The joke is on us
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Golam Kibria
President Bush and Tony Blair are sitting in a bar when a fellow walks in and asks the bartender, Isnt that Bush and Blair sitting over there?
The barman says, Yep, thats them.
So, he walks over and says, Wow, this is a real honour. What are you guys doing in here?
Bush says, Were planning World War III.
Really? Whats going to happen?
Bush says, Well, were going to kill 140 million Iraqis and one sexy blonde.
The guy exclaimed, A sexy blonde? Why kill a sexy blonde?
Bush turns to Blair, punches him on the shoulder and says, See, smart ass? I told you no one would worry about the 140 million Iraqis.
Well, this is a popular joke during the Iraq war. The recent Brahmanbaria incident reminds me of the joke, particularly after Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoques remarks. We, out of nowhere, discover how a word becomes bigger than a sensitive issue!
Though the minister denied allegations of making abusive remarks (Malauner baccha, an expression demeaning Hindus) about the Hindu community. The ruling Awami League lawmaker from Brahmanbaria also challenged those who made the allegation, seeking proof on it.
I am ready to quit (as minister) if anyone can prove it (allegation), he said at a press conference at Nasirnagar upazila of Brahmanbaria on Sunday.
We are not sure, who is lying, the media, social media activists or the minister. The netizens, however, flooded the social media with angry posts condemning the comment. Protesters across the country also demanded Sayeduls resignation, as there were similar attacks two days after his visit.
The minister successfully tricked the ball into journalists court.
After the press conference, the tone of social media activists has dimmed down and many of them are now searching for the video clips of that particular part of what he exactly said. Well, there may not be any video available any longer. Does it mean that the reporting was wrong? Do we need video footage of all events we do reporting on, to prove accuracy?
We Bengalis are really weird. We forgot the main issue and started running after a word malauner baccha. It implies that uttering the rude word was the only blunder.
The minister, who went to visit his area three days after the attacks, accused the media of exaggerating the attacks and also reportedly made a derogatory comment about the Hindus. The minister didnt deny his comments, maybe because the video clips of these statements have become viral by now.
Do we still believe that making such statement by a sitting minister and guardian/public representative of a certain locality is not a crime? Isnt it an act of iniquity to visit the locality three days after the incident where religious minorities are in great fear, horrified and helpless, and being attacked several times? Is it also not weird to claim the situation as normal despite 15 temples and more than 100 houses being demolished? Alternatively, it will be considered an offence, only if a person makes derogatory remarks on Hindus!
The writer is Senior News Editor of Independent TV. He can be contacted [email protected]
