The Politics of Name Change Game

by Sayed Javed Ahmad
February 19, 2010

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/530/the-politics-of-name-change-game

Once reading an ad in the newspapers about an event we have noticed that it would be held at Bangabandhu International Convention Center (BICC). Then we wondered where is this Bangabandhu International Convention Center? Then to our surprise we discovered that our good old Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Center (BCFFC) got a new name Bangabandhu International Convention Center! Now we are seeing another name change taking place of our good old Zia International Airport (ZIA) to Hazrat Shahjalal (R) International Airport.

Every name carries significance. Normally, an international airport is named after the city where it is located. A destination of air travel is known from the airport names. In that notion, our airport should be called Dhaka International Airport. The work "international" signifies that the all foreign commercial aircrafts lands there. Not all airports are international.

Similarly, the name Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Center carried a meaning and significance. It was built and funded by the Chinese government as a gesture of goodwill to Bangladesh. Therefore, it was named that way to show just that. It would also carry an historical importance between the two nations. But by changing the name, our government has trashed what it stood for not considering at all what the donor nation would feel about it.

Our inconsiderate folks in the government did not even consider the trouble all the international businesses those who do business with Bangladesh would go through updating their databases again to change the names. A stupid decision here may affect internationally. Our folks in the government may not even be aware of it.

Same matter is noticed when the road names are also changed suddenly without any reason. A change of name of a road changes the entire address affecting a city and global map!

Our political parties when they ascend to power tend to behave as if they own the country, its people and off course its resources. But the truth is, the government is established by the people, to represent them and to work for them. The government does not 'own' anything, but the people own them and they are answerable to the people. Therefore, the people gets upset when they see that their hard earned money in tax given at the treasury is spent on debates and decision making sessions on petty and unimportant topics like name change at the parliament.

As far as the people are concerned, many important issuers are left unfinished by the government for years that matters to them and that affects them. Our government is still not even close to achieve their objectives as bestowed on them by the constitution when it says-

The Republic shall be a democracy in which fundamental human rights and freedoms and respect for the dignity and worth of the human person shall be guaranteed, and in which effective participation by the people through their elected representatives in administration at all levels shall be ensured (11).

No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty saves in accordance with law (32).

No person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed, as soon as maybe of the grounds for such arrest, nor shall he be denied the right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice (33.1).

It shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to attain, through planned economic growth, a constant increase of productive forces and a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people, with a view to securing to its citizens-

(a) the provision of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care;

(b) the right to work, that is the right to guaranteed employment at a reasonable wage having regard to the quantity and quality of work;

(c) the right to reasonable rest, recreation and leisure; and the right to social security, that is to say to public assistance in cases of undeserved want arising from unemployment, illness or disablement, or suffered by widows or orphans or in old age, or in other such cases (15).

The State shall adopt effective measures to bring about a radical transformation in the rural areas through the promotion of a agricultural revolution, the provision of rural electrification, the development of cottage and other industries, and the improvement of education, communications and public health, in those areas, so as progressively to remove the disparity in the standards of living between the urban and the rules areas (16).

The State shall endeavor to create conditions in which, as a general principle, persons shall not be able to enjoy unearned incomes, and in which human labor in every form, intellectual and physical, shall become a fuller expression of creative endeavor and of the human personality (20.2).

The State shall adopt measures to conserve the cultural traditions and heritage of the people, and so to foster and improve the national language, literature and the arts that all sections of the people are afforded the opportunity to contribute towards and to participate in the enrichment of the national culture (23).

The State shall regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the improvement of public health as moving its primary duties, and in particular shall adopt effective measures to prevent the consumption, except for medical purposes or for such other purposes as may be prescribed by law, of alcoholic and other intoxicating drinks and drugs which are injurious to health (18.1).

The State shall adopt effective measures to prevent prostitution and gambling (18.2).

The State shall adopt effective measures for the purpose of - (a) establishing a uniform, mass-oriented and universal system of education and extending free and compulsory education to all children to such stage as may be determined by law ;(b) relating education to the needs of society and producing properly trained and motivated citizens to serve those needs; removing illiteracy within such time as may be determined by law (17).

Work is a right, a duty and a matter of honor for every citizen who is capable of working, and everyone shall be paid for his work on the basis of the principle "from each according to his abilities to each according to his work (20.1).

These are just part of the constitutional mandates, there are more. If the government enacts on these constitutional instructions then they are not supposed to find any time to argue and ponder on unimportant and unproductive matters like the 'name change' jokes.

They need to remember that have a heavy duty on their shoulders that they willfully took. They ought to perform and show their achievements within the fixed duration of governance; otherwise they will be accountable to the people for failing to perform.

It would have been nice if we could change our name and identity every once in a while at will. But in that case, one would have to change their id cards, passports, all academic credentials, and the whole nine yards. Therefore realistically, it would not be good practice as many other factors are attached to it. We would like to be known the way we are, with the name that was given to us at birth that would pass through generations eventually making history. That is why playing with names is not a good thing to do. Leave it and get into some real business. Show some signs of maturity in your actions.

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