Prez’s visit to Dhaka has knocked a new door for SAARC.

The leader of Sri Lanka has emphasized on this communication. During his three days’ visit, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have signed five memoranda of understandings. These five areas are agriculture, fisheries, vocational educations, science and culture.

by Swadesh Roy

(April 26, Dhaka, Sri Lanka, Guardian) The visit of Mahinda Rajapaksa the president of Sri Lanka to Bangladesh has created a new impression in Bangladesh. The outstanding speech of Sri Lankan president impressed the people of Bangladesh. Sri Lankan president gave an outstanding speech at the state banquet of Bangladeshi president. In his speech he expressed, the friendship of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is based on old history and civilization. He added that, `Sri Lanka and Bangladesh share a long-standing friendship based on history and old civilizations, with cultural links and commonalities. The origins of our ties go back many centuries. According to our great chronicle, the Mahavansa, Prince Vijaya and his 700 followers, who are our forefathers, had come to Sri Lanka from ancient Bengal, which is now part of Bangladesh. History and culture bind us together.’ In his speech, Mr.Rajapaksa also added that, we want to make a people-to-people relation to Sri Lanka- Bangladesh. 

Sri Lankan leader is also a leader of SAARC. As a leader of SAARC he correctly identified that, what is the main bondage of the people of the South Asia. Every intellectual of this region will admit that, the old civilization of this region is the main component of connectivity to the people of the SAARC. With his greatness Rajapaksa admits that, their forefathers went there from Bengal which is now Bangladesh. So according to history, the people of Sri Lanka and the people of Bangladesh have flourished from same civilization. If we go to anthropology, we will get that the origin of the people of these two countries have common starting place. They are in same ethnic group. They are containing same blood and same civilization. 

We know that, the modern state is a creation of politics. Through a state organization, now politics is ruling society but society and its civilization is more and more older than politics. That is way, if any political leader wants to establish good politics for his people and the people of his neighbours, he must have to depend on his society’s civilization and the civilization of his neighbors. However, most of the political leaders do not do this. They fail to understand this. Only some politicians can understand this. The president of Sri Lanka is such a politician who has understood this truth. He believed on the civilization of the society and its people. That is way; we could say that, in Bangladeshi president’s banquet the speech he has given is a new avenue for the people of SAARC. We know that, for a strengthen relation of south Asian countries and its people; SAARC has been founded; but it is not functioning well from the beginning. Most of the leaders of SAARC had tried to make a good relation through a political settlement of the regional issues. Nobody thought that, we cannot make a good relation with one country to another through a political settlement. A permanent regional cooperation never depends on any political negotiation. It always depends on a permanent relation through people to people. Leader of Sri Lanka has indicated this. He said, we have to make a people-to-people relation and it is possible, because we are the people of common civilization. 

The leaders of this region made SAARC to make a good relation between the countries of the South Asia. Their vision was very good but it did not get any success over the last three decades. Therefore, it is the high time to think about this; why are we failing to make a good relation to each other?. Why are we failing to make all type of communications? Why politics is not sufficient to establish it? It is proven now that, only politics is not sufficient to build this relation. . Therefore, the leaders of the SAARC have to realize that, we have to build relation from people to people. If they want to build this relation, they have to think like Mr. Rajapaksa. In his Bangladesh visit, Rajapaksa said the civilization of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are same. Now is the time that all of the SAARC leaders have to realize that the civilization of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives are same. If we could realize this and we could believe it from deep down our heart like Razapaksa, then we could make people-to-people connection in the SAARC. 

People to people connection of Bangladesh- Sri Lanka are also depending on this. As an example; now hundreds of thousands of people of Bangladesh know Sri Lanka through the cricket of Sri Lanka. I think, Sri Lankan embassy of Bangladesh can give correct information to Mr. Rajapaksa, how many people of Bangladesh support Sri Lankan cricket team in the last world cup cricket final. We know that, half of the total cricket lovers of Bangladesh supported Sri Lankan team on 2nd April. It is really an example of relation between people to people. It is possible only through the cultural communication. If we can memories, we can see that, in early eighties, football lovers of Bangladesh loved Mr. Pakir Ali more than any others of Bangladeshi footballers. It is called people-to-people communications. It is the power of culture. 

The leader of Sri Lanka has emphasized on this communication. During his three days’ visit, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have signed five memoranda of understandings. These five areas are agriculture, fisheries, vocational educations, science and culture. Besides the fives, the leaders of the two countries said that, we need an easy communication. It is more vital for these two countries of same civilizations. If these two countries want to go advance for increasing their trade and cultural relations, they have to build up an easy communication. Therefore, two countries’ leaders have to think to introduce a low-priced air communication for the citizens of two countries. Two countries can remove all type of travel taxes. The easy air communications will help not only in cultural relation building up but also become more helpful for extended trade cooperation. The visit of Sri Lankan president has made this new avenue for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the speech of Mr.Rajapaksa has knocked a new door for SAARC.