Bangladesh stands united

As rescue work in Savar is continuing unabated and tirelessly, Bangladesh has been faced with a grim reality, the reality of a prolonged labour unrest and an escalation of a culture of greed and exploitation. As we all know, the faults within Rana Plaza were exposed the day before the collapse but despite several warnings and existence of a possibility of catastrophe, the factory owners persisted to keep the factory open. No matter what nomenclature we might seek to brand this disaster, this was simply murder.

Right after the disaster took place, as I logged into my Facebook account most of the status updates were of shock and condolences. Within few hours, most status updates and posts were of initiatives to assist the rescue programme and an overwhelming offering of help both in terms of money and volunteering. By the second day it was encouragingly even more. Suddenly there were numerous options in front of me by which I could contribute to help those who were affected by this horrid outcome and those who were persevering to help them. We have witnessed with pride how a large number of civilians assisting the fire service and the armed forces have been working round the clock and without a care for their own safety. Apart from recovering the dead bodies, the rescue workers have managed to get a substantial number of survivors out and continue to do so.

Medical supplies have poured into Enam Medical College and various other facilities where the injured are treated. People are enthusiastically lining up to donate blood through various organizations and monetary donations are being made without even blinking. People have donated dry food and basic rescue equipments to aid the rescue workers and continuing to do so. A person who is closely working with the rescue programme even told me to refrain from donating medicine and food supplies simply because there is excess of it due to generous contribution and any contribution should now go towards the rehabilitation of those severely injured and to compensate the families of those deceased. Our fire fighters and the members of the armed forcers with assistance from local civilians have managed to rescue over 2500 people despite rain and other adverse conditions.

However, in the middle of all this our honourable home minister, very predictably, managed to point finger at the opposition for this fiasco and the honourable prime minister made a statement in the parliament, which in essence disowned the owner of the building as a party activist. Such statements were unnecessary and uncalled for. However, the people of this country very visibly managed to rise above such petty squabbling and moved on to aid their fellow countrymen. Donations are still pouring in and there is no shortage of people willing to volunteer in the rescue operation. Our media has also managed to keep the people well updated on the developments in the rescue mission on a daily basis, which I think has also played a crucial role in keeping people engaged on the matter and in turn inspire them to offer help.

It is true that there have been violent protests by garment workers demanding the arrest of the owner of the ill fated building. The garment workers across the country have shown solidarity towards their fellow men and women who were affected by the collapse and have unequivocally asked for justice. Although there is no justification for protests that involve destruction of public property, one can understand the prevailing frustration due to continuous occurrences like this in the garment industry. There have been protests in Chittagong as well and the workers appeared visibly concerned about the situation and want to have some degree of assurance that such unfortunate occurrences will not happen in the future.

Meanwhile, work is continuing relentlessly in the disaster site. Every single survivor rescued is being cheered by the people. Bangladeshis abroad are trying to find ways to contribute as well. They do not want to be excluded from the opportunity of aiding the nation. While greed and negligence can lead to a tragedy, it also acts as a catalyst to bring unity and consciousness to oppose it. In light of all this, there is yet another reality that has become apparent. A reality that is neither grim nor dark. The reality which clearly displays the will of the people of this country to fight, endure and stand by their fellow countrymen. The reality of a Bangladesh that can stand united in asking for justice and this Bangladesh despite various efforts cannot be defeated.

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Israfil Khosru is a businessman and runs a youth-led think tank called The Bangladeshi.