Letters to the Editor
“The relevance of Ataturk”
While more often than not I respectfully disagree with Syed Badrul Ahsan's opinion pieces, his June 19 essay “The relevance of Ataturk” should be reflected upon deeply by those who simply assume that democracy means all is good. Governance by democratic consent coupled with iron-clad guarantees of individual liberty and pluralism is a far cry from the majoritarian mob rule that he has rightly warned us about in that brilliant opinion piece. The history of theocratic democracy in our times is a sad one and, usually, entails a 'one man, one vote, one time' formula that results in systems where religious minorities, women, and artistes bear the brunt of medieval barbarism. Kemal Ataturk, the savior of Turkey, knew this all too well and made sure that such barbaric elements were spoken to in the only language they understood. As Mr. Ahsan points out well, Bangladesh will pay a steep price, perhaps irrevocably, if it fails to heed the lessons of the founder of modern Turkey.
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