This is a moot question these days. A debate has been sparked off in the media as to whether Lt Gen Moeen U Ahmed as the incumbent Army Chief should speak in public and venture to articulate on issues of national and political import. Gen Moeen himself kicked up the dust as he has been recently airing his views freely and more pointedly at a regional conference of International Political Science Association where he presented a keynote paper. His paper was quite illuminating and his views touching on issues of vital political and national importance were very candid, forthright and progressive.

In the media debate his propriety of speech has been questioned as also his intent behind the move. Yes, democratic traditions, conventions and a democratic polity do restrain an incumbent army chief from commenting in public on what needs to be done for the good of the country. But are we not passing through a very critical and rather abnormal circumstances as a nation demanding of the armed forces, particularly the army to play a proactive role in strengthening our democratic institutions and doing some spring cleaning as a nation, something our rulers have long forgotten to do? Imagine the odds the country was and is pitted against. The issues which should have been addressed by the successive elected political governments in the interest of democracy and good governance of the country have been left only to fester. Criminalization of politics, politicization of the civil administration and all state institutions, misuse of power and authority, state patronization of corruption and religious militancy, autocratic style of governance, hunger for power and avarice of the so-called political elites and utter failure of the government to deliver had brought the country on the verge of ruination and a civil war. People were desperately looking for saner elements to emerge and salvage the nation.

One would shudder to think what would have happened to this country if the care taker government of Prof Iajuddin Ahmed had gone ahead with the election scheduled for 22 January and the army had backed the government. That Gen Moeen as army chief decided otherwise fired by ideals of patriotism and democracy is what halted the slide down and is what the people of this country were earnestly looking forward to. The present care taker government of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed came to power with the solid support of our valiant armed forces and straightway embarked on a mission to clean up the mess created by our politicians and boldly undertake much needed reforms in various sectors.

Yes, Gen Moeen would have been at a fault if he had even murmured in his drawing room by way of articulating his views on our national problems and suggesting a few options to solve them – let alone airing his views in public as he did now – during the rule of an elected political government no matter how ruthlessly oppressive and autocratic the government was. But the scenario and ambience prevailing in the country is far from normal. Lt Gen Moeen U Ahmed is now not merely the incumbent Army Chief. He is also a proactive facilitator and an important stakeholder of the present adhoc dispensation.

A state of emergency now obtaining the country has not only bought the army leadership into focus but has also added dimensions to its traditional role which we all must understand lest vested interests and reactionary forces inimical to our ethos as a freedom loving people yearning long for democracy, secularism, communal harmony and religious tolerance should succeed in driving a wedge between the armed forces and the government and create rift and dissentions within the rank and file of the armed forces with a view to crushing the peaceful revolution under way.

Let us not pretend that people did not know who was calling shots from behind when Professor Iajuddin Ahmed suddenly decided to resign from the post of Chief Advisor and helped usher in the present caretaker government when only a day before he was hell bent to hold the general election scheduled for 22nd January as was the demand of Khaleda Zia and Motiur Rahman Nizami. Would the former CEC Justice Aziz and other partisan commissioners of the election commission have resigned paving the way for reconstitution of the election commission as we find it now as was the rightful demand of the opposition and the people if army leadership had played only its traditional role? No.

Could we have the Anti Corruption Commission thoroughly politicized by the Khaleda Zia government recast and reconstituted with such capable, honest and dedicated persons as we have now if the army leadership had not played a proactive role? No. Could we have laid our hands on such high profile corrupt persons like Nazmul Huda, Nasim, Tareque Zia, Falu, Mamun, Mirza Abbaz et al and put them behind the bar if the army leadership chose to play only its traditional role? No. Could we have seen the spectacle of unauthorized high rise buildings built by powerful political thugs, pulled down by bulldozers without any court injunction and mob agitation and violence if the armed forces led by Gen Moeen were not solidly behind the government move? No. Would the convicted JMB militants have been denied presidential reprieve and eventually hanged to death if army leadership had not played a proactive role? I doubt very much as would most of our countrymen including our media friends. I can go on citing more such examples and the list would be long. A wind of change for a better today and a still better tomorrow is blowing in the country.

It has been made possible because of the fact that a government of eminent and well meaning and patriotic people has been cobbled up to steer the country, the armed forces and particularly the army leadership playing the role of a catalyst. The point I want to make is that the caretaker government and the army leadership are solidly together and on board the same bus. Whatever the government decides has the full backing of the armed forces and vice versa.

And if that is the case, Lt Gen Moeen U Ahmed, the Army Chief of Staff has every right to address government officials, make a speech in public and in the very presence of the president on political issues agitating the minds of the people and take the people of all walks of life into confidence because this is the only way he can strengthen his position as a facilitator and stake holder in the running of the affairs of the state. Whether he has political ambition or not is something which should not engage our attention now. What is important is that he and this care taker government must not fail and must not be made to fail. God forbids if either of them should fail or split, it will spell disaster for the country. I am sure Chief Advisor Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed and his other able and patriotic colleagues in the caretaker government would have no cause for any discomfiture in the event of Gen Moeen articulating his views agitating his mind in public. And supposing Gen Moeen has a political ambition, so what? Have not Generals performed well in their political roles? Think of De Gaulle and Eisenhower. Gen Ershad can hardly be cited as a model. But then have Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, two venerable lady politicians, leading two major political parties of the country for three decades fared any better than Gen Ershad given that both ardently followed the foot steps of the fallen dictator in promoting and patronizing corruption and autocratic rule during their stint in power?

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The writer is a valiant Freedom Fighter and former Military Secretary to President of Bangladesh
E Mail : bgshamsuddin.ahmed@gmail.com