By: Thuikyaw Shing Marma
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Some people believe that Santu Larma is a selfless leader. But this is a mistaken notion — a myth. To those who believe Santu Larma is a selfless leader, I request you to please provide evidence that he truly is such a leader — mere words are not enough.
We know that an ideal leader renounces greed, lust for power, wealth, luxury, and personal comfort. Has Santu Larma renounced any of these? I don’t think so. In fact, he seems to have an abnormal attachment to these things.
He possesses many kinds of greed, but his lust for power is legendary — that is well known. His hunger for power is sky-high. This very lust for power was one of the main causes — perhaps even the sole cause — of the bloody intra-party civil war during the 1980s. The current fratricidal conflict is also rooted in his unrelenting desire for power. When Rupayan Dewan and Sudhasindhu Khisa left him and the JSS to form a new party in 2006–07, it was primarily and solely because of his power-hungry nature. To stay in power within the Regional Council, he did not hesitate to plunge his own people and nation into bloodshed and destruction through internal conflict. One could say his greed and obsession with power are limitless.
On the surface, it may appear that he is not greedy for money. But the reality is quite different. Who funded the millions of dollars needed to buy his younger daughter luxurious homes in Canada? Where does the hundreds of millions of taka for her fashion shows come from? How do his unemployed daughter and jobless son-in-law afford all this? It is Santu Larma who provides these funds. This money is the people’s money. The funds that ordinary party workers collect in the name of the party are funneled by him to his daughters and used to consolidate his absolute control both within and outside the party.
As for personal comfort — it can be said that he has never given it up. Even during the armed struggle, those close to him have said that he lived a life of luxury and comfort. He never led a risky or dangerous life. To sum up Santu Larma’s sacrifices — he has given up nothing but perhaps his bodily waste.
An ideal revolutionary leader possesses certain qualities — ethics, wisdom, foresight. Santu Larma has none of these. He is an extremely hypocritical person. There is no virtue or morality in him. Nor is he wise — the 1997 Accord is proof of that. If he had wisdom, he would have pursued politics of unity, not politics division. And foresight is not one of his traits either. He is blind — blind to the fact that fratricidal conflict only benefits the enemies of the Jumma people. All he sees is where and how he can gain and retain personal power.
In truth, Santu Larma is a curse for the Jumma nation — like the planet Rahu, he has overshadowed the destiny of the Jummas. Like an octopus, he has gripped the Jumma people tightly, becoming an obstacle to the movement. Until the Jummas free themselves from Santu Larma, they will not be able to free themselves from the oppression of the Bangladeshi ruling elites. Today, everyone realizes this truth — except for a handful of his sycophants. And that is our ray of hope.
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