A senior Jatyio Party Presidium member has called Jatyio party Chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad a betrayer for joining the Sheikh Hasina-led election-time cabinet.

 

How lowly can one get to be dubbed as the National liar only fit for spitting.

This may sound a bit extreme, but this is exactly what people of Bangladesh dubbed Hussain Muhammad Ershad, a one time Army chief and president of Bangladesh. He  had already been named as the world most shamless person by the nation, and now after almost 23 years he has again won the title for world most shameless liar. So who is this man worthy of mention ? well, I really don’t one to mention him, but for one reason; and that is to make it a historical record for the people of the world and for the future generation of Bangladesh to remember him for his lowly principles and morality.  I would not do justice if I didn’t elaborate the context in which Hussain Muhammad Ershad was dubbed as the world greatest betrayer, liar and a shameless person. He had ruled Bangladesh for 9 years as a military dictator before he was forced to relinquish power after a long agitation and mass uprising by the people of Bangladesh who had demanded that he should step down.  But in spite of many promises to hand over power, he persisted shamelessly. So the people gave him the Title ‘ Bisho Behaya’ which roughly translate as ‘World unashamed’ After a long battle with the state courts for corruption and misrule, both in and outside prison, Ershad contested the last election allied with the incumbent government of Awamileague and his party gained some 40 seats in the parliament, though the election result was thought to have been manipulated and rigged to put the Awamileague government in to power by Army General Moyeen U Ahmed in collusion with some foreign powers. His party, however, was given one ministry post by the winning Awamileague government much to his disappointment. In spite of Awamileague government many misdeeds, corruption, killings, and tyranny, he stayed with the government throughout the 5 years, although, many times he had expressed his frustration at government misrule, but he never made the final decision to leave the alliance. He persisted supporting Awamileague government in spite of their unpopularity and people’s anger at them.

 The main 18 party alliance of Bangladesh Nationalist Party which composed of Jamati Islam, and other smaller parties had made clear that they would boycott the election if caretaker provision was not restored in the constitution which had been there since 1996 under an all party agreement, and under which 3 elections was conducted. The incumbent government of Sheikh Hasina, after coming to power removed the caretaker provisions without consultations with the opposition or a referendum. It is perceived that caretaker provision was removed to give the ruling party ability to rig the election so that they can stay in power for another 5 years. Under backdrop of all this Hussain Muhammad Ershad at various times made public promises to his party supporters and to the Nation that he will not contest the election unless all party participated under a none partisan interim government. For records of history the following are the promises he made in the Media and at party forum:

 

1. On 19 October Ershad said, “I don’t want to become a collaborator with the ruling party against the people at the last stage of my life, If BNP does not participate in the election, my Jatyio party will not participate.”

 

2. On 21st October after a dinner in Prime Ministers residence, the government general secretary said in a press statement that Ershad had agreed to participate in the election, but this was again rejected by Ershad saying it was untrue and a lie. He again reiterated his commitment that he will not contest in the election alone or with the alliance if main opposition BNP did not participate.

 

3. On 11 November Ershad said, that if all party did not participate in the election, he will not contest under Sheikh Hasina’s government one sided election. He further said that if he participated, people will spit at him.

 

4. On 13 November Hussain Muhammad Ershad reiterated again that in the present political context, his party will not participate in one-sided election or so called all party interim government without the main opposition, the 18 party alliance. He said, “This is my final word, I have said this many times before that if all party does not participate, the election will not be accepted and therefore, Jatyio Party will not participate.”

 

5. On 16 November he said, “If I contest election from the government alliance, people will call me a liar.”

 

6. And most recently he said, “I am not willing to go even to heaven with the ruling government of Awamileague.”

 Now in a space of one month or less, after making so many promises to the Nation, Mr. Ershad surprised everyone, even his party’s most senior member, the former Prime Minister Mr. Kazi Zafar, and unilaterally decided to join the interim cabinet of Awamileague without informing most party leaders, and fully ignoring the party’s top forum, the Presidium. Majority of his  party members decided against it (joining the cabinet), and so it is akin to betraying the nation.

 After this unbeleivable act of betrayal, many intellectual and commentators. including the nation at large unanimously dubbed him ‘The world most habitual liar and a betrayer of nation, having no moral values or priciples. A prominent political scientist had even said that no mother in Bangladesh should give birth to such an imoral man. He has made history, people all over the country have fufilled his prophecy and spitted on his effigy, and in near future some one might literally spit on him so that his prophecy becomes true. I hope the next generation will  take lessons from this and change politics of betrayal, deception and lies and never adopt this man as a role model. May God Almighty save us from hypocricy.