Our students have been used by politicians badly in recent times. It has become difficult to devote their time to educate themselves. They were misguided by their leaders and they in turn stopped thinking how important the responsibility was. Bangabandhu would not have gone to West Pakistan when military operation began on 25th March but for the wrong picture of public uprising presented to him.
We should not forget that there was a time when the best students were in politics and they could not be used as muscle power of politics. Mr H.S Suhrawardy never used the students for street politics. He wanted them to be wise thinkers through good education for future responsible leadership.
After Mr Suhrawardy’s death Awami League’s politics took a radical turn and street politics gained momentum. Under Bangabandhu’s leadership the student wing of Awami League came to the forefront. Bangabandhu depended on them for his confrontational politics for realisation of six-point based autonomy.
The students felt encouraged to give furious slogans for independence of Bangladesh. They shouted their readiness for an armed struggle. But when the Pakistan army launched operation all of them including the other Awami League leaders without exception left for India for their safety.
We do not want to see our future university student leaders do the same mistake of talking big without preparation for responsible leadership or without understanding the complexities of politics.
It appears, the students of Dhaka University are showing signs of restlessness for a change in our national affairs. Not only the students but the whole nation is in an angry mood for a change. That should not mean we must not learn from mistakes of the past.
The country needs very responsible leadership. The lives of the general public should be taken seriously. They must not give blood because their lives are considered of no value. Lakhs of people gave blood and their honour in the hands of Pakistan. We lost our leadership and later they faced brutal deaths. Now there is a leadership vacuum and the leadership has to come from educated leaders.
Politics of big talks without right preparations and right leadership cannot lead from the front.
Let the student leaders ensure full time teachers and not political activists of corrupt politics. The government universities have turned into centres of torture and extortion under the joint cooperation of political activists like teachers and students.
Our university students are our future leaders and they cannot be so without good education with foresight and a great sense of responsibility.
The young ones have great things to learn from our liberation war and the achievement. It would not have happened if Bangabandhu was not advised to go to West Pakistan to deprive us of his leadership at the crucial days of finality.
The country is in control of looters. The change has to be the patriotic duty of all.
