Within minutes of genocidal mayhem unleashed on an unsuspecting nation late in the night of March 25, 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman scrawled in his own hand the declaration of Bangladesh's independence, forever dissecting this land from the exploitative rule of West Pakistanis.
With no effective communications tools at his disposal, he chose the trusted form of telegraphic messaging. On March 7, he had warned the tyrannical rulers against any further violence on Bangalis. The UNESCO recognized speech was colloquial communication at its best; the cryptic undertones were just as clear; the open call for resistance was undisguised.
And yet, as dusk descended on March 25, streams of leaders thronged for parleys with him. Student leaders pleaded for direct decisions and Tajuddin Ahmed, who would within twenty-odd days become prime minister of the provisional government, returned frustrated along with a tape recorder and the draft Declaration of Independence that he pleaded the man to record.
But the Bangabandhu's mettle was unprecedented. He wasn't one to give Yahya Khan the slightest excuse for accusations of treason. Nor did he expect such brutality to be unleashed on a people that had given their mandate for a six-point election manifesto that sought self-determination. At the same time, he wasn't unprepared either.
As later accounts reveal, instructions had been given to a close knit group on next steps. In that hastily written declaration he stated clearly the genocide perpetrated and repeated his decision for resistance.
The declaration, not in the same words, were repeated on clandestine radio from Chittagong and galvanized the beginning of a torturous war that would take three million lives and over two hundred thousand women being molested.
Fifty-two years later his farsightedness has become all the more clear. Pakistan is a quagmire of internecine discord, an economy that's essentially bankrupt and a population that still doesn't know what their ancestors did in the ten eastern wings during nine months of 1971.
Bangladesh has its own difference of views, but as with any democracy these are our differences. There are no arguments about the equality, rule of law that people want in governance; political parties have similar goals -- but disagreement on how to get there prevail.
All is not right with the state as Bangabandhu realized in the initial days of his relatively short tenure. Much of his belief in the nature and attitude of, in particular, the upper-class was anathema to him.
Time after time, at public forums and informal sessions, he pleaded for better sense and true patriotism in addressing corruption, profiteering, and hoarding. That famous quote, roughly translated, "thieves don't listen to scriptures" said it all.
Hands on heart all of the above plague our society even today. Continuity of policy and visionary thinking crucial for rebuilding a shattered economy and progressing ahead has given a boost that has earned admiration and respect. Infrastructure development and continuous gross domestic product growth has repositioned Bangladesh in South-East Asia, especially SAARC.
It's ironic that our magnanimity in housing a million Rohingya refugees is being viewed as something we are capable of with all the risks, economic pressures, and social discontent involved. Few countries can boast of such achievements as Europe squabbles over whether or not to take in refugees and behind the smokescreen of generosity, find clarity in what to do with Ukrainian refugees.
We have proven to the world how strong resolve and leadership has allowed this import dependent country to tackle a host of unknown issues, ranging from energy security through pandemic handling, to re-starting the economy.
Bangabandhu's lamentations still hold true and are possibly the most difficult barriers to be overcome in the journey to become a developed country by 2041. In the shorter term, there are a multitude of problems that are to be resolved provided the political will is there.
Balance of power and reciprocal accountability between bureaucracy and public representatives has to be ensured to curb the unbridled control that businesses have taken for granted. Education that prepares the next generation for the evolving future, inclusive of technological hegemony and climate control politics, is a crying necessity.
An independent nation with potential yet to be realized must now ready itself to be part of the populous group of countries that must in turn be prepared to position themselves in a new order.
Internally, but stoked by hideous forces, terrorism, drugs, and closing the demographic divide is no longer a pipe dream. It's a reality that rings true and will make us as proud as did the 1952 Language Movement that ensured our right to be quintessential Bangalis, and the 1971 War for Liberation that instilled within us further faith and belief.
Most important is to recognize that what got us here won't take us there. Those scrawled lines came from a visionary leader. It's up to us to read further between the lines for a truly emancipated country free from hunger and all deprivation.
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.
