The demolition of Rangs Bhaban was a symbolic equivalent of the 1/11 military government. Exactly as what was with Rangs Bhaban, i.e. spectacular demolition an imposing indestructible structure; this military government embarked on a similar larger scale project with whole of Bangladesh.
Rangs Bhaban demolition in 24 hours notice was termed as a symbolic victory over corruption. Look at this blog and read in the comment section how the early supporters of this military government drooled at this fiesta of destruction.
However, as warned by a few, the bulldozer revolution of 1/11 faltered all through its way. The military government came with promises of rooting out and cleansing the country of corruption. Well nearly one year later, corruption is as rampant as before and none of the so called corruption kings could be convicted in corruption charge. All the unbelievable number of jail years given to politicians are all income tax or firearms cases. Any of the members of the current government can easily be implicated in similar income tax or firearm crimes. Then the bulldozer revolution tried to beautify Dhaka by destroying slums, control the markets by sending soldiers to market places, and control politics by purchasing some collaborator politicians and editors. And fortunately for the people of Bangladesh, all these misadventures failed.
Rangs Bhaban ( although Governments’ collaborators initially tried to publicize that it was built on illegal land, court order confirms that it was not) was evacuated in 24 hours notice, hundreds of businesses got uprooted, and some RAJUK daily laborers broke the beautiful glass walls with big hammers.
Soon the bulldozer revolutionaries started grasping the magnitude of the job and their inability to finish the job they started. A company was allocated the demolition job ( Hint hint: Lt Geneal Hasan Masud). The nation was told that a demolition expert company would do that job with surgical precision.
Well several months later, we now hear that the job was taken by a company which had no idea of the enormity of the job. Only experience they had so far was demolition of two very old three story one unit flat building in Chittagong. And even that company did not keep the job to themselves. They charged the government 75 lac taka and subcontracted it to labor contractors for 25 lac taka, thus earning 50 lac taka by only being a collaborator.
And the result is very visible today.
Look at the mess this government has put us into. This is what happens when the wrong people embark into a job which they do not know how to handle and which is not their job either.
Rangs Bhaban is precariously hanging in the air today. Partly collapsed, the rest of the huge structure may collapse any moment. Dead bodies are hanging from the rubbles. Per different newspaper reports, as many as 30 workers are still trapped under the towering rubbles. No rescue operation is being planned as the building is too difficult to approach.
In previous thread termed Rangs Rongo, many of the military government apologetics boasted that Rangs Bhaban was the symbol of this governments’ crusade against corruption. I agree with them. The current state of Rangs Bhaban is the symbol of this military government.
And most unfortunately, the victims of these misadventures are not us, nor our elite brethren in Bangladesh. The victims are the poor people in Bangladesh. The decision makers of Rangs demolition will roam around and chatter around happily, the conspirators, collaborators of 1/11 bulldozer revolution will keep enjoying the advisorial, editorial, ambassadorial perks, but the poor people of Bangladesh will keep hanging like that poor soul in the picture. Someone buried under Rangs rubbles, the rest of them buried under the soaring price of essential basic food items.
It’s a mess. A big big mess.
December 10, 2007 at 9:27 am
Thank you Rumi bhai. I did go back and read the mindless supporting of the destruction of the Rangs building. Amazing, isn’t it, the lengths some people will go to in order to defend the indefensible?
I find it disgusting that dead bodies are just hanging from the building and there is nothing we can do about it.
December 10, 2007 at 11:22 am
Add to the symbol of present goverment, it also has become a new symbol of corruption of present goverment.
December 10, 2007 at 3:09 pm
“Its a mess”
A title so simple but so powerful.
Rangs bhaban, is it also the symbol of the mess this stupid govt. has created so far?
December 11, 2007 at 4:24 am
I heard there have been more than 100 deaths & exposure of this has been suppressed.
Is it true…?
December 11, 2007 at 5:40 am
Rumi Bhai, the sad thing is, even after all this, many of those who cheered Rangs demolition earlier this year are still cheering the regime on. You can see some of them in the threads on the RU teachers in this blog as well as UV. They are still singing the same tune – it’s all the fault of those who ruled in the last 36 years, and this ‘care taker government’ (some are still deluded enough to believe that fiction) is the best thing since boiled rice. And the regime is counting on these cheerleaders – most of whom care a lot for Bangladesh – as useful idiots in its propaganda.
December 11, 2007 at 9:44 am
[...] being replaced by the realization of the awesome dimensions of the military government’s incompetence and heartlessness become clear, even the junta’s most ardent supporters must entertain a [...]
December 11, 2007 at 12:05 pm
One must understand the intelligence level few of these military personnel. Musharraf is a recent perfect example of how low these people can go for power. Once tested power they are worst than man eater animal. Ever existences wolves join them and feast began. As their smelly foul existence becomes exposed, anyone who would protest, they let wolf to go after them.
It takes time for peaceful public mind to set aside daily struggle and gather up and take action to eliminate these animals. We have done these before. We have to do it again.
