Completing his PhD at a young age, political scientist Talukder Maniruzzaman earned a lot of respect as a teacher in newly independent Bangladesh and attained international repute through his writings.
But he still misses the turbulent political days of the 1960s when he was a young man.
It is movement, social and political campaigns to pursue the dreams of the youth that his youthful mind does not see in contemporary Bangladesh.
At 79, the professor of many professors insists the Bangladesh youth have to dream a dream and break everything existing – the political system in particular – to rebuild the country.
He feels the missing movement based on political ideology does not help bring changes in political culture.
The National Professor had an interview with Prothom Alo English at his Mirpur residence recently. Talukder Maniruzzaman, who can no longer write, and can hardly speak clearly, tried to recall his past and share his dreams of Bangladesh in the coming days.
The text of a part of the interview is given below:
Born Sirajganj in 1938, Talukder Maniruzzaman graduated from Dhaka University in 1961 and was subsequently awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship. He secured his PhD degree from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. He joined Rajshahi University in 1966 as a senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science and switched over to Dhaka University as a professor in 1974.
Maniruzzaman authored several internaionally acclaimed books including Radical Politics and the Emergence of Bangladesh (1975), The Bangladesh Revolution and its Aftermath (1980), The Security of Small States in the Third World (1982), Group interests and political changes: Studies of Pakistan and Bangladesh (1982), Military Withdrawal from Politics: A Comparative Study (1987), and Politics and Security of Bangladesh (1994).
He has been a fellow at the University of London and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC. Talukder Maniruzzaman was awarded the National Bicentennial Medal by the government of the USA as well. He is a founder member of Board of Governors, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and was also the guest scholar at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Prothom Alo (PA): Which are the most glorious or sweetest days of your life or the times you now miss?
Talukder Maniruzzaman ™: I miss the days of the 1960s.
PA: Why?
TM: A mass movement was being waged in the then East Pakistan. There were street agitations in 1960, 1962, 1969. Those were my glorious days.
PA: Why and how do those movements take you to those days back in 1960s – even some 50 years on?
TM: Those movements were ideology-based and I used to support them. And all of us supported that movement. I don’t see any such movement today.
PA: Do you see any difference between the movement of those days and the movement of these days, if any?
TM: The politics of that time was based on certain ideological goals.
PA: Don’t you think that today’s politics are driven by ideologies at all?
TM: It doesn’t seem so.
PA: You are saying that today’s politics are not driven by ideologies. During your young age, you got a political system which was based on certain ideologies. So, what will today’s youth do and how will they build future Bangladesh?
TM: They will have to break everything existing, the political system in particular, to build a new golden Bangladesh.
PA: On the basis of what will today’s youth do so?
TM: The youth should dream of a future on their own. They will have to rebuild Bangladesh. They will have to look for ideologies. And they will have to spearhead a struggle to rebuild Bangladesh based on those ideologies. The youth will have to dream a dream, something that we dreamt in our youth age.
PA: Can you recall any of your dreams which have remained unfulfilled?
TM: I can’t recall any such dreams.
PA: Would you like to say anything addressing today’s youth?
TM: I strongly believe that the dreams of the youth will be right ones, towards building a golden Bangladesh. If necessary, the youth will have to destroy the current political structure to build a new one.
PA: What would you say about the current state of politics in the country?
TM: Autocratic regime does not seem to come to an end easily.
PA: What are your expectations at this advanced stage of your life?
TM: I always want, think and wish: let Bangladesh prosper.
PA: Thank you
TM: Thank you