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Under the spotlight...

Shah Husain Imam
HOW Bangladesh has swung into the spotlight of world's concern! John Kerry calls Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, virtually questioning the integrity and standards of the War Crimes Trials. He enters a plea with her not to go ahead with the execution of Quader Mollah, convicted for his crimes against humanity. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, too, makes a call to our PM still soaked in the memorial services for the legendry unifier of a world leader Nelson Mandela.
For reasons right or wrong, Bangladesh has been receiving global sympathy. The empathy should not be misread as pity of Kissinger's opprobrium of a basket case characterisation of Bangladesh. This has been debunked by the "model of development" the country has become in spite of stunning odds, the major one being chronic political instability.
Bangladesh is an open book from cover to cover, genially open-minded and hospitable at the popular level while the political leaders practise cloak and dagger methods in their dealings with opponents. We forget that this is an era of dense transmission of messages, emotions and ideas. And Bangladesh having the highest density of population in the world, barring one or two city states, is ideal for dissemination of information and a fertile ground for both good and bad to take hold of the people's mind. Remember how rumour travels thick and fast from one corner to the other creating unforeseen law and order problem. Such a context calls for the politicians to behave responsibly and sensibly. But the way political violence has been fanned, the country's future based on proven socio-economic potentials is placed in a dire jeopardy.
Even a confirmed critic cannot underestimate Taranco's achievement in Dhaka. There was no point in expecting too much from his mission and some of the disappointment voiced over it appears to be misplaced. If he had brokered a deal he would be charged with having have been meddlesome in the internal affairs of a country. He has got the leaders of two parties to start a dialogue which itself is a major breakthrough given that up until now this appeared to be a mission impossible.
They were not only on no speaking terms, they even avoided the sight or shadow of each other, the tenor permeating from their topmost levels in their respective political hierarchies. A non-communicative culture was taken to a new low with political bickering to top it up. So, Taranco can be credited with having brought the two parties across the table. He has also shown a measure of propriety and wisdom in emphasising that solutions to be durable and workable must come from leaders of the country themselves.
Even though the parties have agreed to continuing talks, the opposition still persist in their strategy of combining discussion with agitation. Negotiation and agitation, particularly oborodh, cannot go together. By the same token, the ruling party might say that 'persecution and negotiation' could go hand in hand. These too are mutually exclusive and do not behoove a ruling party who must act from a high moral ground.
The first signal the ruling party can and should give by way of confidence building is to release the imprisoned BNP leaders. All this could bring down tension in the public mind and allay any misgivings that they might be hoodwinked in the name of dialogue.
Nelson Mandela confessed to discovering a spark of an inner strength early during his overlong experience with prison life in the stranglehold of the notorious apartheid regime in South Africa. The moment he found that the whole jail system in the Robin Island was solely aimed to degrade a human being, take away the last ounce of his dignity and reduce him into a state of permanent servitude, he thought he had the moral weapon to beat the enemy with. That is how great minds work.
Take for instance, Mahatma Gandhi who valued means over end saying that if means were questionable and devious so would the outcome be tarnished. He was thoroughly antiMachiavellian who thought that the end justifies the means.
The above two icons sum up between them the force of morality and non-violence in human affairs.
Pragmatist post-Mao reformist Deng Xiaoping believed in 'crossing the river by feeling the stones'. Better err on the side of caution when trying a new idea or embarking on a change of course to be living with the times.
Our politics being given to violence, manipulation and recklessness, we have use for those words of wisdom in coping with the political challenges we face.
The writer is Associate Editor, The Daily Star. E-mail: husain.imam@thedailystar.net