From: asaleh@eos.ncsu.edu (ASIF  SALEH)
Subject: menon story
Originator: asaleh@c00565-1403br.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: asaleh@eos.ncsu.edu (ASIF  SALEH)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 17:41:00 GMT


Last month the cotroversy about `who shot
 Menon' rocked the political arena of
Bangladesh.  At this time a commentary 
by the famous journalist S.M. Ali in
his widely circulated ` The Daily Star'
 drew the attention of the conscious
citizens of Bangladesh.  Since the daily 
is a neutral one, the commentary, 
reprinted here, will help everybody to 
understand the extent of the 
irresponsible behavior of our shadow Prime
 Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed.  


================================================================================


MENON CASE: A PLEA TO HASINA TO TAKE A RESPONSIBLE LINE

          This is a direct plea to the
 Leader of the Opposition and the
Chairperson of the Awami League(AL).
  Sheikh Hasina:"Please, for heaven's
sake, call a halt to your campaign 
implicating the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist
Party in the attempted assassination of 
Rashed Khan Menon. Your unsubstantiated
charge aggravates the mood of confrontation
 in the country and threatens to 
create a situation that no political 
party -- or the administration -- can 
handle."
           Addressing a discussion 
meeting at her party's central office on 
Sunday, Hasina asked bluntly, 
"How could such a daring attack on an 
Opposition leader take place unless 
it was inspired by the government?"
           Then at the same meeting,
 reported in the press yesterday, the AL 
leader repeated her charge, originally
 made last week, that Menon came under
 attack after the "provocative speech" 
made by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia 
during the no-confidence
Parliament.
            Finally, to quote from the
 same speech of Hasina, "The government 
apparently knew about the attack on 
Menon beforehand.  The head of the 
government was so nervous that defying
 all medical restrictions, she
[Khaleda Zia] entered the operation
theater with T.V. camera to show her
psuedo-sympathy for her."
            It is strong attack on the 
Prime Minister, strong but 
irresponsible provocatve and inflammatory.
  It can set in the motion -- we hope,
 it does not  --chain reactions throughout
 the political scene in the country, 
provoke waves of anger and fear within 
the parties and make Bangladesh look like
 a country facing a possible bloodbath 
to the outside world, to our prospective 
investors, trading partners
            We can well imagine what kind 
of reports are being sent to world 
capitals from various diplomatic missions 
in Dhaka.
            To accuse a ruling party of 
being behind the attempted killing 
of an Opposition leader is irresponsible.  
It is more so when no proof is 
offered to justify the charge.  Here, one 
may suggest, if the AL leader has
 the slightest evidence, even within the 
realm of possibility, in this 
regard she should take up the matter with 
the Police, in her role as the 
law abiding citizen and member of Parliament. 
If the police should refuse 
to accept her complaint, she would be free 
to demand an explanation from 
the government.
             Since Sheikh Hasina has not 
taken these steps, we can only suspect
that she is playing to the gallery, rousing 
public emotion against 
administration and thus making a political 
capital out of a dismal event, 
the attempted assassination o
             This is not the way of behaving 
as a responsible opposition or,
for
If Hasina goes further with her
 present campaign in her personalised style 
she will be sacrificing her party's 
long term interests
gains.  She may well be putting her
 own leadership at stake.
              All this does not mean that we,
 in the media, or people at large
are satisfied with the way the government is
 handling the inquiry in to the 
attempt on the life of the
Worker's Party.  Whatever has been 
published in the media has left many question 
unanswered. The Opposition leader 
probably knows what kind of question is bothering
 us.  She should raise them with the administration -- 
preferably directly with the Prime
Minister --and satisfy herself that investigation 
is going on the right 
direction.  In case she is not satisfied, she 
should feel free to say to 
the public, either through the media or through 
her party meetings.  What she
 cannot and must not do is to turn the event into
 a political exercise for 
personal gains.
                How we wish the offer of mutual 
co-operation exchanged between
Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina in an imaginary
 correspondence published in this
paper would come true,thus paving the way for
 stability and progress.  It 
should come true soon.  Tomorrow, it may be
 too late.
                                          ---------------S. M. ALI