Who else could shun greed for power?

One of the rare statesmen in the political history of Bangladesh who was never greedy for power, whose scholarly statements had moved all the nations of the whole world to lend their support to our freedom movement, whose only dream during and after our liberation war was our truest liberty, who was ever ready to sacrifice his life for the welfare of our nation, whose command of both Bangla and English languages was so profound, and without whose Himalayan contributions in those days of our liberation struggles the ultimate independence of Bangladesh on the 16th of December 1971 would have been next to impossible was the first prime minister of Bangladesh: Tajuddin Ahmed. Thousands of people in Bangladesh, who care about the future of our nation, must have visualised the noble face of Tajuddin Ahmed as they were reading a news report that Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj, son of the country's first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, resigned as a lawmaker and declared that he would no longer be involved in active politics. Who else could do so? Who else has been so well groomed to shun greed for power?

One can imagine how abysmally the political environment of our country has been polluted, how nasty the greed of our leaders has begun to turn, how corruption has been rampant in every sphere of our life that the only son of our first prime minister who is supposed to carry forward the standard his father was upholding has at long last decided he can no more afford to engage himself in active politics in Bangladesh. What a shame! What a tragedy!

On May 31, 2009, Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj had stepped down as state minister for home following what he told his close aides was a row with someone very close to a very important leader of the present government. Taj had demanded that the government issued a gazette notification on his resignation as state minister, as he thinks his dignity and the image of the government were getting tarnished for not doing so. He also said the government must take back around Tk 400 thousand (40 lakh) deposited in his account as remuneration and allowances for the ministerial post. Then he felt impelled to quit from his post also as a law maker. The resignation of this young politician, who was elected as a member of parliament from Gazipur-4 constituency in 2001 and 2008 national polls, has come as a sudden shock to the whole nation at a time when the greed of some of our politicians has come as a terrible shame to the whole world.

Will we find a leader like Tajuddin Ahmed, our first prime minister, or at least like his son Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj to navigate us in near or distant future? The probability for such a future seems thin.

I was also wondering in desperation whether any of the daughters of Tajuddin Ahmed would come forward to fill the gap left by their brother as I was reading an excellent booklet titled "Biplober Desh Mishorey" written by Sharmin Ahmad Reepi, the eldest daughter of Tajuddin Ahmed.

While narrating her vivid experiences on the recent movement of Egyptian liberation Sharmin Ahmad Reepi at one stage was overwhelmed when she was invited by her husband, Amr Khairy Abdalla, an Egyptian who is now Vice Rector of the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica, to visit Tahrir Square in Egypt. The invitation was a pleasant surprise from her husband as a Valentine Day gift.

Sharmin Ahmad Reepi in her booklet "Biplober Desh Mishorey" wrote: "In the past, Amr gave me many a gift with pleasant surprises on many of our special occasions. But, this gift on the Valentine Day is unique indeed. This gift entwines merriment with respect. As I was relishing Amr's Valentine Day gift, my soul was lost in ecstasy; I probed into the album of my memories where I could vividly read what my father firmly believed in and wrote: 'Slavery of a nation casts a dark shadow of subjugation for the whole humanity and liberty of a nation unleashes a dazzling floodlight of freedom for the whole mankind."