December 11, 2007 at 3:37 pm
rather than blaming the CTG, why not blame the idiots who undertook the demolition (native bangladeshis no doubt). Perhaps the French should go in and knock it down. They are, in fact, properly showcasing bangladeshi artificts as I type. Moral of the story .. . if you want a job done right, go as far away from Dahka as possible . . . ask the French. Joy CTG! Joy CTG
December 11, 2007 at 7:37 pm
#8, what’s that smell?
Rumi, I was just re-reading the comments from your earlier post on UV. I had asked then how one punishes a building. The distruction of this building was to be an example to all the “corrupts” I was told. I hear similar arguments about the conviction of the RU professors. Their conviction will apparently make an example of them. This is not called the rule of law.
In the euphoric rush to destroy this “symbol” tragedy has struck. I also notice comments from back then suggesting that the tenants at Rangs should have known full well that they could be kicked out with no notice. Tough luck, apparently. Yet I notice that when an Advisor’s family squats on a property without a lease some are all of the sudden for due process and maintaining the status quo.
What a shameful and sad situation this is. The cheerleading from back then makes it worse.
December 11, 2007 at 10:19 pm
It’s a masterpiece Rumi Bhai. I agree with you boss, the rangs bhaban demolition perfectly symbolizes the sorry state of the govt promises and the implementation.
December 13, 2007 at 12:43 am
[...] 13, 2007 in Blogroll by shamshir An incredibly powerful piece from the inimitable Rumi bhai: It’s a Mess The demolition of Rangs Bhaban was a symbolic equivalent of the 1/11 [...]
December 13, 2007 at 12:49 am
Powerful stuff, Rumi bhai. Probably one of the best pieces I have seen in the Bangladeshi blogosphere.
December 13, 2007 at 5:17 am
Thanks Shamshir. Let’s all hope that those 14 some souls will get a burial without further delay.
December 13, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Lovely. Lets go back to pre 1/11 and drown in our collective filth. You do my country a great service.
December 13, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Lovely. Lets NOT go back to pre-1/11 and drown in a sea of concrete with the blood of innocents on our hands.
December 13, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Or let’s go back to pre 1/11 but collect a Nobel Prize on the way for inventing time-travel.
December 14, 2007 at 10:39 am
I have to echo shamsir, Rumi bhai. When I read this, I had goosebumps. One day, maybe 20 or 30 years from now, we will look back on this “CTG” and trust me we will all realise how much more badly this issue reflects on the government than the arrest of the teachers or anything else it has done till now.
December 15, 2007 at 1:39 am
I know it is not related to this particular posting. But, I feel that I must discuss this issue, anyway.
Election commission has recently appointed Dr. Kamal Hossain to fight for EC against main stream pro-Khaleda BNP in court of justice. How ethical and lawful was for election commission to appoint a partisan Dr. Kamal against another party BNP.
As we all know that Dr. Kamal is the leader of a political party called “Gana Forum” that contested in 2001 election.
Dr. Kamal is a well known political leader representing a political party that contested in a general elecetion. How on earth election commission, being an independent body over seeing elections, appoint a person with vested political interest to fight for them in court of justice against another party?
People should rise up against this appointment and must start asking questions before it is too late. There is no way, election commission can allow Dr. Kamal to represent them against BNP in deciding which faction of BNP must join in the discussion session with EC.
EC is commiting a crime and they must be stoped at all cost. Some one must file a petition in court against the appointment of DR. Kamal by EC against BNP.
December 16, 2007 at 6:50 am
The sordid mess of the ‘Rangs Bhaban’ demolition programme of the CTG epitomizes the character of the CTG itself- a bull in a china shop.
All the characters constituting the CTG have gone about their tasks in destroying and demolishing whayever vestige of attainments, or achievements, Bangladesh has had over the past 36 years. They have systematically put Bangladesh is a mess And, they are gloating over it.
Politics, economy and society have all been put to the sword, like the Rangs Bhaban,- hanging in the air of uncertainty with all their limbs dismembered. They have tied the hangman’s noose around Bangladesh and Bangladeshis.
The country and its people are held hostage under ‘Emergency’ while the Advisors and their cohorts in EC, ACC, Judiciary and ‘Civil Society’(including CPD’s Debopriyo, Dr. Kamal Hossain, Profesoor Rehman Sobhan, Daily Star’s Mahfuz Anam and Prothom Alo’s Matiur Rahman) go about merry-making carving the meat out of Bangladesh and Bangladeshis. ‘Happy Days’ are over. There is a ’silent famine’ in Bangladesh (another ‘Mannantar’ a-la ‘74?).
The ‘Rangs Bhaban mess’ is a metaphor for 1/11. Those who had been and are championing the 1/11 ‘change’ are akin to Nero playing the flute when Rome was burning.
December 17, 2007 at 2:45 am
General Ruhul Amin, Chief Justice of bangaldesh, see and take a breath of happiness and be complacent to see the peoples are dying as a consequence of your callous decision on rangs demolition.
January 11, 2008 at 7:45 pm
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