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Democracy: An elusive dream

Kazi Zamal
MORE than forty years of our independence have elapsed but true democracy is still elusive. Abraham Lincoln's recipe for democracy in Bangladesh has been distorted to being "a government of the party, by the party and for the party." Our politicians engaged in a diabolical frenzy to cling on to power have divided the nation into two camps to be at each others' throats.
Within a few years of its inception, democracy in Bangladesh was in jeopardy. Multiparty democracy was abolished in favour of a single party system. Corruption was rampant. Abandoned industrial and commercial establishments were up for grabs. Government appointed "administrators" took it as their own to loot the revenues and rise from rags to riches. The majority languished in abject poverty and famine. The media was brought under state control. And before the people could absorb these innovations, Bangabandhu was assassinated. Military coups were staged in rapid succession. The politicians played upon the whims of military dictators and democracy was banished into political exile.
Fortunately, the spirit of freedom inborn in every Bangladeshi was not to be extinguished. The indomitable will of the people prevailed and the mass upsurge in 1990 compelled politicians to rise above party divides to depose the dictator H.M. Ershad. Democracy got a shot in the arm and was back on track. But I never imagined that the track to a democracy^ would be so full of obstacles.
The ruling party in power has no time for the opposition while the opposition, irrespective of their fewer seats in parliament, cannot accept that the people did not give them a mandate. BNP has been crying foul from day one while taking to the streets, and rendering the parliament dysfunctional by boycotting sessions. All this is at the cost of'we the people.' We may detest it but there is little for us to do as democracy in Bangladesh is for the political parties and not for the people.
Our politicians have institutionalised a culture of fear mongering by holding the people hostage through hartals. If hartal means the right to demonstrate, I have no problem. But hartal that endangers our lives and property while posing a
threat to our fundamental rights is a direct attack on democracy and contravenes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The hartals that we have been witnessing over the past two decades are contorting the norms of democracy. In fact hartals have already sounded the death knell of democracy in Bangladesh. I shudder to think of what awaits us.
The political parties in Bangladesh call for "peaceful hartal." This is an oxymoron. To let loose the dogs of war armed with lethal weapons to kill, burn, vandalise and incite terror is anything but peaceful. The lament and outrage of the people for the loss of their loved ones, fall on deaf ears. What adds insult to injury is that perpetrators enjoy the luxury of impunity. If this is democracy, I prefer not to have it.
It irks me to listen to intellectuals, jurists and media pundits and spin doctors sanctifying hartals as being a "legitimate" democratic right. If it be so and upheld in the Constitution, the Supreme Court must fulfill its obligation on defining the scope of this "democratic right".
The only lifeline of democracy' in Bangladesh lies with the free media, although of late we are seeing ominous signs of tightening grip of the government. Thankfully, the internet and social media have clamped attempts to stifle freedom of expression. The midnight media talk show debates try to infuse some sense to the prevalent insanity in our politics. But these too have lost their use as with the monotonous repetition of the sickening political bickering and mudslinging between the opposing guests.
The next general elections are just days ahead, if the ruling party has its way. But we the people should not be taken for granted. We are not so dumb as to think that politics in Bangladesh is doomed to bring the demise of democracy and render the country a failed state. My fear is that Lincoln's saying will be replaced by Oscar Wilde's statement: "Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people" (The Soul of Man Linder Socialism). If this happens, democracy is doomed. My only hope is the people will stand up once again with one voice against the arrogance of politicians and force them to show respect to the will of the people to sene and not to rule.