If he gets over his disenchantment with the nuclear daredevils of South Asia, Bill Clinton is slated to swing by Bangladesh, too, this October. Expect photo opportunities with cute street children, destitute women and select NGO barons.
Expect unctuous statements about human rights, democracy, poverty alleviation, economic development and bilateral trade. But when it comes to the rub, expect the bottom line to be about energy, and the access of American corporations to the massive gas reserves that have been discovered under Bangla soil and sea.
The visit, some months back, by Bill Richardson, special envoy of the president and the US Ambassador to the United Nations gave us a taste of things to come. As he came and went, the Dhaka media and intelligentsia cooed with appreciation and amity. As we all know, the task of mature journalism and pragmatic scholarship is to keep the truth beyond the reach of the general public.
Bangladesh claims to have a nominally free press, but Clinton´s visit will demonstrate how much intellectual freedom and social responsibility is exhibited in the local media. With loan-defaulting, land-encroaching newspaper proprietors among those manoeuvring for their slice of the gas fields, it is unlikely that this part of the 'free press' will ever be any more autonomous than the print media operating under the direct patronage of the state. More liberal, less unscrupulous editors will be too flattered by the thought of meeting the US president, too concerned about social standing; under such circumstances there will be no serious departure from mainstream ululations of welcome and cooperation. There will be long post-editorials by people invited to official functions who will pass off overheard reception banter as "intelligence" and "insight" on the state of bilateral relations.
Imperial tutelage
So, what will be missing? When Bill Clinton comes to Bangladesh, what will we not hear? We already know about American interest in human rights, responsive governance, increased transparency, and the "commitment of up to USD 600,000 to projects in this area". To hear them say it, human rights and advancing democracy are subjects which will carry equal weight as energy at the forthcoming bilateral talks. However, truth be told, support for human rights and democracy is but the public relations counterpoint to the real business of energy.