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Post-election scenario

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, therefore, the opposition in the parliament must remain engaged in working with the government to reduce poverty and to provide the basic necessities of life.

Harun ur Rashid
THIS national election is over. Election is a means and not an end. It is the beginning of a political process can bring change, but only if the elected government remains committed to its election pledges and works to achieve what is possible.
Politics has been defined as the "art of the possible," by the German-Prussian politician Otto von Bismarck (1815-98). "Good politics" is finding the balance between the desirable and the possible.
In real politics, a government does not always achieve what people want because reality imposes limits on its efforts --paucity of funds is one of them -- but the people expect the government to implement its pledges with determination and commitment.
It is this awareness of the government's efforts that separates critics and cynics. People should be able and willing to challenge what is wrong, and work to correct
policies and practices that they find deplorable. To bring about the change people seek, they must maintain a critical eye while engaging in the process that makes change possible.
Cynics, on the other hand, are like those sports fans sitting in the chairs, criticising their team's every move, calling for someone else to do something. It's easy to be a cynic, but cynics don't make change.
Hopefully, the outcome of the election offers change and new possibilities. It will not be easy, nor can it occur overnight. The change people seek will be incremental, and it is possible.
People expect good governance. Governance ordinarily means making decisions and implementing them. Transparency and objectivity are necessary while spending funds for the welfare of the public.
People expect good leaders to shun direct or indirect influence of relatives, friends and party followers, and not to engage themselves in appointing individ-
uals to positions of responsibility regardless of merit.
Since a government spends tax-payer's money, leaders must understand that the tax payers have the right to know how their money is spent. This is known as accountability, which emphasises that the public should be told why a particular decision was made and how it was made. Accountability to the people is the hallmark of good governance.
People expect good leadership that abides by rule of law. The rule of law is interlinked with democractic norms and, in a democratic society, the rights and freedoms inherent to the human person, the guarantees applicable to them, and the rule of law form a triad. Each component defines itself, and complements and depends on the others for its meaning.
Rule of law is considered as one of the key dimensions that determine the quality and good governance of a country'. The rule oflaw does not mean rule bylaw.
Laws are made by states, but states are themselves subject to the rule oflaw. Rule of law sets the parameters within which government functions. Cost-effective and easy mechanisms must be in place to secure legal protection for individuals against arbitrary execesses of state power.
Equality before the law is an integral part of rule of law. That means law does not discriminate between powerful and
weak persons. Enforcement of law’ must be uniform and strong. Under the rule of law, the accuser cannot be at the same time the judge. Independence of judiciary is an important component of the rule of law. People expect that the elected government wall address the huge challenges.
Bangladesh is a poor nation. About 49% of its people live below the poverty’ line, and there is a wide disparity in ? income between the rich and the poor. -Some say about 10% of the rich own 40% of 1 the total land in the country, while the -poor 10% own only 1.84% of land. There have not been genuine land reforms and agrarian reforms.
There are three simple questions to ask to measure development: What has been happening to poverty? What has been happening to unemployment? What has been happening to inequality? If all these decline from high levels, there is a period of development.
It is to the achievement of these goals , that the new government must commit. itself to. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, therefore, the opposition in the • parliament must remain engaged in work- ' ing with the government to reduce poverty,' to provide the basic necessities of life, to • combat the effects of global warming and ' to fight extremist elements in the country.
Barrister Harun ur Rashid rs a former ambassador to the UN. ,, Geneva