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Public Meeting —Venue, Traffic and Smokescreen Syndrome

by G ho lam Mohammad
PUBLIC meetings are an important factor within the academic definition — democratic Institutions deserve quite urgent attention for rc-assessment/rc-evaluation in our situation where a fierce gun battle, aided by rocket launchers, with the police force Is still regarded as a law and order case. Needless to define a public meeting 1n its scope, purpose, significance etc which are too well known to be repeated here, wc should be concerned with primarily the venue of public meetings and see next how are these meetings Influencing the democratic process within our society.
During the mass upsurge against autocracy tn recent times, public meetings, as a vital part of the democratic movement, used lo be held almost daily all over the country from which, among others, a very Interesting tradition with regard to the venue of public meetings within Dhaka city, developed. A discussion on this may be interesting and informative.
Open space within the city is fast yielding to roads and buildings (also buslecs). An emphasis on sophisticated shopping complexes and markets during the preceding reglmc(s), was pro-nounccd all over. Bustees. an apparent obstruction in the city s beautification progr-ammc, were removed by application of force (ignoring the reasons for the growth of bustecs as well as the fact that cheap urban labour in the shape of our domestic servants, posters in the markets, rickshaw pullers, push cast drivers and other categories of day labourers are available to us from these bustees).
Paltan Maidan
A valuable natural tradition, to our, bad luck, has disappeared in this process which explains some kind of derangemcnt/dcraflmcnt in our thinking and doing things. Paltan Maidan where glorious events of far-reaching national importance look place, was converted into a shopping complex with an extension of the Stadium. The site should, in fact, have been preserved with a monument to remind us and our children of the nation's Uncompromising struggle for emancipation. Unfortunately for us, we have ourselves witnessed tts total de-construction without
suffering a prick on our conscience which, I am sure, did exist within ourselves.
Paltan Maidan sliced into square feet, was leased out to the business community for whom the western front of the adjacent park, across the road on the south facing the Gulistan Cinema Hall was available, perhaps, as a better option for that purpose This is one of the hundreds of instances to Illustrate how, denuded of the sense of history, affairs of great historical significance have been handled by our leaders which as a npHpn, we, too. have shamelessly compromised with.
The political parties leading the mass upsurge of compulsion, therefore, opted out on the streets around to hold thetr regular meetings quite frequently blocking the already gone mad road traffic system of the city. Eventually, by consensus possibly, these political parties mutually allotted among themselves ccrlain near-by places for holding thetr respective meetings viz. Gulistan Square to BNP. Bangabandhu Avenue lo AL. Zero Point to Left Wing parlies and North Gate of Bailul Mukarram to Jamaat-e-Islaml. This speaks well of inter-parties understanding, discipline and a spirit of coexistence despite their differences on Ideology and political programming. Being In itself a vital requirement for the development of healthy democratic norms and traditions, this should not imply thai the Immediate resultant problems arising out of these public meetings on the streets arc being Ignored. It may be mentioned here that Shapla Chatlar within Molijhccl C/A and Pantha-path close to Sonargaon Hotel, were two places tried as prospective places for public meeting. But these failed to respond to the political needs to emerge out as formidable as Ihe four meeting places mentioned earlier. They were, therefore, abandoned.
Manik Mia Avenue looks too selective for ordinary political activities over there. Race Course, indeed correctly
remarked as the lungs of Dhaka city, now mainly Suhraw-.irdy Uddyan and partly Shishu Park and Police Control Room, Is no better than Shapla Chattar and/or Panthapath from practical view point which may be casually discussed in the subsequent analysis.
Main Streets
The main streets within Dhaka city, therefore, provide venues for public meetings and for that matter, selection of places by BNP. ALjLeft Wing parties and Jamaat-e-Islami. is admirable except for massive traffic problems, paradoxically to the detriment of the people themselves, during the meeting hours and a couple of additional hours upon conclusion of the meetings. For this, absence of alternative traffic routes or meeting places Is to blame rather than apportioning the blame to the parties blocking the traffic. However, as long as the problem persists, the party -in -power (not necessarily BNP, always) should take the blame gracefully upon itself in the event of Its failure to resolve this problem. Others should also wake up to their responsibilities in accordance with the size of the responsibilities devolving upon
It may perhaps be useful In our changed political scenario to assess at the present stage, when wc arc talking a great deal of parliamentary democracy, the attitude of the audience towards the public meetings .and to obtain their views on the rhetorics powerfully exercised in course of these meetings — the urgency for this consisting into the fact that immediately upon the conclusion of a public meeting, a quick claim is made by Its organisers that the people have given their overwhelming mandate in favour of what was spoken and for which, the people are also thanked. This looks as oversimplification of things planned earlier in closed doors with a provision to Implement the already decided sets of
programmes after ceremoniously reading them out. amidst familiar rhetorics, in ■ public meeting.
