Are we being organised for armed clashes?

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A LEAD story in the Bengali daily on Sunday said that the government has issued more 12,000 firearms license in the last six and a half year to party men apparently to use them in self-defense. But as it appears that they were used to intimidate rivals and kill the opponents in bizarre violence terrorizing the society. Even they are not bothered to tolerate RAB’s intervention to restore law and order. A former Home Minister of the present government reportedly issued more than 3,000 firearms license to party men of her constituency in the capital which included pistols, rifles and shotguns and many party men even got more than one weapon. In some estimates it is equal to the capacity of an armed brigade. But the reality is that the ruling party is sheltering criminals and unruly party elements. It is not however something new only more arms are distributed under the guise of politics. The former BNP-Jamaat government has also given 8,000 firearms license to party men in the five years term.
We have been saying neither BNP nor Awami League knows what democratic politics is and how to organise good governance. We say that non-politics of both the parties has brought the country to this situation where struggle for power makes wrong every right dangerous.
We have to recognise individually and collectively that for our failure as citizens to protect our rights we are to blamed most. The politics has become a selfish pursuit without limits. There is no area of government where corruption is not making life of the general public difficult. We must thank Transparency International for giving us information about various failures of the government. Only yesterday its report on corruption at every stage of Land Ministry has been published in the press giving due prominence.
The people are weak and voiceless in the absence of an effective opposition in politics. It is clear that under the leaderless situation the country is rushing towards widespread armed clashes.
The eminent citizens must rise to the occasion to save the people to be victims of armed political clashes. We have no political leaders to face the situation politically. But we cannot allow us to remain powerless and hope things will get better.

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