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PERSPECTIVES

Democracy’s great leap forward

M. Abdul Hafiz
IN spite of the mixed signals emanating from the media outlets, an AL victory was assured -- given the party's qualitative edge over others, at least on the eve of the election - - but its landslide vis-a-vis BNP's total routing couldn't clearly be anticipated. Such an outcome of the poll, fought between the two behemoths of our country's politics, hardly crossed anyone's mind. In hindsight, the die was cast and the BNP's fate was sealed during its last tenure in power, when an alienated people disgusted with the party's misrule decisively turned their back to BNP-Jamaat alliance.
In the wake of the last election, even Madam Zia's high profile whistle-stop campaign across the country couldn't effect any dent in public mood, although she pulled crowds everywhere and at any hour of the day or night. Consequently, her hubristic pronouncements till the end turned into a whimper as the election results started pouring in. Curiously, except the BNP itself, few were surprised by its reversal of fate.
The BNP-led alliance's cup of sin was already full to the brim, and it was only reaping the whirlwind. So, there was no tear from any quarter for the fallen giant. Rather, the people felt relieved. The deafening sound of an imposed silence during the BNP-Jamaat regime, followed by two years of the state of emergency, now exploded into a resounding triumph for "change" — the mantra hawked by the AL.
The party successfully captured the imagination of a new generation of Bangladeshis, who were eager to rid the country's polities of its stereotypes and democracy of its straw warriors and mere pantomime. They, now fired with a passion to resurrect the founding principles of the nation, Instinctively looked to Bangabandhu's AL -- the party that spearheaded the war of liberation leading to the advent of Bangladesh.
The BNP understandably finds it difficult to come to term with this reality, and in her first official reaction the BNP chairperson rejected the poll result on the ground of serious and wide-scale rigging -- although a strong denial of the accusation followed from all domestic and overseas election observers as well as the Election Commission itself.
Madam Zia further debased the stature of the party with her puerile outburst in the face of defeat. However, her secretary general conceded defeat, saying that the BNP would also join the parliament in a constructive role, notwithstanding its grossly reduced strength. The news has come as a great relief to political observers, who see in it the return of sanity in the BNP.
In the meantime, the new mascot of our politics, the AL chief, faces a great challenge after her party's win with an absolute majority in the parliament. She is already in the sharp glare of scrutiny from various quarters, as well as from the people with bloated expectations. It
is, however, heartening to note that Sheikh Hasina, with her roots among the people for the rights of whom she struggled for long -- risking her life more often than not -- seems to be acutely conscious of the danger inherent in a landslide and adequately cautioned her party men against self-serving greed and temptation. She is repeatedly exhorting them for restraint and selfsacrifice.
Yet, any power centre is invariably and unavoidably surrounded by sycophants seeking favours -- plum position, ministerial berth and soon. They are usually responsible for smearing the government with slurs, weakening the regime with intra-party squabbles and corrupting the administration with their servile flattery.
Much of the success of the next government will depend on how deftly the person at the apex can parry their onslaught and keep them leashed. Our experience in the past in this regard has
been far from savoury. Nepotism, cronyism and favouritism somehow wormed their way into the seat of power.
The election for the ninth parliament may not have been the way it was envisioned by the caretaker dispensation, the EC, an assortment of civil societies, as well as the AL itself. According to the experts' findings, there are persons accused by the court, loan defaulters, and even war criminals among the elected lot. While such revelations are indeed dampening, the analysts and observers reckon that the improvement achieved through the efforts of various agencies in conducting the election is a great leap forward in our transition to democracy. But this improvement accruing benefit to the polity will have to be sustained. That's the way a workable democracy is bound to be achieved. But idealism or perfectionism belong to cloud-cuckoo land.
Brig (retd) Hafiz is former DG of BUSS.
***While such revelations are indeed dampening, the analysts and observers reckon that the improvement achieved through the efforts of various agencies in conducting the election is a great leap forward in our transition to democracy.****