On 02 April 2009, the Chairman ACC resigned from his post, saying that there was no need to spell out the reasons for his resignation; it was understood that he was under considerable political pressure to do so. The State Minister for Law, Advocate Kamrul Islam rather gleefully commented that he was happy that the Chairman ACC had resigned and the commission could now concentrate on curbing "real criminals" as opposed to harassing politicians.

Lieutenant General Hasan Mashud Chowdhury (Retd) took over as the Chairman of the ACC a couple of weeks after the Emergency was declared on 11 January 2007. Within days after he took over he publicly declared a personal "jihad" against corruption, specifically targeting politicians, businessmen connected with politics and their wives and grown up children, instituting thousands of investigations and cases against them, while the Emergency government put them in jails without any specific charges.

The politicians and the other people, against whom charges of corruption were brought, bore it out for two long years and after the emergency was lifted, elections were held and the AL government took office, they got back at the ACC through the "normal" process of law. The process of investigations and cases of anti-corruption cost crores of takas to the national exchequer; the ACC doling out Tk. 13 crorer alone to prominent lawyers to pursue cases. Many of those that the Emergency government and the ACC targeted, are now sitting in the Parliament making laws, including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. So, all of these efforts and expenditures of money led to "zilch" as far as curbing corruption is concerned.

Instead of quietly concentrating on building up the structures of an institution which could lawfully and legally pursue corruption, Lt. Gen Hasan Mashud Chowdhury personalized a national issue into a one-man crusade against corruption, going extensively to the media and the "public", making himself the most "visible" person of the Emergency regime. Such authoritarian and totalitarian approach to anti-corruption led to an unprecedented witch hunt of colossal proportions, targeting anyone whom Hasan Mashud Chowdhury "thought" was corrupted.

The Emergency government and more specifically its prime mover General Moeen.U.Ahmed, the (still going strong) Chief of Army Staff found in Hasan Mashud Chowdhury an individual ready and willing to be the hatchet-man for cutting to size the politicians. The politicians however, refused to be cut down to size and Hasan Mashud Chowdhury offered himself up as the "fall-guy".

Lieutenant General Hasan Mashud Chowdhury (Retd) is a proud man - proud of his integrity, proud of his accomplishments, proud of his competence and proud of his religious convictions. Such pride can lead men up psychological blind alleys where they brook no obstacles to the fulfillment of their own ambitions and drives - ultimately ofcourse they achieve nothing and cause great harm to the society which throws them up in times of great crises. Such indeed is the price of pride.

¶ 4/04/2009 09:29:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post