Dynasty: Remember the Soap Anyone?

As promised, some "bemoanings" about Bangladesh.

I have long harbored an almost maniacal and pathological dislike for Bangladesh's erstwhile leaders -- Begums Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. I'll be the first to acknowledge that such visceral dislike of our esteemed leaders is petty and unbecoming of me. I'm not the only one, it seems. I just ran across this piece in The Daily Star by Brig. Gen. (retd.) Shamsuddin Ahmed. I hate to find myself agreeing with anyone connected to the military and not knowing his politics or his individual circumstances, I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with his opinion of these two so-called leaders. Excerpts and a link to the full article appear below.

"Some people say of [Begums Khaldeda Zia and Sheik Hasina] that one is better than the other. To me, they are just two sides of the same coin if you have followed the pattern of their rule. They most zealously kept in place all those things which Ershad did in his nine years of ignominious rule to undo democracy and foster corruption and crime in this country.

They sat majestically where Ershad used to sit as a dictator, and ruled the country like he did, with utter disdain for democracy and all moral and ethical values. Just to perpetuate their power, they literally vied with one another in politicizing in varying degrees all the national institutions -- the Election Commission (EC), the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC), the Public Service Commission (PSC), the bureaucracy, the police, and even the judiciary.

They have done the greatest disservice to this nation by politicizing the bureaucracy, the police and the judiciary. It will take years to repair the damage done, and to restore dignity and trust in these institutions. They have demonstrated an unquenchable thirst for power, and an insatiable greed for wealth and property.

As the heads of elected governments, the first thing they did was to allocate important portfolios to those cronies who were the closest and most crooked so that they could foul up things better than others. Then they would increase their own, and those of all other ministers and lawmakers, pay and allowances and perks and privileges, as if they all virtually lived on this subsistence. And this they would do more than once, in one term.

They would have the most luxurious fleet of cars to ride, the largest retinues and, of course, many armed guards in front of their offices and residences -- a sine qua non of power and privilege in an impoverished country. Then would begin the real game -- the grabbing spree."

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/06/12/d706121501131.htm