One wonders why politics here cannot be a civilised and sober affair! It is not a case of ideological difference as witnessed between proletarians and bourgeoisies of the past era. In fact, the contenders of power are willing to give a try to democracy, the western brand of which - either Westminster type or the presidential form, is what they aspire to follow. Sadly, they want to reap the harvest of the system without being faithful to the spirit that lies at the heart of democracy. Leaders in the developed democracy approach politics with no less a consummate skill, intensity and commitment. But theirs is more an exercise of brain rather than brawn.
Accepted that the quality of politics in the West has witnessed a marked decline but still violence in politics is virtually non-existent. The highly disconcerting 16-day United States federal government shutdown over the disagreement between the Republican-led House of Representatives on the one side and President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led Senate on the other over the appropriation of funds for the fiscal year 2014 is a case in point. As the third longest shutdown after the 21-day one in 1995-96 and the 18-day shutdown in 1978, it fielded the main US political rivals to positions of sabre-rattling but at no point did the opposing camps utter invectives aimed at each other. The question of setting their followers at each other's throat would be a sacrilege. The two bitter rivals then resolved the crisis in as civilised a manner as possible.
Why can the same not happen here? This is the new millennium with its special demands on every nation. And this is not for nothing that the famed financial research organisations the world over see a great future for Bangladesh's economy and social indices. The country's political baggage is proving too heavy a backlog for the majority of the population who believe in honest toil, sustained improvement in living standard and rightful soaring national pride. Because politics bares its fangs on the smallest of pretexts, people are annoyed at it and if they could, they would have steered clear of it by miles. But unfortunately, politics for some in this land of irrationality is all-embracing and all-imposing. The 'either you are with us or you are a rival' attitude dominates the scene.
That there can be free, apolitical and intelligent people with missions other than the politicians' is not appreciated. Little space is left for them. Here exactly lies the problem with this country's politics. The nation failed to be at peace with itself even after the Liberation War. There is a wide cleavage which is becoming wider still. When there was a need for the nation to become one on a few fundamental issues, the leaderships faltered and the defeated forces took full advantage of it. Even the country's education system failed to respond to the need of the hours simply because several streams were left to organise syllabi often incorporating ideas and values contradictory to the interests of the land and its people. Love for the land was never their strong point.
Muscle and money power combined with what has come to be known as a cadre-driven overbearing force are now ruling the roost. Today there is no need for political cadres to endear themselves with the common people by steadfastly remaining true to them and being of help in their need; rather striking terror in the hearts of innocent people keeps one ahead in the race for political leadership. Politics has thus grown nastier and people are no longer at the centre of it. In a country where wheat or rice is distributed under test relief or social safety net programmes, local leaders get the opportunity to extend their spheres of influence. Neutrality is seldom maintained. Thus the other name of politics is bullying. So the bait of such largesse lures youths into unhealthy politics. No wonder therefore that today's political followers are aggressive, cruel and at times dehumanised.
Political organisations had their rabid supporters even in the past but they could not needlessly kill people who are forced to get out on urgent errands having nothing remotely to do with politics. The way trapped passengers are burnt alive or auto-rickshaw drivers barely escape death with severe burn injuries or unsuspecting children fall victim to bombs hurled indiscriminately is a clear indication that politics has turned at least a segment of people insane. Here is a transformation of collective psychological make-up for the worse. It has given rise, for decades, to a political culture where the idea seems to be that there is nothing wrong or criminal with such violent acts.
The nation seems to have forgotten that such killings or attacks in the name of politics leave no room for condoning. They are as much criminal as any other murder. Even in Rwanda where the Hutu-Tutsi annihilation took place, the perpetrators were brought to justice. But in this country, those responsible for such crimes have never been put on trial. There indeed lies the weakness. Some powerful people harbour the criminals so that they can avoid identification and law of the land. Thus vitiated, politics is no more a gentleman's affair. But if the nation wants to be known as a civilised and peace-loving people, it has to rule out such political violence and start afresh pro-people politics where the exercise becomes truly participatory.
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