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The prison authorities, however, have showed interest in arranging her treatment at any local hospital in Bangladesh that she prefers. But, being the heir of the largest political party in the country and considering her political and personal identity, Hasina is concerned of her security in local hospitals. She fears that the local doctors, partisan or loyal to the government could cause her more damage than a speedy recovery. While she has refused treatment in local hospitals, the prison authorities have denied her from seeking medical treatment abroad on the excuse that the century-old-jail code in effect in the country, does not have provisions to make such exceptions.
Politicians in Hasina's party are critical of the obstinacy of prison authorities for denying her the right to seek adequate medical treatment abroad. Many of her supporters as well as the common people of Bangladesh are also sympathetic towards the detained leader. To them, it is not yet clear whether medical professionals in Bangladesh have received any message from the former prime minister for not accepting treatment locally. This has also raised questions on the credibility and ability of local clinicians to treat high profile patients like Hasina. Explanations by private doctors of the former premier as well as her colleagues say that the required treatment is available nowhere other than in the U.S. and those local doctors in Bangladesh are neither efficiently equipped nor trustworthy in their jobs.
The trustworthiness of medical doctors in Bangladesh is decreasing, as people prefer going to neighboring places for treatment. The main complaints of patients are that local native doctors do not listen to the treatment-seekers, misbehave with patients, and exploit them as much as they can. The doctors and other related clinicians hardly listen to the complaints of the people. It is no wonder that in Bangladesh somebody does not listen to someone. Not listening has become a national culture and it exists everywhere in the country.
During parliamentary sessions, the ruling parties do not listen to the opposition, speakers ignore the opposition once elected, and elected representatives do not listen to the public until they lose their constituency seat in the next election. Lawmakers are inattentive to the provisions of law within the Constitution that they need to follow, except their own private interests. Within the political parties, powerful leaders do not listen to the powerless activists and civil servants do not listen to tax-paying citizens unless bribed. The police do not heed the norms of due procedures and courts hardly listen to the victims of abuses perpetrated by state authorities. State policy makers do not listen to the policy implementers and the proposed beneficiaries, while the people in government organizations do not listen to the views of people.
This culture of not listening has given birth to the style of "forced listening." For example, when the employers of garments factories do not listen to workers demands regarding wage increases and better facilities, the workers force the authorities to listen by violent demonstrations and ransacking and destroying commercial establishments of the factories. Politicians are the masters of such activities, which has transmitted to the common people in the country.
As much as Hasina wants to regain her hearing capabilities, the Government is dillydallying over her request for seeking medical treatment abroad. Who knows under what circumstance the authorities will "hear" the influential leaders' request. People in Bangladesh need to change their culture of ignoring each other. The authorities should learn to listen before they are forced to listen.
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(Rater Zonaki is the pseudonym of a human rights defender based in Hong Kong working at the Asian Human Rights Commission. He is a Bangladeshi national with a degree in literature from a university in Dhaka. He began his career as a journalist in 1990 and engaged in human rights activism at the grassroots level in his country for more than a decade. He also worked as an editor for publications on human rights and socio-cultural issues and contributed to other similar publications.)
