Late US President John. F. Kennedy had uttered the following iconic lines in his inaugural speech in 1961: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” The poetic lines not only amazed the audience but also resonated throughout the country carrying the powerful meaning wrapped in them. Those were the perfect words for a patriot to offer to the citizens.
The charismatic young president had himself served in the Philippines during the Second World War and came close to death. His near-death heroism has been documented in the book PT-109. The United States had just come out of the ravages of WWII and the Korean War. There was crisis all around and the people needed many things for their survival. Kennedy did not promise anything, rather asked the people to be ready to sacrifice and contribute whatever they could for the country.
We have seen exactly the opposite in Bangladesh since the interim government took over power after the ouster of the last regime. Hundreds of organisations started to place all sorts of applications with demand for this and that, making administration a difficult task. Their aim was to reach the Chief Adviser (CA) and put pressure on him and his team to realise their demands. It often turned nightmarish as some people turned violent and law enforcing agencies had to apply mild force to disperse the agitating crowd. Favour-seekers forgot that the CA was not the Wizard of Oz who could give you whatever you needed like a heart or strength or courage, but the myth was created around him by some vested quarters for their own benefit. So, the people started to troop down to his citadel with all sorts of demands expecting immediate grants. The CA often felt under pressure and helpless as demands almost flooded his office. Naturally, he did not have all the solutions.
In a recent talk show on a TV channel, renowned debater Dr. Abdun Nur Tushar commented that everyone is rushing to the CA office with hundreds of demands. They want this and that from the state but no one says what they will give to the nation. It reminds us of President Kennedy’s quote mentioned above.
Election to prop up democracy is supposed to have the ambience of cordiality and marry-making. Men and women should stand quietly in a line and cast their votes without jostling or elbowing each other. But, here in Bangladesh it looks more like WWE wrestling bouts or Zulu Head-Hunting spree in the Dark Continent. One can hear the drums beating in a bone chilling rhythmic regularity. The murderous war cry can be heard from deep inside the jungle.
One thing needs to be said here. Election never looks more comical, more absurd and more bizarre in any other country than Bangladesh. Come Election time all sorts of creepy, gothic elements are let loose to scare the wit out of the people. You may even imagine a headless horseman, right out of the book ‘Sleepy Hollow’, campaigning for a parliament seat. His symbol, obviously “a severed head”.
To some people election rekindles their hope to start a new business and to some, the hope of getting a second wife. There are veterans who would contest every time an election is announced. They lose their deposit money and yet never stay away from contesting. There are strange kinds of voters in Bengal. Some come on wheelchairs and some even come in palanquins. Some very old voters are seen carried by a strong son to the polling centres. Some never fail to vote even in their 80s. And, often crispy 500 taka notes do the magic.
In Bangladesh, candidates may get chased by the locals for not belonging to the locality. We still remember how Bagura’s both famous and infamous Hero Alam was chased by some local people when he wanted to represent the residents of Gulshan in parliament. But the residents had other plans for him. He learned the hard way that you must not venture into another tiger’s territory.
It is now clear that the election train has started to roll, therefore any attempt at this stage to divert the locomotive to any other line would derail the engine. At this stage we cannot afford that kind of disaster. No more delays and dilly- dally. Come hail or high water, election must be held in February to avoid any unpleasant consequences. It needs to be said that Bangladesh has already witnessed exemplary showmanship of bravado, has given an ocean of blood, and has experienced social uprising of overwhelming magnitude in the last one plus year that has left the political arena in a disarrayed state. The splinters of chaos have flown in all directions and hurt many people during this riotous one year. There was no legally elected government in power for last one plus year and as a result the nation drifted on like a ship without its captain. The resulting lawlessness bred crime and criminality in a vicious regularity all over the country, and gradually people started to feel the absence of an elected government and rule of law.
With the void in the political arena the country almost stood on the edge of a precipice and began to threaten a long-lasting lawlessness in the national life. Politicians from various parties took their turn to convince the interim government the imperative of going back to an elected government at the earliest. They argued concertedly that only an elected government can stem the rot and restore law and order with full authority.
An elected government will have the legal authority to take major decisions concerning the economy and security of the country. Good news is: The election mood and mode are on in Bangladesh. People are indeed looking forward to joining the vote carnival in February next year. Let it be held like a carnival in an environment of merriment. But, politicians will have to deliver this time without asking for anything in return.
The writer is a senior journalist
