Bangladesh at a crossroads

FE Team | Published: November 21, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Shamsher Chowdhury Bangladesh is at a crossroads of its existence. Many things are happening. The good and the bad are running parallel to one another. What takes place in the coming three or four years will determine our future for the coming decade or decades. A lot is at stake in the hands of our political leaders and politicians. A lot also depends on how our civil society members, the intellectuals and the business community conduct themselves from here onwards. We must rid ourselves of narrow coterie and partisan thinking. We must revive our power of free thinking. We must refrain from all kinds of terror acts. We must think big and act big. We simply must be more disciplined and try to act as members of a system-based society. Each and every individual, irrespective of his or her vocations, must be honest and committed to their respective professional obligations. We must develop a highly disciplined work culture. Each and very one must follow their work schedules diligently and sincerely. We must realise that time is of utmost essence. We also need to develop our sense of self-respect. If we make a mistake, we must be ready to admit it. If someone has been kind and considerate, we must be ready to acknowledge and express our gratitude to him. We must stand by our commitment, no matter what. We must learn to take pride for a job well done. We must take care of what we say and how we say it. It has become a critical issue with our politicians and political leaders in particular. Lying and indulging in petty rhetorics and lies have become a way of our lives. We must strike a balance between our traditional values and values of today in order to make our progress sustainable. Look our neighbour, India, where the society has this classical blend of the old and the new. Our leaders must posses impeccable character and lead from the front. They should be fully aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They must learn to submit to the will of the people and bow out, if and when the time comes, without being goaded by others. All of us should also remember that one cannot overrun his or her own shadow. We must also learn to accept defeat and welcome victory unhesitatingly and with grace. Look at the last Mayoral elections of the Narayanganj City Corporation. Let us take lessons from it. To begin with, for the first time since our Independence, it signaled an absolute victory for the people at large more than anything else. On the other hand, it was also a lesson for the ruling establishment to the effect that time has come for it to recognise the power and intelligence of the people at large. After all, in a democracy people are the supreme and the rulers should take cognizance of this fact at all times. Whatever took place in Narayanganj are welcoming signs for democracy. The challenge now is to ensure that the legacy created is sustained and let the good continue to prevail in all other spheres of public life. Let no individual manipulate or intimidate the people at large. Let us spread the message to people all over the country. In line with Narshingdi let the entire community of men and women also take lessons from that brave woman who broke her marriage refusing to pay dowry demanded by her husband. Let us now turn our attention to yet another opposing incidence that took place at Narshingdi; the murder of its popular Mayor. Bravo, here too the people stood up for justice and their battle still continues. But for the peoples' extraordinary courage and pressures brought upon on the police and the local administrations, the alleged culprits would still be free birds roaming in the open. It should also serve as an eye-opener for the whole lot of our law enforcing agencies including the ruling party at large. Let no one ever say that a criminal, "cannot be arrested for strategic reasons". Let us face it; no alleged murderer can be a part of any strategy whatsoever in a civilized society. Bangladesh is a fine country having a lot of potential. Yet it is also a story of many missed-out opportunities. It is a story of poor leaderships, time and again. It is a story of continued conflicts caused by utter selfishness at all levels. Now is the time to put all our heads together and do something for the country beyond the rhetoric and cheap propaganda. We need to come out of this attitude of complacency and attend to emerging issues of peoples' concern and matters of welfare as they emerge and not wait until they pile up. The ruling establishment must realise that complacency and poor governance go hand in hand and are bound to catch up with those at some point of time sooner rather than later. The writer can be reached at email: caa342@yahoo.com