by Ahmad U Shihab 13 May 2020
Speech of Dr. Asif Nazrul, a Law Professor of Dhaka University, at the Introduction of the Book, Begum Khaleda Zia—Her Life, Her Story, by Dr. Mahfuz Ullah
(Transcribed by Ahmad U Shihab from the original Bangla)
Thank you, friends. Thank you all.
At the outset, let me also thank Dr. Mahfuz Ullah, a very close and dear person of mine, for organizing this occasion.
The Famous Poster
In the late nineteen eighties, when I was a student of Dhaka University, I would be awestruck watching a famous poster. You all know which poster I am talking about. It was the famous picture depicting an arrested Begum Khaleda Zia from a political meeting at Dhaka’s Purbani Hotel. The camera caught a moment when she stood by the side of the police van and addressed the crowd, with the raised fist of challenge. I was thrilled that such a great leader was born in Bangladesh. And, today, I am proud to be talking about that great leader: Begum Khaleda Zia. Thank you, Mahfuz Ullah Bhai, for giving me the opportunity to speak on this occasion.
Let me admit at the outset that I am not much qualified to talk on the life or biography of a great person. I was earlier talking to (Nurul) Kabir Bhai (Editor of the New Age) that I had read only a few biographies. You may have read the Mein Kampf or its translation, the life of Nelson Mandela and a few others. So did I. I also read the incomplete biography or Diary of Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman). But I never made any academic discussion on them or any other biographical works. As you know, I work at Dhaka University, so I will relate my personal experiences only.
My father was an ordinary government officer, but he was a man of fine judgement. He called Sheikh Mujib “Sheikh Saheb.” In 1975, I was a boy of nine years. One day, I noticed that my father suddenly became very upset. He kept pacing up and down holding the small red radio set we had, and kept repeating to himself: “Sheikh Saheb has been killed…Sheikh Saheb has been killed.” I did not understand why such an incident made him so distressful. Later, in 1981, when Ziaur Rahman was killed, I saw my father weeping profusely. By then, I understood why he was crying. Because, I was also crying. Just a year earlier, President Ziaur Rahman invited some brilliant students–those who took top places in various board exams– to Bangabhaban and talked to them. I was fortunate to be one such student.
Nation Sunk in Sorrow for Loss of Zia
Later, during my short spell in journalism, I interacted with many people and personalities, heard and learned many facts and stories. People talked many things about Ziaur Rahman. Mahfuz Ullah Bhai will bear it out that all of them were unanimous on a few things about Zia.
First, his spotless and unquestionable honesty. In Bangladesh, whenever somebody assumes any position of authority, everybody comes to know his family members and his relatives, even distant ones. President Ziaur Rahman was an exception. Hardly anybody knew who his brothers or sisters were, much less his relatives. Shahadat Chowdhury (former Editor of the Weekly Bichitra) told us that President Ziaur Rahman had a standing order that none of his family members would ever enter the Bangabhaban or Secretariat. Second, Ziaur Rahman had tremendous capacity to work hard. Few could match his pace. Third, the Declaration of Independence. (On March 27, 1971), Ziaur Rahman made the declaration of independence first in his own name. It was immediately modified to have been made on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Everybody agrees that his declaration provided a tremendous inspiration to the people, who instantly took up arms to fight for the independence of Bangladesh. When such a leader was lost (in 1981), the whole country was sunk in deep sorrow and despair. Never in the history of Bangladesh so many people (more than 2 million) gathered to mourn the death of a person as did for Ziaur Rahman. That demonstrated what a great leader Zia was and how popular he was.
As the wife of Ziaur Rahman, Begum Khaleda Zia entered the political arena carrying that sympathy. But I was astonished to note how quickly she transformed herself from that status of sympathy to a position of dignity, honor and respect on her own right. We no more see her as the wife of Ziaur Rahman; we know her as Khaleda Zia. In addition, she developed a unique personality of her own, an unparalleled image of herself, greatly manifested during the anti-Ershad movement in the late eighties. She became known as “The Uncompromising Leader.” She did not deviate from what she said. She did not move even a hairbreadth from her stand if it was a matter of national or public interest, or if it was for the establishment of democracy, human rights or environmental concerns.
Ever Charming Even When Wronged
While fighting for those issues, she had undergone insurmountable hardships. I doubt if any other leader in Bangladesh ever suffered as much for the sake of the country as did Begum Zia. Yet, she was never broken. She remained as resolute and strong-minded as ever. When I saw her being taken to the courts, to the jails, to the hospitals, I did not notice any regret or remorse in her demeanor. She took it all in stride for the sake of the country and its people.
Nonetheless, we saw her making a few compromises at times when the issues were in the interest of the people. Let me give a few examples. Her party, the BNP, initially did not believe in Parliamentary Democracy. But when the people demanded it, she accepted and made it into law. When the majority demanded a Caretaker Government to oversee national elections, she immediately accepted and instituted it in the constitution. In 1996, when there was a growing demand for a more credible and participatory elections, she did not hesitate to dissolve the Parliament and hold a fresh and fine election within a few months. When there was something in public or national interest, she did not hesitate to compromise. But if there was something against the nation or its people, she never bowed to pressure.
I have noted another aspect of Begum Zia’s characteristic political conduct. She knew exactly what to say on what occasion. She also knew what words carried what meaning. When she spoke at the United Nations General Assembly for the first time, she openly challenged how Bangladeshi people suffered because of Indian hegemony. She was aware of the presence of India in audience, yet she did not hesitate to tell the truth and facts loud and clear before the world body.
Begum Zia and Bangladesh are Synonymous with Each Other
Begum Zia became a synonym of a Bangladesh of honor, dignity, self-respect and sovereignty. She became a symbol of Bangladesh. She has millions of followers and supporters across the country. It was not easy to write a book on such a person. It definitely was a challenging task for the author, particularly when the person is still alive.
