The New Nation - Internet Edition

Dr. M. S. Haq

Yesterday (01 November 2008), a spokesperson for ministry of foreign affairs - Bangladesh - outright dismissed some reports in the Indian media alleging involvement of a Bangladesh-based extremist group in the recent serial bombings in Assam. The spokesperson added "this is no time for finger pointing without proof". In the contemporary period, it has been observed the above or similar type of statement - as at least the first official response to media reports of above or similar nature - are being shared as applicable with world people in a somewhat routinely fashion by for example, South Asian governments such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

One of the questions here is: how much useful, harmful, effective and ineffective those reports and responses are when it comes to for example, taking the war on terror seriously by what I would call victim countries - I mean on account of terrorism and extremism - and channeling efforts, in a productive manner, towards winning the war at the soonest and at minimum costs. An attempt to answering the question would reveal several things of different dimensions - for example.

1. The reports could act as an eye opener for all concerned and could be considered as useful products of investigative journalism by those concerned (to mention a few) if the cause, effect and causality of events that led to those reports are based on say, a quarter of the truth or a half truth or a full truth - as appropriate.

On the other hand, if the reports are based on false premises, the outcome of reports could be instrumental in inter alia: creating, sustaining, spreading and promoting (as appropriate) - with or without any ulterior motive - confusions, misunderstandings and tensions between and among for example, victim countries in relevant areas. A windfall from the development could - inter alia and in varying degrees and subject to intervening, as well as other variables - help promote, in an incremental fashion or otherwise, negative mindsets of concerned governments and people when it comes to subjects such as, war on terror, help create environments polluted by accusation, counter accusation and mistrust, help promote grounds for misdirected and ill conceived policies, programs and strategies pertaining to or connected with say, war on terror, help divert, at least for a time being, the concerned states' scarce resources including opportunities to unproductive sectors, help attempt to prioritize non-competing local, national, global and other priorities, help politicize and commercialize journalism for destructive or similar purposes, help divide say, people of the region, and help redefine and restructure comparative, competitive and other advantages of concerned states and people.

2. A continually increasing frequency of reports based on false premises could inter alia be instrumental in promoting eventually a global journalistic order focusing on for example: (a) fooling the world by misusing or abusing (or both) the power of journalism, as well as ICT in overall pursuits of grabbing opportunities of weak states and weak people by depriving them of their legitimate entitlements; and enabling concerned world countries to play - in a more solid and decisive fashion than that at present - the game of confusion-led competitiveness in domains of war, peace, economics, trade and investment, among other things.

On the other hand, a continually increasing frequency of reports based on truth - either in part or in full - could be instrumental in inter alia: enabling world people to enjoy, sustain and promote benefits of present day civilization in a more purposeful and satisfactory manner than that at present; and establishing, as well as maintaining grounds solid enough for withstanding thrusts of on going uncertainties in pertinent areas of intra-generational and inter-generational transfers, per se. It will not be out of place to mention here: the effort of world people, governments, UN, OIC, SAARC, ASEAN, World Bank, EU and concerned others needs to be stepped up further for attracting, harnessing, promoting and recycle maximum opportunities of present day civilization for all on a per capita basis and in a sustainable manner.

3. Government statements of above and similar nature appear to me, among other things and at this point in time, a product of naïve realism, a product missing drastically elements of objectivity, maturity, logic and practicality, a product that does reflect a bureaucratic tendency towards taking serious things lightly and light things seriously, and a product that could do, both at present and in the future, more harm than good to concerned people and governments. How could a government afford to outright dismiss reports, especially, reports of above nature, of the media in the absence of at least some kind of proof in support of dismissing the reports? What were acceptable reasons for dismissing the reports? How could the government - after dismissing the reports - ask for proof? What a contradiction? Is it not a deliberate attempt on the part of government to hide the truth from say, ordinary world people unless the government has got something in its possession that is, at present, beyond the knowledge of those people, per se? Are acts of government in pertinent areas a part of leisurely games played by it at the cost of tax payers' money? What are the real motives and how are those motives shaping for example, present day international relations and politics at local, national, global and other levels?

The last word: Why can not we say, we require proof? Why can not we say, we will act upon receipt of proof? Why can not we wait - for a reasonable period of time - for proof before dismissing the report? Why can not we demonstrate to world people our openness and cooperation - at higher levels than those at present - needed for liberating or protecting (or both) Bangladesh and others (including inter alia the US, Pakistan and India), in a sustainable manner, from say, terrorism and extremism?

There are, at present, few things to hide from world people in an increasingly borderless and technologically advanced universe. Further, just-in-time and balanced reciprocal relationships between transparency and accountability and vice versa in areas say, governance - including inter alia state security management - constitute essentially part of initial conditions for success in pertinent areas in an ever competitive world.