No, patriotism cannot be traded for anything in the world. No amount of precious metal, gold or diamond can be worth a man’s love for his country. He may work in a foreign country; he can even hold dual citizenship, but when it will come to standing for or against his own country, he will no doubt, stand to defend his country.
If patriotism was not strong in a man, he would not be able to take up arms to fight off the country’s enemies and die in the process. The best example of patriotism has been demonstrated by the young men and women of Bangladesh in 1971 when they had volunteered to take up arms against the Pakistani army. Remember the Pakistanis were heavily armed, on the other hand, the freedom fighters had only some small weapons.
We have also read about the dedicated resistant fighters of France, Italy and Germany who fought against the Nazi occupiers with only rifles and grenades. Hundreds of resistant fighters, included girls, laid down their lives for their country instead of surrendering to the enemy. The stories of Cuban freedom fighters under the leadership of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara have taken legendary proportion.
Patriotism also means showing proper honour to the national heroes. It means accepting the achievements of the heroes and putting them in their proper place without engaging in useless and disrespectful dialogue to demean their works and achievements.
Patriotism means showing proper
honour to the national heroes. It means
accepting the achievements of the
heroes and putting them in their proper
place without engaging in useless and
disrespectful dialogue to demean their
works and achievements
No American speaks in discourteous language about the political philosophy and works of the founding fathers or the purpose of the Civil War and its outcome. Abraham Lincoln is one of the most revered presidents in the USA. Independence of America and ending of slavery are decided factors. No one raises any questions about them today. Raising controversies on these settled issues will be considered unpatriotic by the majority of the people.
In Bangladesh however, at the present moment, we still find politicians and their supporters engaging in useless debate about the works of our leaders, especially Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, before, during and after the War of Liberation in 1971. A true patriot would accept the fact that Bangladesh is a sovereign, free country now and no power on earth can destroy it. A patriot believes that Bangabandhu was God sent to the Bangalees for the creation of Bangladesh. No other leader had the guts to accuse the Pakistanis of exploitation of our wealth, discrimination and disparity in every sector. All other party leaders acted as cahoots of the Pakistani looters and robbers.
When a young man of today who was born after 1971 starts arguing about the necessity of dividing Pakistan to create Bangladesh, one tend to feel infinitely frustrated. This writer has talked to many such young men in renowned private universities of the country and could comprehend from the discussion that there is no trace of patriotism in them; they would get out of the country as soon as possible and that their initiation in such anti-Bangladesh feeling has taken place in the family.
There are thousands of Bangladeshis who hate Bangladesh; who hate Bangabandhu and hate Awami League, but loves to earn millions doing business in this country. They have various kinds of businesses and factories in Bangladesh but have second and third home in the US and Malaysia. They take money abroad through illegal means without paying salary and other dues of factory workers. These men and women are not true patriots hence not true Bangladeshis.
Shahnoor Wahid is Advisory Editor of Bangladesh Post.
