Attention: Moderator, mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com

Dear Mukto-monas,

The 4-party alliance government of Khaelda-Nizami has unleashed an
undeclared war against a few NGOs, known to be activists of human rights,
with particular target PPROSHIKA, an important NGO engaged in poverty
alleviation of the people living below the line of human poverty and many
other development programmes. We report a series of articles under the title
“Proshika Episode”. The following story is the first one in the series
(Proshika Episode 1).

Ajoy Roy
May 7, 2004


Proshika Episode 1: Dr. Kazi Faruk’s Rejoinder to Mannan Bhuiyan’s Charges

Ajoy Roy

Government and BNP declared war against PROSHIKA

Khaleda led government of 4-party alliance has declared a formal war against
a very important NGO named Proshika. The recent atrocious activities
including ransacking, harassment of employees of the Proshika establishments
throughout the country by workers and armed cadres of the BNP front
organizations plus repeated police actions against its head office in Dhaka
that includes confiscation of records, files and hard disks of computer
systems, harassment and arrest of officers and employees of Proshika and
threat to its chief Dr. Kazi Faruk Ahmed are just few illustrations to show
that the undeclared war has been unleashed by the government. It may be
recalled that BNP’s youth front and students front held a gherao-programme
in front of the main Proshika Bhavan at Mirpur on April 18, 2004. Abusing
the Proshika and its Chief with filthy languages, the speakers of the rally
demanded cancellation of registration of Proshika and arrest of its Chief
Dr. Kazi Faruk Ahmed. This gherao-programme was then followed by successive
police action against Dhaka on April 20 and then again on May 2, 2004 on a
much massive scale.

But the government cannot deny the contributions Proshika made in the
sectors of poverty alleviation, primary education, rural development,
rehabilitation, empowerment of women and wakening of the common mass of its
rights and privileges. Even its arch rival BRAC chairman Mr. Fazle Hasan
Abed termed the actions taken by the government against Proshika and its
officers as beyond civilized norm, and constitute human rights violations.
Expressing his deep concern the chairperson said that the internationally
acknowledged and known Non Government Organization Proshika’s influence of
programme of enhancing education and poverty alleviation are known to every
one. The institution through its manifold programme of actions made a
positive impact in raising the standard of living of common men. Any kind of
undesirable interference on programmes of development of these kinds creates
hindrance in national poverty alleviation.

It is learnt from the reports published in the dailies that for a few years
some Proshika-employees are being interrogated on assumed allegations, but
no specific charges, so far could be established.

‘It is true’, said Mr. Abed, ‘no individual or institution is above law. I
believe that no NGO should indulge itself with direct party politics. If
there is any specific allegation against Proshika or any other organizations
or any employee of an NGO, could be proved then a legal step could be taken.
’ ‘If any action on the part of the government appears to be political
revengeful, such action is totally unjust and undesirable’, commented Mr.
Abed.

Charges of Mr. Mannan Bhuiyan, General Secretary of BNP

In a press conference held on 30th April Mr. Mannan Bhuiyan categorically
termed that ‘Declaration that made that on 30th April would fall’ is
undemocratic and impetuous (hathakari), irresponsible and conspiring. The
BNP general secretary brought charge against Proshika by implicating it in
the AL’s conspiracy of bringing down the government. He said, “We have prove
that an initiative was made to bring large number of people of an NGO named
Proshika to Dhaka on 30th April uniting with AL programme of 30th April in
an attempt to create confusion and situation of lawlessness.” The press
conference was also attended by the no.1 joint secretary of BNP, the
successor apparent of Begum Khaleda. (The Daily Sangbad & Bhorer Kagoj: May
1, 2004). It may be recalled that the severe police action against Proshika
main office at Mirpur followed immediately after Mr. Mannan Bhuiyan’s open
allegation against Proshika on 30th April in a press conference. Are the two
things i.e. utterance of Mannan Bhuiyan and Police action on 2nd May just a
matter of coincidence !

Dr. Faruk’s Rejoinder

The Proshika chief and ADAB president Dr. Ahmed issued a straight but stern
press statement on May 4, 2004, giving a befitting rejoinder to BNP general
secretary’s allegation that Proshika conspired with the AL to bring down the
Khaleda-Nizami Government. Kazi Faruk Ahmed gave an ultimatum of 7 days in
which Mr. Bhuiyan is to establish his allegations against Proshika. If he
fails, then Proshika is within its right to file a ‘case of order’ against
Mannan Bhuiyan for his falsification.

Dr. Ahmed in his press statement recalled that in the year 2001, Mr. Mannan
Bhuiyan went to the Election Commission office just before election (August)
complaining that Proshika was working for AL. But the Election Commission
being assured of its political neutrality permitted 4000 Proshika-Workers to
work as election monitors. The Election commission so confident of Proshika’
s and ADAB’s political neutrality that the commission asked them to prepare
and materialize a programme on Voter-Education.

