Writing in the time of autocracy

Hasan, Md. Mahmudul (2024) Writing in the time of autocracy. The Daily Star, Opinion (24th September 2024). p. 9.

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Abstract

The government subjected the writer and artist Mushtaq Ahmed (1967–2021) to nine-month-long slow death in police custody. By this, the regime wanted to send a forewarning message to all other writers who might have contemplated exposing its human rights violations and financial corruptions. Many capable intellectuals and opinion leaders heeded the message and remained silent. They prioritised their own safety and comfort over the independence of their mind and their sense of responsibility to the nation. Some of them continued writing but never touched on the wrongdoings of the government. They explored the aesthetics of flora and fauna or the serenity of lakes, and similar bland subjects. Others provided epistemic cover-ups to Hasina's autocracy by seeking to establish moral equivalence between the then and previous governments. The enthusiasts among them eulogised the regime for its mega development projects without touching on their high pricing and massive corruption through which people in the government pocketed money with both hands.

Item Type:	Article (Newspaper)
Additional Information:	6409/11461
Uncontrolled Keywords:	writing, autocracy
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General) P Language and Literature > PI Oriental languages and literatures
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of English Language & Literature Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences
Depositing User:	Dr. Md. Mahmudul Hasan
Date Deposited:	25 Sep 2024 09:21
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2024 09:21
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/114641

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