Digital Bangladesh -2021, Asia 2025 and Indian Loan
Muhammad Shamim Akhter, 9 August 2010:
A.
I used to contribute to a Bengali National Daily- the Daily Inquilab about international affairs nearly ten years ago. My place of interest was the South Asia and the relation of Bangladesh with its neighboring countries. While I was studying in the department of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University from 1994-2000, I had the interest of International relation specially India-Bangladesh relation too. The findings what I had been gathered is almost the same what I see even after ten to fifteen years later. Basically the foreign policy of India is driven by the doctrine of Channyakaya who was an ancient political philosopher of India . According to his philosophy Vijugisu was his desired state which should be supreme by nature and the most significant feature of his philosophy was that the relation with the next neighboring state with his state might not be good in general. For instance, if his state is A, the relation between A and B will not be good rather the next to B, C shall be A's better neighbor. Why the nature of such relation is that his state that he dreamt for will keep hegemony over the neighboring countries. In consideration to historical and ideological approaches it has been proved in the nature of India 's foreign policy especially when it started to drive in the path of Manu sanghita. The relation with its neighbors had not been trustworthy all around the period last 50 years. India was pointed as the trouble maker for the neighbors rather than a peaceful neighbor. This was harshly experienced by Sri Lanka for that late Prime Minister Rajib Gandhi of India had been gutted by a marine soldier of Sri Lanka; this hypothesis was testified by a great deal of events with Nepal, Sikim, Maldives, Pakistan and of course for Bangladesh.
This ancient doctrine has been assorted with the modern doctrine of India 's most recent leader Jaharlal Nehru who commented in his book that (sum and substance) the neighboring states might be survived at best with their cultural identities rather than religio- political identities. On the light of old and new doctrine of Indian think-tanks, we have to think about the real nature of Indian foreign policy.
The report of RAND foundation of the USA published in last part of 1990s has inspired me tothink about the seriousness of Indian imperialism rather than expansionism.
RAND was a USA based policy study group which has influence on forming USA foreign policy. Its doctrine of rescheduling ASIA by 2025 was so alarming, interesting, bizarre that the policy maker of the USA was suggested that by 2025 Indian Subcontinent should be rescheduled where the existence of Bangladesh or Pakistan and even other states were never be existed. Regarding the topic I wrote an article in the Daily Inquilab in 21 December on 2000.
After about 9 years later when Awami League Government came to the power the melody that has been started to play has the resemblance to the melody of RAND foundation.
Instead of improving electricity in last one year that may drive the nation towards a sustainable industrialized modern country, they ad been proposing to a Digital Bangladesh, which may be attained by 2021. It was really a matter of thinking why it could not be by 2012/ 2013; on the other hand it was suspicious why it would be after 10 years! Is there any guarantee of theirs to remain in power up to that time?
As per RAND Foundation's report if Bangladesh would merge into India by 2025 than shouldn't it be a matter of concern than any other illusive hypothesis? What is the back ground of 2021 hypothesis?
In order to be digitalized it requires to have constant electricity supply because unless computer run no digitalization process is possible. Since there is no positive answer in this regard by last one year it is a real provocation and illusion indeed. The reality remains anywhere else. In the name of irrigation the load heeding of electricity in the summer, neither benefited to the farmers nor the mass since they themselves have not supplied electricity, different TV channel and Newspaper reports are the evidence; in the middle, potato worth of billions of taka kept in the cold storage have been destroyed so that imported rice may go run out fast and since rice is a strategically goods that was said by Debu da; any dependability on alternative food might not make the passage for neighboring hegemony clearly mentionable Indian hegemony in the name of Food (which can not even feed her own people). Chotrishgor of India may be a good instance where people have to fight for their minimum food stuff. If this is the reality of India borrowing from India is a trick rather than pacification of the problem!
B.
The rapid trip of Pranab Babu, the Minster of India on 7 August 2010, has switched on many questions before the patriotic force of Bangladesh . The terms and conditions of the agreement signed between two ministers have remained under shroud followed by the previous persistence.
When BNP leader M.K Anowar raised a question whether the particulars and the rate of interest for loan from India might be beneficial to the country, none but the Finance Minister of Bangladesh Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhit himself roared like the Royal Bengal tiger sitting beside the Indian Minster alleging him and remarked his sense a ‘nonsense' which seemed it was a remark or reply from the Indian delegation! It could at best acceptable if he would say later in any occasion.
Regards to this Minister many things may be sighted. On the eve of the budget address for 2010 he confessed that he would not bring any charm to the budget. If he could not bring any charm what was his credibility to have his presence in that post? Not only this, he commented that in the electricity sector there was a ‘famine' going on. In addition, report of Daily Protho Alo (5 August 2010, page-15) published his remark about the micro credit. The sum and substance of his comment was that micro credit did not minimize poverty although micro credit had been massively disseminated. Regards to the famine of electricity I am bound to say that a nasty game is played on in this sector which he always bypassing or has no dare to focus on that. In the midst of artificial crises Summit Group, a company of the Commerce Minister of Bangladesh, was offered a lucrative electricity deal without calling any tender that was proposed by Al leader Mr. Tofael Ahmed so far been recovered from theirs statement in the Television. This deal will bring national loss of worth of millions of taka. (Report of the Daily Naya Diganto). Is this Minister concerned over the mismanagement?
For the reason the then Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was abhorrent was devastation of famine in 1974. Historical sources suggest that there was no food crisis at that time; it was the artificial crises created by Awami League Leaders who were famous for ravenousness. In the same way, after nearly 30 years, modern ‘strategical' instrument: electricity, has been used by the same greedy circle. Once the patriotic force will advance, the reality must come in to broad day light. As far as micro-credit concerned, in case of his comment is taken as right then what was the anticipation of his fellow intellectuals who advocated usury based micro credit should be best option to poverty alleviation years back.
It is boldly said that usury dealing is the act of war declared against Allah and it can not bring any victory at all. In the same way, by-passing the internal reserve, loan, no matter what the percentage of interest incurred from India , my not bring any bravery consequence like micro-credit. Recent report suggests that there are about 19 thousand crore taka is left idle in the Bangladeshi Banks. If this is the reality is it a matured approach to beg loan hurriedly from the controversial Indian source.
We are more suspicious about the real motive of recent and sudden trip of Indian Minister? One of the reason might there be to make the nation bluff so that they might eat Indian imported food stuff in the coming Ramadan without making any trouble. During the month of Ramadan the nation has to pay a lot of foreign currency to consume costly Indian food stuff. The Indian sympathizing syndicate earns a lot of extra money on that eve which is used for their operation in the subsequent months in Bangladesh .
The second probability is to manage Indian transit which may make Bangladesh a target of rebels of the seven sisters. Transit to Nepal and Bhutan is the international obligation since that country is landlocked. But having routes through Asam, the possibility of Indian Transit through Bangladesh may depend on the various variables of Bangladesh . And there would be no guarantee whether India would get transit. Regards to the development of railway we must suggest to the GOB to curve the corruption in the sector. Curving the volume of corruption in the sector may mass up huge fund that may modernize the sector rather than to be chained up with the chain of Indian interest or usury.
On the whole, we are suspicious whether the loan would really be deposited to Bangladeshi bank? Is it a cash loan or goods-loan? Or if that is right what sort of low quality goods might be ready to be shipped at Bangladesh . In the name of realizing project, will not RAW operatives enter into the country that may ultimately make a parallel security shield for harboring the collaborative faction in the country? What will then be said by Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhit: “Though Indian loan has been disseminated the national progress is not satisfactory.” Mind it once the independency is gone off it may be hard to lie down on that chair.