When we go abroad and visit bookstores, we see huge collection of biographies and autobiographies of important people. Usually, there exist separate sections or shelves to display them. There are about 50 books on the US President Donald Trump. There are even books on various characters he had relationship with. Most top sportsmen have their life stories told. Unfortunately, Bangladesh lacks in that area, virtually none. There are some limited memoirs, compilations of tidbits on leaders, but not much in the form of complete biographical works.
At the same time, we have no dearth of readers. While going in cars, often book sellers stop us in the city streets and offer books. They give us books on Nelson Mandela, Abul Kalam Azad, even on General Pervez Mosharraf. That suggests people buy them and we have readers. Then why our writers are shy of writing on our leaders? Reasons are not far to seek.
Many countries and institutions offer fellowships for writing on great people. Unfortunately, Bangladesh doesn’t have such provisions, a big hurdle or handicap indeed to write in this field. Another setback is the absence of reference materials. The Awami League and the BNP have large websites but contain little reference materials. Whatever reference they give cannot be found; some websites cannot even be opened.
Pervasive Political Animosity
The most important reason is our political sensitivity and mutual hostility. It is so strong amongst us that if one writes something on Begum Zia, one is automatically branded as a BNP person. If one loves Ziaur Rahman, one cannot be a Mujib follower. Ridiculous! When we look at the sky, can’t we admire both the cloud and the sky? If we can say good things about Bangabandhu (Mujib)’s struggles, why can’t we appreciate the sacrifices of those who risked their lives and fought for the independence of the country, like Ziaur Rahman and other war heroes? If one can praise Sheikh Hasina, why can’t one do so for Khaleda Zia, for what she rightly deserves? What is the contradiction? Why they have to be immediately stamped with a partisan seal? Our political mindset became so poor that we cannot undertake the risk of writing on political leaders and their issues. It is very difficult for me to accept this mentality of ours.
Despite all these difficulties, bottlenecks and handicaps, Dr. Mahfuz Ullah undertook huge trouble to write and produce two great books. The first one was on Ziaur Rahman. I read it. It was a great accomplishment. He now came up with his second: Begum Khaleda Zia: Her Life, Her Story. I read parts of it. Hope to read the rest the soonest.
Before I start reading a book, I usually see the footnotes and bibliography. If satisfied, I go to read the chapters in the book. Looking at those footnotes and references, I noted how painstakingly Dr. Mahfuz Ullah had worked while drafting and producing these works. In most cases, he had to depend on primary sources, i.e., his own professional notes. There are not much secondary references. He took few materials from books and journals published earlier. My reiteration: he worked very hard in completing these great books.
Yet, it does not give complete life of Begum Zia. The author covered up to 2006, with a mention of a few events of 2008. To me, it is an outstanding achievement. Congratulation, Dr. Mahfuz Ullah! Following his example, hopefully more such biographies would be written. Once these books are in the market, there could be critiques, evaluations, even further research. The amount of labor Dr. Mahfuz Ullah had put into it, the commitment he made, and, above all, the risk he had taken are enormous. He should be commended and respected not by the BNP men and women alone but by independent observers also. He has positioned himself in an unparalleled status by presenting these two great books on Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia.
To me, after reading a part, or a chapter, if the reader doesn’t get a jolt, it is no book. I read the first book and a few chapters of this book. There is jolt in every page, every chapter. The book has many things about Begum Zia, which I did not know or they did not come to my attention before. I am glad I read them and know them now.
Birthday Controversy
The book mentions of a few controversies surrounding Begum Zia, willfully generated by hostile quarters. The author deals with them and answers the questions, whatever. One of them is her birth date. When Begum Khaleda Zia became Prime Minister the first time (in1991), her bio-data was written and circulated to all and it went to the media. There, her date of birth was shown as August 15, 1945. Everybody read it, knew it. Nobody challenged it, not then, not in the next many years. When she fell out of grace, it became a big issue, big question. A flood of protests flowed from vested coteries; even court cases were filed. Why? The author dealt with the issue very effectively with fine justifications.
If one reads the book, one will find some of the very interesting stories about Begum Zia’s childhood. Little known is one that she used to take singing and dancing lessons. She would go to the teacher daily very early in the morning. In those days, she participated in a number of cultural functions. Another interesting fact was about her father. He was an elected leader of Tea Planters Association, a respectable position.
And, this book is not for the BNP alone or for people who love Begum Zia. This is a book for those who want to know the political history of Bangladesh, the Anti-Ershad Movement in Bangladesh. Today, we hear of terror attacks at political rallies. Let me remind you, Begum Zia was the first person in Bangladesh to face such attacks. Her political meetings and gatherings routinely had grenade and bomb attacks, indiscriminate firings. I urge all to read this book to know all these and many more assaults that were made on her person during her long political career. For obvious reasons, most media outlets are shy of mentioning all such attacks and the suffering meted out to Begum Zia by hostile quarters.
Fate of Bangladesh and Khaleda Intertwined
I want to conclude by saying one important thing. It is a comment from Begum Khaleda Zia herself. An outstanding comment! She said that the welfare and future of Bangladesh were intertwined with her personal life. When Bangladesh looked good, she felt good. When the country went through troubles, she was troubled too. It is a feeling in her, a realization. We know Bangladesh is not good today. As such, we can also assume how Begum Zia could be. In fact, her heath is no good. We hope Bangladesh turns sound and good so that she can also be good in mind and body. Her definition of sound health of the country is a Bangladesh with self-respect, dignity and honor with its sovereignty uncompromised. But not feeling oneself safe by sending and keeping the family members abroad.
Thank you all very much.