Helal Mohiuddin Professor, North South University //

In 1986 there was a mass coup in the Philippines just like in 2024 in Bangladesh. Authoritarian corrupt ruler Ferdinand Marcos family fled to Hawaii. First Lady Imelda was a particularly loathed character. During the fall of Marcos, Imelda made world headlines for her fancy-heel fetishism. His collection of thousands of pairs of expensive shoes from the world’s best brands made headlines in many magazines.

Given the prevalence of public anger and public hatred against the Marcos family, it was assumed that the family would not be able to return to Philippine politics in the future. Now many people think that Awami League will become Muslim League in Bangladesh. The idea is wrong. Bongbong Marcos, the current president of the Philippines, is the second child of Ferdinand-Imelda. The US arrest warrant is still outstanding against Bongbong-Imelda. The warrant is due to non-payment of $353 million in crimes against humanity.

A book was published in 2009 edited by Alfred McOy. The book is titled An Anarchy of Families: State and Families in the Philippines. While reading the book, the reader may think that Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh probably wanted to set a new record, surpassing the achievements of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. There are proverbs in English ‘Takai katha kay’ and ‘Takai second khoda’.

Billions of dollars smuggled abroad by Ferdinand-Imelda began to be used in 1987. Imelda returned to politics in four or five years mainly due to the force of money. There are also elected members of parliament who have shaken parliament four times till 2019.

Corruption earned Imelda’s seat in politics in four other ways. One, to be able to come to the country and face justice. Two, to gather legal legitimacy to return to politics. Three, to reorganize the corrupt beneficiaries left behind in the bureaucracy and military. Four, the ability to buy off influential policy makers of the ruling party through bribery.

In 1991, the dictator of Haiti, Jean Bertrand Aristide, was also forced to leave the country in the face of public hatred and public revolt. After only three years in 1994, he returned to his homeland. Get power back. His return was due to the above four reasons. Like the Marcoses, he is the recipient of corruption abroad. Another player was the blessing of the United States.

Apparently, Awami League is also moving in the same direction. Sajib Wazed Joy has recently hired a lobbyist firm based in Singapore called ‘Strike Global Diplomacy’. The objective is to melt the US mind anyway.

It is known to all from all supported and unsupported sources that Awami League has smuggled Tk 150 billion out of the country in sixteen years. In an interview with a newspaper, a former minister of state for home affairs said, “Sheikh Hasina used to make money with two hands.” It was learned about one of Sheikh Hasina’s domestic servants that she did not take any gift other than money on her birthday. Every day there are cases of embezzlement of money and national resources by party leaders and workers.

The abundance of wealth published in various media is so unimaginable and unheard of that reading or listening to it makes the body tired. The eyes of the reader-listener are drowsy, but the list of resources does not end. Often forced to think, each of their days in twenty-four hours, or two hundred and forty hours? In such a short period of time, how is it possible to steal-robbery, possession-suicide, and murder?

Money has the eye of the tiger. Awami League can try to return to the politics of the country by using the mafia economy made abroad in the Imeldar method. Panama’s Noriega was in prison and Peru’s Fujimori came close to returning to power in exile. Tunisia’s Ben Ali, the victim of the first overthrow of the Arab Spring, had made almost all arrangements to return to the country’s politics from exile in Saudi Arabia.

Everyone’s cronies’ mafia economy works great. In the end, the latter managed to increase their politics and support, even if they did not achieve personal success. On the other hand, Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019, was not reinstated despite many efforts. Because, he is not even close to others in the trial of corruption earnings and money laundering abroad. Imelda’s return was made easier by Ferdinand’s death in 1989. The death created a kind of ‘ahareuhur’ sympathy among Filipinos.

Recently Awami League gave a long post on official Facebook page. Commentary on the post — The party will fight another war if necessary. ‘Need’ means ‘likely’ or ‘need’. Will the party fight against the people of Bangladesh? Why would you? Is the war cry against other democratic parties? Renovations are underway. Election atmosphere is being created. Sajeeb Wazed Joy also welcomed the announcement of the army chief’s election within eighteen months. Leaders within the country have given the impression that the party will make the election. The party is supposed to be organized for the election. So why declare war? Is it because the party has much more money than what is needed to organize the party in exile or to stop the civil war?

Many have commented on social media that ‘the party will fight against Bangladesh for India.’ Believers in conspiracy theories are writing – what is there to declare war! The party is waging its war every day with various tactics on various fronts. Sometimes mountains, sometimes minorities; Ansar rebellion, labor movement, mob justice, assassinations, assassinations, disinformation and rumor production – the party is engaged in a concentrated war on all fronts! So is this a declaration of a bigger civil war?

Conspiracy theories will not be considered. But we must take some lessons from the above examples of what the fallen dictatorships of the world have done or can do. The first lesson will be that taking the party’s declaration of war and suddenly roaring stance lightly will put Bangladesh in danger. In many countries, dictator-created mafias in exile control politics from the underground.

Examples are Mexico, Colombia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. In these countries too, the people thought that the group rise of the fallen robbers would never be possible again. In Pakistan too, the corrupt deposed government is back in power. A large part of Indian politics is also controlled by the Indian underworld mafia based in Dubai.

We are not sure what the political-reform program of the interim government is. However, in order to keep Bangladesh away from any political conflict-violence, the main goal should be to root out mafia from politics.

* Helal Mohiuddin Professor, North South University. Currently working as a visiting professor at Montclair State University, New Jersey, USA