On the picture Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal. Photography courtesy of the Embassy of Bangladesh.
“I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib, in personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas” Fidel Castro.
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
Just as the Cabinet of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh had done a few days earlier, the Ambassador of Bangladesh to The Netherlands, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal flanked by his spouse Dr. Dilruba Nasrin, his team, the Bangladeshi diaspora in the Netherlands and many invitees paid their respects to the memory of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – the founding president of Bangladesh.
The commemoration took place at the Chancellery on 15 August 2015, in a ceremony of due solemnity and dignity. The occasion marked the 40th anniversary of the death of the great leader and members of his family.
In his keynote address, H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal paid profound respect to the passing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a pre-dawn assassination on 15 August 1975. The Ambassador also read out a message from the President of Bangladesh H. E. Abdul Hamid.
Subsequently, Mr. Istiaque Ahmed, Second Secretary, read a message from the Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation. Messages on the resounding significance of this day in Bangladeshi history from the Hon. Foreign Minister and Hon. State Minister for Foreign Affairs were also read out.
A dozen other distinguished speakers followed, including Mr. Mustafa, Mr. Zakirul Huq Tipu, Mr. Murad Khan, Mr. Bikash Roy, and Mr. Morshed Mannan. All paid homage to the slain Father of the Nation.
Of particular note was the discourse delivered by Mr. Morshed Mannan, a Masters Student at Leiden Law School, Barrister-at-Law & Advocate at the Bangladesh Bar Council. He related, ‘ In the past few years, Bangladesh has been the beneficiary of two landmark decisions by the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea and the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the delimitation of Bangladesh’s maritime boundaries with Myanmar and India respectively’.
These decisions have created certainty regarding the area of the Bay of Bengal which Bangladesh may rightfully explore for natural resources, thereby opening up new avenues for energy production. While the credit for this goes to the current Government of Bangladesh for engaging with international dispute resolution mechanisms, the process to demarcate Bangladesh’s borders with its neighbors’ began during the tenure of Bangabandhu.
In 1974, Bangabandhu’s Government passed the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act and entered into negotiations with India and Myanmar regarding these disputed boundaries.
This can be seen as part of a broader scheme, envisioned and initiated by Bangabandhu, of ensuring the sovereign rights of the People’s Republic over its territory and natural resources. This scheme was also manifested in his negotiations with Shell BV – incidentally, a company headquartered down the road from here. At the time, Shell was the owner of 5 major gas fields in Bangladesh and he persuaded them to sell the fields to the State at a nominal price.
The far-sightedness of this became immediately apparent as it insulated Bangladesh from gas price fluctuations for decades. It was also under his leadership that Petrobangla was founded and off-shore exploration began in the Bay of Bengal.
While his brutal assassination left his dreams and plans unfulfilled for many years, with the two recent international decisions, his vision of a sovereign, energy-secure Bangladesh has been furthered. This is worth remembering on a somber occasion like today.
The participations of children in a speech competition added luster to the program. The children spoke of the prerequisites of learning from the life and ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Amongst them, the importance of being not only a good Bangladeshi, but also a responsible global citizen.Dr. Dilruba Nasrin, spouse of Ambassador Belal, distributed prizes to the participating children and urged them to uphold the spirit of freedom and independence in whatever they do later in life.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also had tributes paid to him by foreign statesmen and politicians. Fidel Castro of Cuba said of him: “I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib, in personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas”
Lord Fenner Brockway said: “In a sense, Sheikh Mujib is a greater leader than George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi and De Valera.”
During my official visit to Bangladesh, I had the privilege of being taken to the lieu of the drama in this fast-developing nation. The experience stirred in me deep emotions.
As long as the Padma River flows on, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s heritage will live on.
