THE burgeoning youth population constituting 40% of the population in the country is a badge of demographic distinction we wear, little realising that we indeed do so. Other countries with declining

numbers of young people recognise our youthful numerical profile being coterminous with the future of the country.

The youth force is a demographic dividend or a liability depending upon how we foster their growth and utilise their potential. Given their romantic predilections about ideas, topped up by an energy bubble inside, they can move on to entirely unpredictable, even self damaging trajectories.

Also the contagion effect of national politics nurturing the get-rich-quick appetite amongst student leaders as a support base, the once fabled conscience-keeping role of students witnessed prior to national independence has ceased to exist.

Political issues apart, there has been plenty of social and civic issues like free-for-all corruption, violation of human rights by designated defenders, violence against women and children, ruthless exploitation of vulnerable segments of society where the students could wield their sanitising influence. Do they ever demonstrate against such evils, like forming human chains to protest errant practices, do they represent before authorities seeking punishment to the worst offenders? How many killers ever get punished? You draw a blank there mocking at ruleof law. The students' disconnect with their glorious legacies can perhaps be redeemed with continuous series of good elections held to the student unions of educational institutions across the board.

The list of examples of numbers being either exploited or abused can be endless. The first serial was staged with the admission tests to DU on the back of unprecedented pass rates at the higher secondary level. As the numbers of admissionseekers surged, it became a happy hunting ground for some unscrupulous insiders to mint money. Question papers were leaked through collusion between people who used to be above reproach in such a sacrosanct matter as defending academic integrity of the highest seat of learning. But as things stand "there is no den in the wide world to hide a rogue."

In another numbers game, goons were

exposed having leased out spaces along railway tracks for slums, deaths occurred in accidents involving some dwellers or squatting hawkers, raids carried out to vacate the premises with selective sheltering of influential elements and gradual reappearance of similar elements at the location was noticed.

The same game one sees being played out in 'tola' culture gone epidemic on the highways and in city streets. One marker of this devious practice is manifest in the high number of undocumented rickshaws (anything between 10 and 15 lac, whereas the licensed ones number only 70,000 or so) plying to choke the city whilst traffic policemen turn a blind eye. Then there is the lucrative sellout of pavement spaces to a large clientele of destitute, poor hawkers and squatter sale outlets.

No trifling matters these. Such is the sheer size of the entrenched interest groups and their beneficiaries that a daily booty of several lakh takas to a few crores is forked up with resistance building up into rock of Gibraltar against any change in the vitiating status quo.

The sayings of Napoleon Bonaparte contained the following one liner: “Contagion of crime is like that of a plague."

The bottom line is that it will take quality leadership with guaranteed stability in order to reap demographic dividends from the burgeoning number of youngsters or we fall by the wayside.

But like in rivers, in bad politics the "lightest things swim at the top." While exchanging Eid greetings with visiting dignitaries and distinguished citizens on Monday the prime minister kept to the same refrain: The BNP chief will have to pay the price for the political mistake she committed by boycotting January 5 general election. Khaleda Zia does not lament her decision publicly nor perhaps could she do so. But what if she had participated in the election with the caveat thrown in by Hasina? Most probably she would have come out in strength if not fully victorious. To that extent, the ruling party should lend a credit to Khaleda's non-participation in the polls.

Equally untenable is Khaleda Zia's insistence on waging a movement to topple the government which in effect means calling a series of hartals that people have no stomach for. They must shun the path of intimidation.

At the same time, all well-meaning people would urge the ruling party to engage the BNP in an interactive communication at some level from its position of strength to defuse tension and in order to sustain stability for all round wellbeing of the people under the benign watch of friendly countries.The writer is Associate Editor, The Dally Star.

E-mail: Husaln.lmam@thedailystar.net