A. S. M. Abdul Halim
That was a clarion call, a call of a divine soul, a victorious giant, a triumphant warrior from his tumultuous heart with a unparallel courageous voice roared like a lion to fight like a rock against injustice, inequality, disparity and to uphold humanity, pride, glory and dignity. This was ‘Zia’ who once revolted against unjust society to do away with injustice, corruption and deprivation. He revolted to bring back peace and tranquility, happiness, harmony, serenity and prosperity. ‘Zia’ the great, the victor who revolted, fought and won. He did splendid and thereby brought victory, created history, giving birth to a independent country, sovereign nation ‘Bangladesh its name’.
Thus, Ziaur Rahman’s call ‘We Revolt’ was a powerful and uplifting voice that captured the essence of collective action, justice and the relentless pursuit of a fairer world. Zia’s conviction serves as both manifesto and a tribute to the enduring spirit that resists oppression and inequality. The call was neither an emotion, nor a sudden provocation, nor on a spur of the moment.
It entailed certain specific objectives: *To Stand against injustice and sins. *To eliminate corruption and deprivation. *To establish peace, equality and happiness. *To culminate the unavailing determination to achieve and sustain humanity and dignity.
These goals and objectives highlighted the moral and humanitarian foundation of the ultimate movement in the war and afterwards this great warrior became not only a president but also a statesman who stood beside the downtrodden, the oppressed and led silent, non-violent humanitarian revolution to feed the millions and to bring back their dignity. The peaceful movement brought self-sufficiency in food production, established justice by upholding law order situation and created harmonious situations in the society.
His philosophy of such movement as one rooted in ethical principles aligning it with the ideals of leaders like Gandhi & Martin Luther King Jr. who championed peaceful resistance. Now, zia’s son Tarique Rahman made a second “clarion call”, a call of peaceful coexistence & to establish a nation of unity, harmony, solidarity and tranquility. Mr. Tarique Rahman, now acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) emerged as a champion of reforms in line with the ethical philosophy of Shahid president Ziaur Rahman and brought to light a set of principles to run the states-craft which entitled as “A framework for democratic constitutional reforms, state system institutionalization, liberalization and public accountability”.
In its 1st line of introduction, it says, “The people of Bangladesh established ownership of the state through immense bloodshed in the liberation war in 1971, rooted in the ideals of democracy, equality, human dignity and social justice. However, since 2009 the authoritarian regime has deprived the Bangladeshi of this ownership through sheer misrule, injustice and atrocities, dismantling the foundational structure. Hence, “the state must be repaired and rebuilt”. In the structural reforms’ agenda, a philosophy of nation-building is laid down vividly in the second Para, wherein it is said, “An inclusive egalitarian “Rainbow Nation’’ in contrast to the politics of vengeance will be established based on Bangladeshi Nationalism, through the amalgamation of diverse views, paths, ideologies and religions. A new forward-looking ‘social contract is essential` built through continuous dialogue, exchange of views and mutual understanding. This is really an outstanding and marvelous thought relating to setting up a national ground in the name of a “Rainbow Nation”. An exciting and a thought-provoking idea for the human kind to be shared and welcomed by each and every Bangladeshi.
Now let us see what ideas actually a Rainbow Nation means, how does it fit in Bangladeshi political scenario vis a vis how does it go with structural reform of the present government system. While recalling the recent history, we saw this idea of ‘Rainbow Nation’ in South Africa, when Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu pioneered in their apartheid movement.
The concept of the ‘Rainbow Nation’ in South Africa is closely tied to Nelson Mandela’s vision for a post-apartheid society. It represents the idea of a diverse, harmonious and unified nation embracing its various cultures and ethnicities. Archbishop Desmond Tutu initially coined the term but Mandela embraced and popularized it using it to describe the newly integrated South Africa after the end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s first black President, championed the idea of a Rainbow Nation as a way to foster reconciliation and unity. This concept of Rainbow Nation emphasizes the beauty and strength, encouraging people to exist peacefully and celebrate their differences.
Despite the challenges the “Rainbow Nation” idea remains a powerful symbol of Mandela’s legacy and his commitment to building a more just and equitable society for all South Africans. Thus, the philosophy of “Rainbow Nation”, acted like Panacea in South Africa’s apartheid movement and Nelson Mandela was successful in this great venture. He was so happy that he exclaimed, saying “we enter into a covenant that we shall build a society in which all south African’s both black and white will be able to walk without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity- a Rainbow Nation at peace with itself and the world. A rainbow in the sky arrives with not only its natural bounty & beauty but also with a big lesson for people at large to integrate themselves for their well-being. A rainbow looks so elegant and beauteous in the sky when man and woman, boys and girls all alike are overwhelmed with joy and merriment. It is an amusement by the universal & natural phenomenon shown to the human kind as blessings for them. Why should we not take a lesson from rainbow to get united and live happily & peacefully together! The underlying belief held by Mr. Taique Rahman in the philosophy is crystal clear. The theme of the philosophy is about mind set of the people. It says that our mind set should be like a rainbow. Rainbow thinking is about embracing the diversity of the right possibilities and outcomes.
By better understanding when and why we move into limited ideas. We can expand or broaden our vision and horizon and foster genuine understanding empathy and growth. On the contrary, a narrow and restricted mind set creates a lot of hindrances to develop better way of life. -A rigid and narrow way of thinking that limits perspective and ability to see shady of gray (or rainbow), -Often leads to overlook alternative better solutions of companies, -Hinders problem, -solving and desire making ability, -This can increase conflict, and misunderstanding in the nation building process,
-It can lead to strong emotional reaction, stress and anxiety also rigid thinking makes less able to manage challenges and emotions, effectiveness. What betters rainbow vision-A flexible and balanced mindset, open to diverse range of thought, -Understands situation, understands what is good or bad, -Encourages open mind set considers different perspective & ideas,-Reduces emotions and conflicts, -Supports overall well-being of the humankind. Thus, the Rainbow Nation, is a wonderful idea brought by Mr. Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of BNP in his 31 points charter as a philosophy for Bangladeshi to broaden their hearts and vision to be united and to march forward together.
The writer is Former Cabinet Secretary, the government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. Now a member of the advisory committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Part-BNP.Contact: 01916-574900, E-mail: [email protected]
