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| Bangladesh |
| The politicians deserve a sabbatical and no one should grumble |
| 2007-03-15 |
| Ahmadul Ameen Unlike other countries, politicians of every shade in Bangladesh are, in a way, a very dedicated and hard-working lot. Notwithstanding the fact that attending the parliament is not their highest priority, theirs is a tireless and round the year effort towards serving and building the nation. Even in opposition they cannot rest, because the morning after the election their crusade to topple the elected government starts. With missionary zeal they organise "hartals," "oborodhs," processions and rallies etc. at regular intervals -- despite their pre-election promises to not to do so. Interestingly, the modus operandi of all the major parties are identical. Although many of us envy their perks and privileges, wheeling and dealing, and the phenomenal accumulation of wealth, we fail to appreciate the hazardous nature of their profession. Many of us tend to envy their Hummers and Pajeros, but without appreciating their talent and enterprise in accumulating wealth at meteoric speed. Their professional hazards include periodic beatings by law enforcing agents, necessitating occasional treatment overseas. However unfortunate and undesirable these beatings are, it may be noted that some members of the law enforcing agencies manifested their impeccable impartiality by the fact that, given the opportunity, their kicks do not discriminate in respect of political affiliation, status or gender. In every profession there is a rest and recreation break. The academics are a privileged class of people who enjoy sabbatical leave after every few years. During this refreshing paid break the academics are generally free to pursue their interests, not tied down by routine activities, when they can plan and fine-tune the future direction of their research. I still cherish the memory of my last sabbatical break at the beautiful university town of Madison in the state of Wisconsin. |
| Posted by:Fred |