview.
Do you think Hasina-Khaleda talk is necessary to end the ongoing political crisis?I don't think there is any connection between their sitting and the country's politics or elections. The planned dialogue has been imposed, and you can't get anything good out of this. Things would have been different had the two leaders sat together willingly. It will be worth it if their parties sit and talk.
One party says election must be held on schedule while another is for a delay….. The caretaker government is supposed to take three months to hold an election. The present government is taking two years. So, people will not accept if they fail to hold the election on December 18. There is no logic in demanding delay of the polls. There is no scope of it anymore.
You were vocal about changing the political culture. Do you find any changes after 2 years?There are some changes. At least one big political party is choosing candidates through their grass-roots level leaders and activists. I have been saying for a long time that former bureaucrats, ex-army chiefs and officers should not get into politics. They hold good positions and get good facilities. It is not acceptable to see them in parliament after retirement. Politics is for those who work at the grass-roots level. Maybe we don't see them, maybe they are not well educated or national figures, but they do politics with people and know their sorrows and sufferings. One party has done it and I hope the rest will follow them.
Secondly, after 1/11 many were arrested, although we don't know whose arrests were politically motivated and whose were for real reasons. But we know the perpetrators. Most of them have been arrested. But the arrest and imprisonment will surely have an immense impact on them. I believe they will think of the consequences before committing the same offense again in future. Most of the problems will be gone if many grass-roots leaders are elected.
Do you think politicians will learn a lesson from this?One thing is that the arrests and imprisonments did not take place quite properly. Seeds of suspicion have been sown because the arrested don't know whether they were arrested for their crimes or for political reasons. They may not be convicted, but it is now proved that they are offenders and we have read numerous stories on them in newspapers in the last two years. As for example, we all now know about the Bashundhara murder case, taking of bribe and how the money was transacted. I would be happy to see them tried and punished. But the government could not do it and it is their failure.
Do you support holding election under emergency?It depends on the intention of those who are arranging it. If they think they need emergency for various reasons, and if a fair government comes through it, then it is okay. But I am not saying that I want emergency. Emergency should be lifted. Because, if a major injustice takes place during election there will be no protest against it. Election should be held without emergency so that there is no scope of hatching conspiracy or doing anything unjust in the dark.
Evaluate the post 1/11 situation…..The situation before 1/11 was terrifying. I must say 1/11 was a positive step as it rescued us from the dreadful situation. The biggest contribution of 1/11 is establishment of the true history of our liberation war in text-books. It has been possible as there is no political government in office. The distortion of the history of the liberation war has been removed from the text-books, and I believe no political government will be able to change it. The government also placed some good people in some institutions. But they did nothing in the education sector. Our universities are in a dismal state. The two years of caretaker government was just a continuation of the past alliance government. The government should have sacked the political vice-chancellors, who keep on appointing their own party people, and the partisan teachers do not teach but manipulate results to recruit more partisan teachers. I expected that the government would clean the universities.
Businessmen play a big part in politics. How do you see this?If they get involved in politics, contest elections and become lawmakers for consolidating their business, like we have seen before, then I must say no to them. If they talk about economic development, stability of the country and holding of proper election then it's okay. Instead of contesting the polls they can give suggestions to the political parties.
The major parties are again back to their old habits. Many talk like they did before 1/11 ….If anyone expects everything will be fine in two years he or she will not be right. Democracy is a lengthy process….it moves ahead gradually. One elected government will be better than the next one. If election is not held and emergency continues then nothing will happen. But I am not frustrated. If I look back to the past governments I see that the last alliance government made some big mistakes and corruption became deep-rooted in the society. I hope the coming governments will not make the same mistakes. Democracy has to be exercised on the ground, not on paper. Whatever the problems are, and no matter how political parties practiced corruption, we must hold elections, form the parliament and move ahead. I believe several elections will shape our democracy. So, the election must not be delayed. The more we delay the more we will be lagging behind.
Evaluate the performance of the Election Commission (EC)? The role of the EC is very important. If we had a strong EC many of our problems might have been solved. Although we sometimes get confused, the overall role of EC is more or less just. I give them credit for preparing a voter list, which will be very helpful for elections.
Is there is pressure on the EC?Yes, both internal and external. When Nizami was arrested there was a problem in Kuwait relating to our Bangladeshi workers. But we suddenly discovered that Bangladeshi workers from Saudi Arabia were also being sent home. The incidents followed the release of Nizami. The matter was not projected in the media in that way. But we know the facts. So, we can't deny that there is no outside pressure. I hope the EC, despite the pressure, will play its role rightly.
Explain the role of the caretaker government?I tried to understand their role in the last two years but failed. People in the government are all very educated and modern. But sometimes they act more like fundamentalists. For example, they handed over the Women Development Policy to some religious persons, and we don't know where it is now. They pulled down the sculpture of Lalon and they did not arrest any of those who manhandled a freedom fighter in daylight. I don't understand their role. It really worries me.
Evaluate the anti-corruption drive? Is it losing the way and pace?If we compare this Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with the previous anti-corruption bureau, we must say the present one is more efficient and effective. The ACC has many limitations but it is trying, and has gained successes which we hadn't seen in the past. But it failed to maintain neutrality in arresting corrupt suspects. It was selective and did not arrest many who should have been arrested too.
List the failures of the government….The caretaker government got immense support of the people but failed to retain it. Now, many may say "this government gave me nothing other than buying rice in higher price." After assuming office, this government launched a massive demolition drive in the country, causing immense sufferings to the poor people. The arrest of university teachers and landing them in jails was a big mistake.
The minus-2 move was also a big mistake. Somehow, the government assumed that all the problems would be solved if the two leaders could be "minused" from politics. As they failed to do it directly, the government hatched a conspiracy and put pressure on them. This put in question the government's other activities. There should be transparency in the government's activities. Another weakness of the government is it started preparations for election too late. The biggest hurdle for the government will be holding the election on December 18. If they fail they will be held responsible. Being a teacher, I must say they could contribute hugely to education sector. They could stop many malpractices.
Do you think that government is compromising with the political parties?It has been more or less clear to us. It is a weakness of the government, which they should not have shown. They people once arrested for corruption are being freed. Why were they arrested when they were going to be released?
What kind of role do you expect from politicians?They are only talking about whether they will take part in the election. They are also pressing for their own issues and interests, which would help them win elections. But we don't find any clear idea or planning yet about how they will run the country and work for the welfare of their countrymen. Time is running out, but we are yet to see their manifestos. No one is talking about improving law and order, solving food crisis, handling climate change or combating rise of fundamentalism.
How can we make the parliament effective?We don't practice democracy. If a party sees that it will not come to power then it will not contest election. This mindset must be changed. Contesting election does not mean going to power. If you fail to form the government, you must go to parliament and talk about the welfare of the country and the people. Article 70 is also a bar in this regard. An MP should have the right to protest against the mistakes or wrongdoings of his or her party. It is true that if he or she only supports his or her party, he or she may have different ideas.
AssociatedPress 
