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Our politics: Enigma or trauma?

Z.A. Khan
GRADUALLY, the quality of politics in Bangladesh is again plummeting to its nadir despite our politicians' horrendous experience of the State of Emergency imposed on January 11,2007 because of deteriorating political situation that plunged the country into a state of anarchy. It is enigmatic that neither the politician nor the nation has learnt any lesson from what had transpired after imposition of state of emergency.
It would be wrong to blame the politicians only for the downhill slide of our democracy and development. Some in the bureaucracy have been corrupt and have cultivated partisanship culture. They involved themselves in skullduggery and missed no opportunity to reap the rich harvest from their political sponsors by showing them ways to violate the "Rules of Business" with impunity. It is a shame that they have divorced themselves from probity, which is the foundation on which the bureaucracy is supposed to stand fast and firm. Today, they seem to be more eager to hitch their cart with the king's wagon for gaining affluence rather than honouring their job obligations.
Some in our intelligentsia have not been true to their conscience and have been time watchers to decide their next move. We take them as icons of respectable pedigree who are supposed to guide us when we are in a state of flux and advise the society on how to deal with crises. A few intellectuals, unfortunately, are promoting schisms while our demand from them is courage to proscribe the wrong. They too have frustrated the nation.
Our media is not that badly off. There are myriad instances where our media failed to play their role impartially or rather deftly, perhaps because of management policy. We are aware that many newspapers are owned by ambitious busi-
nessmen, who barely show the due regard to healthy journalism. Their dictum is "make hay while the sun shines." So, professional journalists have no choice but to make a beeline behind the Pied Piper if they want to survive. Those who tried to challenge the managements' dictation were dispatched into oblivion and no protests were heard.
Our students, who have a legacy of rising against misrule and deprivation, have lately adopted a short route to success, be it in politics or elsewhere in national life. When asked for the reason for the moral decay
they respond instantly that "if you eat the cake and have it too what will be left for us!" They need years to get a degree because of session jam, which to most students is unaffordable due to financial constraints. Yet they have to get degree to get a job. So, they have to earn as they study.The easiest way to ensure their sustainability and also to continue their studies is to look for political guardians or godfathers. They (politicians) waste no time in recruiting them, give minimum facilities, and tell them to live off the ground -- for which they even give them firearms. So, the newfound power to flex their muscles has led young students to commit all sorts of crimes, throwing away their books like ninepins. Thus emerge the so-called "young Frankensteins" who
pay no regard to human values and moral standards.
Many teachers often turn a blind eye to their students’ activities, either for personal safety or for advantages in the form of out of the way promotion or for seeking higher study facilities. A considerable percentage of the teachers have political leanings, which challenges their mission. Thus, they deprive the new generation of students of the opportunities to pursue social and moral development by following the example supposed to be set by the teachers.
Unfortunately, our society has been caught up in the immodest and nefarious activities of those that are standing on the fault line of history and hope. My statement is loud and clear. I request all concerned to focus on such initiatives that
would help immensely in the upliftment of the moral standard needed to undo dominance of the guns and goons. We must promote rule of law, which is attainable provided that the desire is inculcated by one and all. To improve upon the deplorable state of affairs in all walks of our national life, I suggest that we ensure the following: • The media be owned by professionals only;
• Students be barred from national politics;
• Regular elections of the students union to be held to develop regard for democratic practice at an early age;
The Public Service Commission (PSC) to consist of top notchers of various professions, whose selection should be approved by the Jatiya Sangsad. Promotion of beaucrats should be based on the recommendation of the PSC only, who should give priority to the last three Annual Confidential Reports initiated upon them;
Judges be appointed from a panel prepared by the Judicial Commission; Politics to be institutionalised, and no mercy should be shown to those who by-pass institutions;
Political parties to practice in-house democracy, which should be enacted in the party constitution. Election Commission should oversee its obser-
vance and notify all concerned about violations. Media may be requested to publish violations for voters' attention;
• Political parties to hold regular election to all posts at all levels of their organisations by secret balloting;
• Party election to be overseen by the representative of Election Commission. No voice voting or hand raising approval should be permitted;
• Jatiya Sangad should be the centre of all policy making. All parties, regardless of their size in the JS, should get proportional time to voice their opinion on any issue;
• Intellectuals should be credible. Interconnectivity with people of all segments of our society is recommended to make them people-oriented and to remain aware of the ground realities.
These "dos and don'ts" are by no means exhaustive. The point that is intended to be brought home is that there is an urgent need to arrest the pernicious slide that has been set into motion. Our people are traumatised and feeling rudderless. We should yield to a new brand of politics triggered to rise against the tyranny of the oligarchs, dictators and monarchs, who should take lessons from the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa to restore the diminishing hope. I hope that dedicated leaders will emerge from the current political debris to steer us to a destination where we will be assured of protection to our lives and liberty; which is sure to strengthen democracy and development. We must adopt stringent measures to repudiate the corrupt and self-serving individuals who create impediments on our march towards prosperity and practice of true democracy. Only thus can we give a healing touch to our traumatised nation.
The writer Is a former Director General of BUSS.