By Faysal Kabir Shuvo on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 12:36 AM
By Sunita PaulAfter assassinating President Ziaur Rahman, through a silent conspiracy, army chief Hussain Muhammed Ershad assumed power in a bloodless coup in March 1982. Like his predecessors, Ershad suspended the constitution and--citing pervasive corruption, ineffectual government, and economic mismanagement--declared martial law. The following year, Ershad assumed the presidency, retaining his positions as army chief and CMLA. During most of 1984, Ershad sought the opposition parties' participation in local elections under martial law. The opposition's refusal to participate, however, forced Ershad to abandon these plans.
Ershad sought public support for his regime in a national referendum on his leadership in March 1985. He won overwhelmingly, although turnout was small. Two months later, Ershad held elections for local council chairmen. Pro-government candidates won a majority of the posts, setting in motion the President's ambitious decentralization program.
Political life was further liberalized in early 1986, and additional political rights, including the right to hold large public rallies, were restored. At the same time, the Jatiyo (People's) Party, designed as Ershad's political vehicle for the transition from martial law, was established.
Despite a boycott by the BNP, led by President Zia's widow, Begum Khaleda Zia, parliamentary elections were held on schedule in May 1986. The Jatiyo Party grabbed majority of the 300 elected seats in the national assembly. According to analysts and experts, this election was a mere farcical game by the notorious dictator-cum-playboy in Bangladeshi politics. The participation of the Awami League--led by the late Prime Minister Mujib's daughter, Sheikh Hasina Wajed--lent the elections some credibility, despite widespread charges of voting irregularities. There are whispers and even confessions by some of Ershad's men that Sheikh Hasina took part in this election by taking a huge amount of bribe from the military dictator. Ershad also reportedly told a number of his associates and even members of press that, his 'purchased' Hasina during the election of 1986 to give certain credibility to such election. It is important to observe here that, Bangladesh Nationalist Party refrained from participating in such election, as its leader Khaleda Zia told repeatedly that her party was not willing to join any election under the dictatorial rule of Ershad.
Ershad resigned as Army Chief of Staff and retired from military service in preparation for the presidential elections scheduled for October. Protesting that martial law was still in effect, both the BNP and the AL refused to put up opposing candidates. Ershad easily outdistanced the remaining candidates, taking 84% of the vote. Although Ershad's government claimed a turnout of more than 50%, opposition leaders and much of the foreign press estimated a far lower percentage and alleged voting irregularities.
Ershad, continued his stated commitment to lift martial law. In November 1986, his government mustered the necessary two-thirds majority in the national assembly to amend the constitution and confirm the previous actions of the martial law regime. The President then lifted martial law, and the opposition parties took their elected seats in the national assembly.
In July 1987, however, after the government hastily pushed through a controversial legislative bill to include military representation on local administrative councils, the opposition walked out of parliament. Passage of the bill helped spark an opposition movement that quickly gathered momentum, uniting Bangladesh's opposition parties for the first time. The government began to arrest scores of opposition activists under the country's Special Powers Act of 1974. Despite these arrests, opposition parties continued to organize protest marches and nationwide strikes. After declaring a state of emergency, Ershad dissolved parliament and scheduled fresh elections for March 1988.
All major opposition parties refused government overtures to participate in these polls, maintaining that the government was incapable of holding free and fair elections. Despite the opposition boycott, the government proceeded. The ruling Jatiyo Party won 251 of the 300 seats. The parliament, while still regarded by the opposition as an illegitimate body, held its sessions as scheduled and passed a large number of bills, including, in June 1988, a controversial constitutional amendment making Islam Bangladesh's state religion.
By 1989, the domestic political situation in the country seemed to have quieted. The local council elections were generally considered by international observers to have been less violent and more free and fair than previous elections. However, opposition to Ershad's rule began to regain momentum, escalating by the end of 1990 in frequent general strikes, increased campus protests, public rallies, and a general disintegration of law and order.
On December 6, 1990, Ershad was compelled to offer his resignation to salvage him and his party men from people's wrath. In 1991 he was formally charged with the illegal possession of arms, convicted, and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. He received a further sentence of three years' imprisonment in February 1992 after being convicted of corruption. In January 1997, he was released from prison on bail by the supreme court and resumed leadership of the Jatiya Dal party. The party withdrew from the governing coalition in March 1998. In November 2000, Ershad went back to jail on corruption charges dating from 1991.
On February 27, 1991, after two months of widespread civil unrest, an interim government oversaw what most observers believed to be the nation's most free and fair elections to date. Although Awami League and some of the secularist or Communist forces in Bangladesh always tries to label the general election 1991 in negative way, but it is by now a fact proven through several evidences that, in the history of the country, this is the ever transparent as well free and fair election held since the country got independence in 1971.
Anyway, Hussain Muhammed Ershad is the first political figure in Bangladesh, who introduced corruption, nepotism and various forms of evil actions, including womanizing in the country. Let me just give a very few examples of corruption and illicit actions of Ershad and his hang:
Corruption:
Everyone in Dhaka knew who was 'thief of Baghdad' during Ershad's rule. It is well know to many that, Hussain Muhammed Ershad was using army and his own private muscle men in not only picking beauties for him but also in negotiating various business deals with local and foreign companies and later collecting bribes for the mighty General. In those days, some private companies in Dhaka were extremely influential as those were having direct links with Ershad or his gang.
According to various research papers available online or in a number of research centers in Asia, most corrupt names in Hussain Muhammed Ershad's government were, Momota Wahab [Ershad's sister-in-law], Ruhul Amin Haqlader, Korban Ali, Mahmudul Hassan [known as Thief of Baghdad], Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, Fakhrul Islam Munshi, Kazi Firoze Rashid, Sheikh Shahidul Islam, Shwafiqul Ghani Swapan, Kazi Zafar Ahmed [known as Sugar Zafar], Moudud Ahmed, AKM Maidul Islam, Major General Abdus Salam [chief of DGFI, who after retirement joined Awami League], Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, Naziur Rahman Manzur, Shah Moazzem Hussain, Tajul Islam etc.
Womanizing:
Hussain Mohammed Ershad, first fell in extra-marital affairs with the wife of a banker named Marie during the early hours of grabbing power. For years, after having relations with this woman, Ershad forced her to go in exile in United Kingdom and gave her a few millions dollars, which in fact Marie received from various businessmen as 'donation'.
Later, General Ershad fell in love with Zeenat Musharraf, wife of the then high official named Musharraf Hussain. It was rumored after Ershad's stepping back from power that he married Zeenat secretly, although the infamous playboy politician never endorsed such claim. Later, Ershad established illicit relations with a large number of females in the society, whose names went into circulation right after he was thrown out of power in 1990. It is even known that, Ershad offered beautiful women to a number of Arab leaders either during their visits to Bangladesh or sent those 'beauties' abroad with the goal of becoming their friends. This is how, Hussain Muhammed Ershad turned into a close friend of Palestinian terror kingpin Yasir Arafat, UAE's emir Nahyan, Kuwaiti emirs and even members of Saudi royal family. Yasir Arafat's 'envoy' to Dhaka, Shahta Zarab became one of the mightiest men in Bangladesh as he became a close aide of Ershad in contacting Arafat and other Arab leaders. It is even learnt that, Hussain Muhammed Ershad had illegal narcotic and arms dealings with Arafat through Shahta Zarab.
Many people question the secret 'wish bone' Ershad was holding in attaining highest attention and favor of the Arab rulers, which greatly attracted lots of foreign fund or employments of Bangladeshis to those destinations. According to fact of reality, such 'wish bone' was nothing but women. Ershad stands amongst those most hated politicians in the world, who can afford to offer the women of their societies to foreign for mere personal and otherwise benefit. There are even factual information that, Hussain Muhammed Ershad was having a number of personal 'comfort places' in the capital while was maintaining a large number of concubines.
Lies of Ershad:
Hussain Muhammed Ershad is possibly amongst the rarest breed of so-called devotee, who never felt even a bit uncomfortable in telling lies right inside the mosques of shrines. On most Fridays, he was showing up in various mosques in Bangladesh and was telling the devotee that he dreamt of offering prayer in that respective mosque or shrine on the previous night. But, in reality, such programs were made a week ahead and intelligence was already working to ensure foolproof security for the mighty dictator. Ershad was also paying frequent visits to a spiritual leader named Atrashi Peer at the Southern part of Bangladesh. Millions of Taka was spent from the national exchequer for Ershad's personal trips to that place.
His colleagues, party men and even wives know Ershad as a damn liar. Recently when Ershad divorced his fifth wife Bidisha, after having marital life with her for a couple of years, quite a number of secret stories of Ershad was revealed by this woman. It is important to mention here that, Bidisha was introduced to Ershad by Shahta Zarab.
Ershad's hidden money:
Hussain Muhammed Ershad, although pretending to be a poor man, in fact is a multi millionaire. He bought properties worth a few hundred millions Taka only in Bangladesh after he captured power in 1990. He is also holding bank accounts in a number of countries including Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. This former military dictator holds a number of platinum credit cards issued by top ranking credit card issuing companies in the world.