. A series of surveys on different aspects of public meetings might land us. maybe, on new Islands of knowledge. A questionnaire developed for the purpose, may ask the audience, Inter alia, on random basis, to begin with, some questions about thetr presence tn the meeting viz. I) whether 11 was by mere chance or accident that the respondents found themselves in the meeting or, driven by their inner urge without any mundane considerations, they attended the meeting: II) whether long-standing friendship with the organisers of the meeting without necessarily sharing each other's political views or, financial or any other tangible benefits, attracted them to the meeting; 111) whether they went there to listen, with or without commitment, to what the people were speaking on the mike; fv) whether It was just whiling away thetr spare time; v) whether they really agree to the existence of conspiracies around the corner to which both the opposition and the ruling party refer and vl) whether they went to the meeting to witness the live show of their leaders arriving in a motorcade, taking the scat on the dais, standing up with a smile or a tense face and speaking out accordingly.
The respondents should be categorised age. sex. education and profession-wise with a question, whether at any lime In the past, they were convicted in a criminal case or any such cases arc pending against them at the presenl moment. Another question to be addressed should be whether the respondents agree to the points raised, or, in their opinion, there arc other dimensions loo, or the points are altogether absurd.
Popularity of Leaders
The survey should also focus on the popularity of the leaders by inserting a few pertinent questions in the
questionnaire. For nn example, whether the people escorting the leaders were actually Ihe ordinary mortals, or the concerned parties' extraordinary terror brigade or policc/para-mllilary force in disguise. Another crucial aspect calling for analysts 1s the people s reaction to the frequent closures of road transports with special reference to the movement of ambulance, fire brigade, doctors' cars and other essential services
Views of the hawkers and others running small businesses within the area, need also be ascertained tn relation to their business transacxons, their day's earnings and whether or not there fa a clandestine mechanism on behalf of the concci.icd political parties to compensate their loss as an apology to the social security system (tn the pilot study of which, several years ago, conducted by our Planning Commission, this writer was involved.)
Reasons for the abandonment of Shapla Chaitar and' Panthapath as meeting venues should also be identified by including some questions viz. i) whether these two places failed to provide the required space and, more importantly, an instant audience as in case of Gulistan Square, Bangabandhu Avenue, Zero Point and North Gale of Baftul Mukarram. with an impressive camera view of the meeting, and it) what arc other reasons exactly for their failure to emerge as important meeting venues which should, in all frankness. Include a confession whether the overhead costs In organising a meeting over there is prohibitive.
As mentioned at the outset, the focus of this write-up Is on the venue of public meetings with, of course, some relevant questions on the audience's response lo ccrlain important Issues together with aweful jams on the streets during the meeting hours. This Is a matter of a very serious concern for the public regardless of their political opinions. Ironically, however.-It is again in the interest of the public that these meetings arc held.
What should In fact raise our eyebrows are comments passed by ordinary mortals 1n bazaars these days which are becoming louder each passing day These comments, are easily audible when the people find the prices of essentials rising. These comments as already mentioned earlier, arc the mixed expression of anger and frustration which amounts lo almost the rejection of, and Indifference lo. all the rhetorics on the successful operation of the democratically elected government, conspiracy bogeys, fresh movement against the nco-aulocrats etc. powerfully exercised In the public meetings Irrespective of parties, politics or Ideologies
Down-to-Earth Faits
The proposed survey shouIcT Indicate through down-to-enrth facts supported by necessary data, the relevance of public meetings to our changed perspective with a focus on the categories of people forming the audience of these meetings. Already in the last general elections. It has been noted with considerable amount of confusion and frustration that too many stipulations of the participating parlies, even to the surprise and shock of the veterans In politics, went wrong on- account of mainly the "over-understanding" of the people’s mind, exposing for the first time a gap between the leaders and their followers.
As the times have changed, bringing about a total change In the value-pattern which Is Identifiable for Its characteristics of decadence, wc should perhaps, without indulging in formula-rhetorics, try to correctly understand those changes and Identify their causes, and accordingly modify our approach to respond effectively to the felt-needs before a couple of decades more are lost together with historical valuables such as Paltan Maidan, for an instance.
A survey, it should be noted keeping 1n view the points discussed in this write-up, is not necessarily a White-collar business. Its urgency In the present case for those who understand. Is substantially high to differentiate between a public meeting and smokescreen with special reference to. among others, Its venue and other dynamics already mentioned.