Opinions will differ over when organized crime came into existence.
The reality is that it existed alongside the relatively lesser, unorganized crimes. Governments, politicians, and their agencies fund and support such groups in order to further their intent of a variety of objectives.
Some relate to regime change, others to maintain control, some to win in direct or proxy wars and inexorably, some to push business and commercial agendas. The ism named democracy, with its semblance of accountability allows, at times, classified documents to be de-classified; that too on a selective basis.
That’s when the general public comes to know what their leaders did or didn’t; could or couldn’t. These make the headlines on occasions, lead to books and historical discourse, and then as newer more pressing crises emerge fade from memory. Moulana Abul Kalam Azad left instructions that a part of his memoirs should not be published till decades after his passing. The public was not ready to absorb the words contained therein, in his opinion.
The White House discussions of Henry Kissinger on the War of Liberation are telling as are the telegrams sent by the US Embassy in Dhaka in the days prior to, during, and after the dastardly August 15 carnage of 1975.
There are countless other examples of aid and support to killers and profiteers as exposed by Julian Assange in the famous Wikileaks. It is a sorry indictment that the information contained in these documents and the Panama Papers are used by the powers that be as political weapons against opponents or just as protective shields to use their expertise.
Italian writer Roberto Saviano exposed the Casalesi clan of the Camorra mafia and like Assange lost his freedom as we know it. Assange is fleeing extradition to the US, including living in self-incarceration in a South American embassy in London for years. Saviano has been under police protection for 14 years, at times never sleeping in the same place twice. It is a price both have had to pay for the truth.
At international levels, movements and rallied protests don’t happen just by chance or spontaneously. Someone, somewhere has to bear the costs that are pathetically obvious such as Egypt’s Arab Spring and the French Yellow Vest demonstrations. The tents and food didn’t appear by miracle in Cairo or in Paris. The Hefazat movement in Bangladesh didn’t happen by chance, and the swell of crowds at Shahbagh had to find sustenance from somewhere, beyond the generous contributions of outraged citizens.
Facts that seep out with the passage of time still possess potent input into our raison d’etre. The publication of a book by a former RAW officer highlights some of the successes that the intelligence force has had overtly and covertly. According to an Indian journalist, it was RAW that funded and supported the events leading to the 1990 upsurge that toppled former President HM Ershad.
This includes convincing top leadership of the opposition to bury their hatchets, even for a while. In the cold of the day it pours water over all that has transpired of the role and revolts of the general population, students, and intelligentsia. That the organized crime groups were involved seems highly likely.
As in the case of the mafiosi, organized crime groups have their uses too. The muscle that accompanies money in today’s politics comes from them. Law enforcers that are mostly selectively employed know better than to apply the law leading to apprehended wrong-doers such as Shahed -- boastfully crowing that he will at best be in custody for six months.
Live and let live is the motto. Much has been said of the Tony Blairs and Colin Powells for presenting stark untruths to wage war. Little is said of foreign intelligence agency infringement of sovereignty. But when lethal weapons are available a dime a dozen, collective clout of strangulating dissent has descended to individual whims.
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.
