Politics is always contentious -at times to the point of unreasonableness. Still there is a method in madness. Madness is acceptable up to the point where it does not become a cause of death and unwarranted sufferings to common citizens. There are hardly any instances of domestic politics anywhere in the world where people nothing to do with politics are either restrained from doing their routine works or are made to fall victim to rabid and insensitive politics.
In Bangladesh, though, political parties pose to be staunch defenders of democracy when their overriding propensity is to impose their tyrannical attitudes and actions on all who do not subscribe to their views and practices. What go in the name of politics are lawlessness, anarchy and criminal offences. For quite some years now, political leaders announce their disruptive programmes from relative safety without taking to the street. Even their followers are rarely seen in holding rallies, processions etc., in order to drive the message home.
However, a terror tactic is resorted to with the sole intention of creating panic in the minds of the public. Some turn aggressive just to draw attention of party hierarchy for promotion and a third party fights a proxy war, because social unrest suits its party line. No one particular party is to blame. In fact, the tunes political parties harp on when they are in power or out of power are poles apart. But then they are quick to reverse their roles depending on their position or opposition as decided by the political game. How pathetic, now the contenders cannot even agree to any established rule for the game to be played! Political mistrust and manipulation have crossed all limits and the rule of law has thus become a casualty.
When laws lose their relevance to contexts, individuals and groups, society falls apart. Inviolable laws are undermined more by political parties either in power or opposition. Thus the legislation turns out to be a provision that is selectively enforced. What privileged and powerful people can weather in times of political crises, common people cannot. Their scant resources and desperation make the poor and powerless vulnerable. No wonder that such people suffer the most. When the only earning member of a family under compulsion has to come out for pursuing his/her livelihood and gets killed or maimed, politics here exposes its backwardness and brutality.
Ugly politics has taken the common people a hostage. In such politics, people are not at all sovereign but get crushed in the collision between the juggernauts of politics running amok from opposite directions. Capturing power is the ultimate goal of political parties anywhere in the world. But to do so civilised world has devised acceptable, if not perfect, ways and means. Contentious parties follow certain rules and norms and are ready to accept defeat in a fair game. Here no one accepts defeat gracefully and the entire process becomes suspect because there is a competition to outdo the rivals in foul games.
Making everything of national importance controversial does not pay. The need for a national reconciliation is overriding. Or, a psychic division such as this only continues to weaken the nation from within. There is nothing wrong in making it to the power but it has to follow the set rules and more importantly, the objective ought to be the welfare of the people, not of those in power and their followers. The ugly political confrontation here is only a reminder of the fact that politics here is far from getting a sophisticated exercise.
Price of confrontational politics
Neil Ray | Published: January 12, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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