Recently, at an event organized to mark the 45th martyrdom anniversary of the founder of the BNP and former President Ziaur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reminded his party leaders and activists of the difficult days ahead. He urged them not to spend their time carelessly but to think seriously about both the party and the country.
Through this statement, Tarique Rahman demonstrated that after spending nearly two decades outside Bangladesh and being directly exposed to the politics and lifestyles of developed countries, he has become more mature than ever in his understanding of both Bangladeshi and international politics.
In my opinion, the greatest achievement of humanity’s journey into space is the realization of how small our Earth is when viewed against the vastness of the universe. For this reason, to understand life and our own communities, we need to travel beyond our local surroundings and experience other places.
When teaching Development Communication at the University of Dhaka, our teacher Rubayet Ferdous beautifully explained how a single road transformed the lives of people in two Indian villages, Katheru and Patheru, by giving them opportunities to travel beyond their local areas.
The lesson remains vivid in my memory even today. I mention mobility because those of us who live outside Bangladesh can often rise above partisan loyalties and better appreciate the importance of everyone working together, inspired by the spirit of the Liberation War, for a prosperous Bangladesh. Had we remained in Bangladesh, we might have stayed blinded by party affiliations.
The reason for this realization is that when we compare Bangladesh with the vast diversity of nations, societies, people, and systems around the world, we become more aware of its relative smallness. By “everyone,” however, I mean those who believe in Bangladesh’s sovereignty and independence.
This is simply common sense. We cannot expect unwavering loyalty to Bangladesh’s sovereignty from those who never believed in its creation in the first place.
I believe that the Bangladesh Awami League, the BNP, and the Jatiya Party are three major political parties that believe in Bangladesh’s independence. Therefore, regardless of the type of election through which a government comes to power, and considering the country’s current difficult circumstances, leaders and activists of the Awami League and the Jatiya Party should be flexible and cooperative toward the BNP in the interest of keeping pro-independence forces in power.
Likewise, the BNP should, in the interests of democracy, independence, and sovereignty, work to ensure that the next national parliamentary election is neutral, free, fair, and inclusive of all political parties.
To achieve this, false and politically motivated cases filed against leaders and activists of the Awami League, the Jatiya Party, and other parties during previous governments should be withdrawn, and restrictions on the Awami League should be lifted so that it can participate in politics.
After reading this article, please do not assume that I am advocating on behalf of the BNP. I am not involved in BNP politics.
However, I believe that the Bangladesh Awami League, Bangabandhu, his daughter and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, Begum Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman Ershad, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Nahid-Asif, Hasnat, and ordinary citizens like ourselves are all imperfect. Since we are all human beings made of flesh and blood, we all have flaws and shortcomings.
But at the end of the day, those of us who want the welfare of Bangladesh are united. We share a common goal: to ensure that the Bangladesh born through our great Liberation War becomes a place where people of all political beliefs can live in peace and harmony. We must work together so that Bangladesh can stand proudly on the world map as a prosperous and happy nation.
Regardless of who comes to power, governing a state is a difficult responsibility in any country. In a developing country like Bangladesh, where governments must constantly manage limited resources, a huge population, widespread corruption, and structural inefficiencies, governments tend to become unpopular within a short period.
If they fail to maintain the support of a large portion of society and the state apparatus, even parties that initially enjoy overwhelming public support may eventually face public backlash.
One harsh truth of history is that political parties rarely learn from history. As a result, Bangladesh repeatedly falls into crises, and it is the innocent ordinary people who suffer the consequences.
We hope that, in the greater interest of the country, both the party currently in government and the opposition parties outside the government will exercise wisdom and allow all political parties in Bangladesh to participate in upcoming local government and other elections in the interest of democracy.
At the same time, all parties should be given the opportunity to carry out peaceful political activities freely and fairly from now on.
Dr Dilwar Arif is an Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism at Canisius University in New York, United States. [email protected]
