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Abandon 3Gs, inculcate 3Cs

Z. A. Khan
USA smiles as the Americans are regaining their lost pride after 8 years of hawkish rule that tore apart the fabrics of humanism and humanity. The chauvinists ignited insularity across the globe through a predetermined policy geared to pre-emptive use of aggressive power in the name of self defense and pro-active democracy building. But the insularity is yet to subside, which necessitates ushering in of an alternative course.
It is the realisation that the louder and more cogently dissents emerges; the more grows the desire for change.
November '08 has put on record the longing of Americans for change. The citizens of the world welcome the wind of change as it promises the end of a global nightmare that America might "impose the limitation of the American dream on the reality of everyone's life."
If the Americans did not support the change, US and rest of the world would have suffered from the "real consequences of death, increasing divide between rich and poor, a squandering of human future and building more and more pretexts for conflicts as the promise of to-morrow."
The Americans’ support of change will help them to confront the nightmare that had made the world reel under poverty and denied the people's right to life and liberty. They are realising how important it is to cultivate the culture of friendship, and to protect all from a leadership that sold arms by constructing fratricidal wars in Africa and Asia.
President Obama has learnt to see
America as a part of a world made imperfect by the arms merchants and their accomplices and has assured all that a determined effort will be made "to find answers, new solutions in the struggles of many nations, all of whom also have a vested interest in a peaceful, humane and a better human future." In Bangladesh, the slogan "Din Bodoler Pala" (a time for change) encouraged people to vote AL to power, and they are now waiting to enjoy the fruits of change.
3Gs (goons, guns and gold) have been dominating democracy for several decades. The "heathen" possessors of the 3Gs were confident that even the long arm (?) of the law could not touch them. Strengthening of democracy has been dispatched into obscurity by the goons who used their guns and gold to stifle the rise of credible people who have commitment and want to ensure consistency (in short 3Cs) for develop-ment of the economy and institutionalisation of democracy. Change in Bangladesh might seem like a dream, but it must come about.
Our country is divided into two political streams, i.e. the AL and the BNP streams. People are prone to vote against the incumbent government, as they have no third choice. Then why were the "no" votes so few? One reason was that people knew there was no other party with broad-based organisation, therefore one of the two parties had to be voted to power. The other reason is that most voters failed to identify the symbol for "no" vote in the ballot paper and voted for the symbol of their choice.
For them 3C is unimportant as they don't understand what they mean.
Those who value 3Cs art subdued by 3Gs. Must we live in this vitiated political environment, thinking it is fait accompli? If we do, we will go nowhere. On May Day an MP said to me: "We have come back to square one. Who do we ask for the return of the two years that started with lofty promises of change but has thrown us into this situation at the end?"
My conviction is that this political situation will not persist forever. The people will refuse to act as pawns as dearth and denial have pushed them to the wall, and the only way out will be to resist the ominous forces with unity and commitment Who do we look for to make the way,
show the way and lead the way? New leadership should emerge, and should be imbibed with the spirit of change that President Obama is spreading.
Our people deserve to be able make a choice, abdicating from the traditional "no choice barring BNP and AL." The corrupt and the corruptible must be made to quit politics. State institutions should act without fear or favour. Formal institutions should not be employed for informal assignments, and the government's security should not be given priority over state security.
How can good politics be brought about? Student politics cannot be
thought of as an effective alternative as it should revolve around campus problems and may at best be allowed to introspect about national problems and air their concerns and conclusions through seminars and symposiums. An age limit should be set for them to quit campus politics. They can then join national politics, which will inject fresh energy into politics.
As they are likely to be far less corruptible, they will be able to threaten the entrenched politicians with dire consequences including social boycott if they do not mend their traditional ways of taking their voters for a ride
with the help of 3Gs. Experience reveals that people are more inclined to support students turned politicians, hoping that they will be more credible and more committed to the people and may even be more consistent in pursuing fair politics.
The senior leaders may also feel constrained to be more focused about their short- comings. Thus, there would hopefully be a quantum jump in the quality of politics. All these days entrenched politicians prevented people from entering politics in their constituencies.
I was amazed to observe a sea change in the attitude of the new voters, who are prepared to voice their dissent even at the peril of immense suffering that may follow. I implore the 33% new voters to get the wheels of change rolling so that the politics of welfare overwhelms politics of time watching. For this to happen they should imbibe the 3Cs, which promise a move for the better - - for the leader and the led.
An expatriate said to me that most political parties in Bangladesh behaved like the top leader's party father than people's party. Because, he thought, leaders moved with the finger movement of the top leader. I was abashed and could find no reply, because his observation was not far from being correct. So the time has come for collective wisdom to replace the arrogance of the few.
People imbued with the 3Cs should now come out for the sake our country and our people. The winds of change blowing all over the world should sweep through our country to remove the ills of captive democracy and the perils of stagnancy. Only thus will the 3Cs be able to dispatch into oblivion the practitioners of the 3Gs and bring back sanity, sensitivity and sensibility in our politics, which will pave the way for true democracy to take root.
ZA Khan is a former DG of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies.