Business community's stakes in politics
Syed Fattahul Alim | Friday, 6 June 2008
THE representatives of the business community who attended the government-sponsored dialogue with a panel of advisers headed by the chief adviser have again given vent to their concerns as well as come up with their views about the present status of the dialogue between the government and the political parties, the election and the future course of politics in the country.
This is not for the first time that the business community has been candid about politics and various other issues that have important bearing on the economy and the life of the people in general. On this score, the incumbent caretaker government's move to involve the business community in a dialogue and listen to their views about the most serious issues about the national life was appreciable.
The business people's concern about politics in general and their eagerness to take, if need be, any reconciliatory role to restore the now-stalled dialogue between the government and the two major political parties only reflect their seriousness about the vital issues in question.
But why should the business people come out of their way to help politics? Are they not transgressing the fine line that divides business and politics in a society? Have the business people become too ambitious and thus claiming a larger stake in the affairs of society and politics that had traditionally remained beyond their jurisdiction?
Similar questions arose even not in the remote past when political deadlocks would often bring life to a standstill. And for the sake of the businesses to survive and run the business community had no alternative but to say its say under any circumstances. And it is not their ambition but the failure of the politics that have drawn the business community in an area that is not after all comfortable for them either. So it is not that the business people are just tampering with politics. Quite to the contrary. They are only trying to save themselves from the consequences in case politics fails to deliver.
The enhanced stake and as such the role of business in the affairs of society and politics has to be looked at from the perspective of history in general and the uniqueness of our particular situation in particular. From the point of history in general, business interests represented by the French burghers during the great French revolution had altogether changed the future course of politics in the rest of the world. Simply put, the French burghers, or bourgeoisie, to be more politic, for the first time in history stepped in to break the political deadlock that was hindering economic progress of the French or the societies of 18th Century Europe in general. And the great role of the French bourgeoisie as every student of history knows ended the era of monarchy and feudalism with the call of equality, fraternity and brotherhood, which in brief, was the watchword of what is known as the Democratic Revolution. And that political revolution in France engineered by the bourgeoisie of that country also paved the way for Industrial Revolution to flourish in the West, the sweet fruits of which the global society has still been lapping up with relish.
So it would be tantamount to a lack of sense of history to say that it is quite out of the ordinary for the business community to step in and say what the politics should be like. They need to ask it so that they might continue with their own task peacefully and with more confidence in the greater interest of society.
However, Bangladesh is not France and neither are we being anachronistic by drawing an analogy with the condition of the eighteenth century Europe.
Of course, we are here talking about 21st Century Bangladesh. And it is also true that Bangladesh is unique in many respects from any other country in the South Asian context in particular. The very emergence of the country through a bloody War of Liberation has made this difference more conspicuous. The war brought out into the open all the forces of society who were pro-change. Since the post-war developments were marked by instabilities and uncertainties, politics in the form of the parties to represent it did never get the opportunity to mature, that is, come of age so far as their performance in the art of statecraft was concerned. Such inadequacy has been demonstrated more than once since the course of events in the post-independence Bangladesh began to unfold. This had created the condition for all the forces of society that have any stake in nation-building endeavours to extend their hands in resolving any crisis that comes in the way of further advancement of society and state. This is something unique in that no well-meaning stakeholder in society likes to sit on the fence and look on while the overall situation takes a precipitous turn. Or in other words, the very nature of our development has made things participatory by default. It is not then surprising that the business community, too, like other stakeholders in society want to participate in the resolving the disputes of politics.
Under the circumstances, one has to be conscious of history in general and the uniqueness of our own trajectory of political and developmental path since the struggle for independence in particular, before raising any question about the propriety of different stakeholders' claim to their sought after roles or their say in times of national crises.
Now, against the present-day trend of the world, too, the ultimate concern of all nations regardless of their history of emergence is centred around economy and ensuring its growth through freeing business from all the encumbrances that may hinder its expansion. The politics of our country, or the political parties, for that matter, too, cannot be oblivious of this crucial fact of life.
Against this backdrop, the views expressed by the business leaders before the journalists after their dialogue with the panel of advisers led by the chief adviser merit special attention. The head of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) Anisul Huq, for example, informed that almost all the participants had demanded a qualitative change in politics and that they wanted a stable situation in the country. The FBCCI leader further said that they wanted that politicians should run the country, while at the same time they also wanted an end to the culture of political confrontation and animosity.
Understandably, this is not a mere wish list the business leaders are clamouring for implementation. These are very practical demands and they must have to be achieved. Which is why the business leaders during the dialogue did offer their service to facilitate talks between the major political parties and the incumbent caretaker government.
The detained leaders of the largest political parties of the country, too, have reportedly emphasised that the general election should be held by the stipulated timeline. The leaders of the incumbent government have also promised on various occasions that the elections would be held within the declared timeline. They have reiterated the same during their talks with the business leaders.
Democracy, non-confrontational political ambiance and social stability are the pre-conditions for uninterrupted economic growth. The common people want work and job for their survival as well as the growth of the economy. Therefore, the demands of the business community cannot be anything different from the aspirations of the common people. The politics of the country, therefore, cannot be at cross purposes in this regard. And it is for the nation's survival that there should be talks going on towards reaching a solution.
It is hoped that all he forces of society that matter and the nation as a whole are listening. And it is time to act and bring about a change in our perception of politics to bid good bye to the failures of the past.
This is not for the first time that the business community has been candid about politics and various other issues that have important bearing on the economy and the life of the people in general. On this score, the incumbent caretaker government's move to involve the business community in a dialogue and listen to their views about the most serious issues about the national life was appreciable.
The business people's concern about politics in general and their eagerness to take, if need be, any reconciliatory role to restore the now-stalled dialogue between the government and the two major political parties only reflect their seriousness about the vital issues in question.
But why should the business people come out of their way to help politics? Are they not transgressing the fine line that divides business and politics in a society? Have the business people become too ambitious and thus claiming a larger stake in the affairs of society and politics that had traditionally remained beyond their jurisdiction?
Similar questions arose even not in the remote past when political deadlocks would often bring life to a standstill. And for the sake of the businesses to survive and run the business community had no alternative but to say its say under any circumstances. And it is not their ambition but the failure of the politics that have drawn the business community in an area that is not after all comfortable for them either. So it is not that the business people are just tampering with politics. Quite to the contrary. They are only trying to save themselves from the consequences in case politics fails to deliver.
The enhanced stake and as such the role of business in the affairs of society and politics has to be looked at from the perspective of history in general and the uniqueness of our particular situation in particular. From the point of history in general, business interests represented by the French burghers during the great French revolution had altogether changed the future course of politics in the rest of the world. Simply put, the French burghers, or bourgeoisie, to be more politic, for the first time in history stepped in to break the political deadlock that was hindering economic progress of the French or the societies of 18th Century Europe in general. And the great role of the French bourgeoisie as every student of history knows ended the era of monarchy and feudalism with the call of equality, fraternity and brotherhood, which in brief, was the watchword of what is known as the Democratic Revolution. And that political revolution in France engineered by the bourgeoisie of that country also paved the way for Industrial Revolution to flourish in the West, the sweet fruits of which the global society has still been lapping up with relish.
So it would be tantamount to a lack of sense of history to say that it is quite out of the ordinary for the business community to step in and say what the politics should be like. They need to ask it so that they might continue with their own task peacefully and with more confidence in the greater interest of society.
However, Bangladesh is not France and neither are we being anachronistic by drawing an analogy with the condition of the eighteenth century Europe.
Of course, we are here talking about 21st Century Bangladesh. And it is also true that Bangladesh is unique in many respects from any other country in the South Asian context in particular. The very emergence of the country through a bloody War of Liberation has made this difference more conspicuous. The war brought out into the open all the forces of society who were pro-change. Since the post-war developments were marked by instabilities and uncertainties, politics in the form of the parties to represent it did never get the opportunity to mature, that is, come of age so far as their performance in the art of statecraft was concerned. Such inadequacy has been demonstrated more than once since the course of events in the post-independence Bangladesh began to unfold. This had created the condition for all the forces of society that have any stake in nation-building endeavours to extend their hands in resolving any crisis that comes in the way of further advancement of society and state. This is something unique in that no well-meaning stakeholder in society likes to sit on the fence and look on while the overall situation takes a precipitous turn. Or in other words, the very nature of our development has made things participatory by default. It is not then surprising that the business community, too, like other stakeholders in society want to participate in the resolving the disputes of politics.
Under the circumstances, one has to be conscious of history in general and the uniqueness of our own trajectory of political and developmental path since the struggle for independence in particular, before raising any question about the propriety of different stakeholders' claim to their sought after roles or their say in times of national crises.
Now, against the present-day trend of the world, too, the ultimate concern of all nations regardless of their history of emergence is centred around economy and ensuring its growth through freeing business from all the encumbrances that may hinder its expansion. The politics of our country, or the political parties, for that matter, too, cannot be oblivious of this crucial fact of life.
Against this backdrop, the views expressed by the business leaders before the journalists after their dialogue with the panel of advisers led by the chief adviser merit special attention. The head of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) Anisul Huq, for example, informed that almost all the participants had demanded a qualitative change in politics and that they wanted a stable situation in the country. The FBCCI leader further said that they wanted that politicians should run the country, while at the same time they also wanted an end to the culture of political confrontation and animosity.
Understandably, this is not a mere wish list the business leaders are clamouring for implementation. These are very practical demands and they must have to be achieved. Which is why the business leaders during the dialogue did offer their service to facilitate talks between the major political parties and the incumbent caretaker government.
The detained leaders of the largest political parties of the country, too, have reportedly emphasised that the general election should be held by the stipulated timeline. The leaders of the incumbent government have also promised on various occasions that the elections would be held within the declared timeline. They have reiterated the same during their talks with the business leaders.
Democracy, non-confrontational political ambiance and social stability are the pre-conditions for uninterrupted economic growth. The common people want work and job for their survival as well as the growth of the economy. Therefore, the demands of the business community cannot be anything different from the aspirations of the common people. The politics of the country, therefore, cannot be at cross purposes in this regard. And it is for the nation's survival that there should be talks going on towards reaching a solution.
It is hoped that all he forces of society that matter and the nation as a whole are listening. And it is time to act and bring about a change in our perception of politics to bid good bye to the failures of the past.