Dr. Ahmed further said in his statement that the 4-party alliance leaders
are suffering from mental strain as they consider whoever speaks against
communalism, of spirit of liberation war, of empowerment of women and poor
belong to Awami League. But the fact is BRAC was the most beneficiary among
the NGOs during AL regime. It is known to NGO circles that during AL regime
BRAC got the permission to open up BRAC bank and to start BRAC University.
The elder brother of BRAC chief, who had never done any politics, got
elected as MP on AL ticket. An advisor of BRAC is also an advisor of Awami
League. Irony is that, in spite of those facts the alliance government has
never branded BRAC having AL association, on the contrary BRAC is receiving
many opportunities and benefits from the 4-party alliance government.

Government’s attitude of enmity towards Proshika became clear from the
speech of Khaleda Begum, the new PM of Bangladesh, addressing the nation
following the election victory of the alliance. A few NGOs who were defeated
at the ADAB election and ousted from ADAB added fuel to the fire of PM’s
vengeance. This followed the steamroller of repression-oppression on
Proshika’s zonal offices throughout the country that included ransacking,
beating of the employees and locking up of many offices. In all these
atrocious activities young workers of BNP belonging to Yubodal and
Chhatradal were involved. Many schools run by Proshika were forcibly closed
down. They not only stopped here, a large number of beneficiaries belonging
to their party became also victims at their hands. These beneficiaries,
particularly women beneficiaries were afraid to stay at home at night
because of repressive measures like physical torture, extortion, threats let
loose by the members of the Chhatradal.

The enquiry report submitted by the first committee of investigation formed
by NGO burro after conducting a thorough investigation for over six months
against alleged irregularities of Proshika could not reveal even a trace of
it. Later on the alliance government constituted two separate enquiry
committees by the Anti Corruption Department. But as those committees were
not legally constituted, the proceedings of those committees were suspended
by the order of the High Court in view of the writ petition filed by
Proshika. Although the report of the first investigation committee was not
made public, the office of the Prime Minister yet constituted another
committee of investigation. Immediately after this, the police and the CID
department in an attempt to arrest the Proshika Chief made illegal assault
in his residence and training centers of Proshika. Neither in the
investigation reports nor in any government orders it was indicated that
till the investigation were over funds for materialization of Proshika’s
different Programmes (on going or new) should not be released. But even
then, Proshikas fund worth three hundred crores taka was kept confined by
the NGO burro for the last two and half years, obviously at the instance of
the government. This is not only illegal but also immoral, alleged the
Proshika Chief.

The second committee of investigation submitted its report after one year
and a half, although its tenure was only six months. No copy of such report
was either sent to Proshika or to donors. Instead, the NGO burro constituted
55-points allegations and send it to the government. Under the circumstances
Proshika filed a writ petition to the High Court. The NGO burro was
compelled to give the report to Proshika. Strangely enough, nowhere in the
report it was mentioned or implied, not to speak of providing proof that
during election campaign Proshika gave crores of money to AL, the basic and
principal charge of 4-party alliance against Proshika; nor the report made
any allegation against Proshika that its ‘Voter Education’ programme had
helped Awami League in its election campaign. Funny thing is this nowhere in
the report it made any allegation of irregularities or breaking of laws on
the part of Proshika. On the contrary the report recommended that a survey
be made on the ‘influence of Proshika’s micro-credit programmes’ on the
poor. All the allegations made in the report are concerned with finance and
administrations, each of which is untrue, exaggerated and irrelevant. Each
of the allegation brought against us has been refuted with data, information
and facts and it was sent to the NGO burro office and PM’s office separately
four months back, with no response yet.

In a meeting held on February 25, 2004 between the donors on the one side
and the finance minister Mr. Saifur Rahman & the NGO Affairs Burro the
donor-representatives present there rejected the government report conducted
by NGO Affairs Burro calling it as baseless and politically motivated.
Because the donors audit the financial activities and programmes of Proshika
by internally reputed audit farms. The donors further explicitly made clear
that they had no concrete proof in favour of the serious allegation brought
against Proshika that it had spent funds obtained from the donors for party
political activities.

The real picture is that in order to get rid of the recent High Court’s
order against government’s heinous and illegal actions of mass arrests that
constituted human rights violation and to divert the events to a different
channel, motivated by dishonest object, the government and Mr. Mannan
Bhuiyan engaged themselves in the propaganda of false allegations against
Proshika. The police actions on May 2, 2004 at Proshika main office building
at Mirpur is clear evidence that the 4-party alliance government is
determined to eliminate Proshika totally, the Proshika Chief Dr. Kazi Faruk
concluded in his press statement. ( See, the daily Sangbad, and other
dailies of My 5, 2004).


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