Camaraderie in spite of rivalry
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Maswood Alam Khan
BEFORE a painfully hushed crowd, where many of his supporters were blinking back tears, McCain in his speech conceding defeat told: "Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. However, these are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
Two weeks later, last Monday, in a joint statement President-elect Barack Obama and his defeated Republican rival John McCain have pledged a "new era of reform" to solve the US economic crisis, transform energy policy and safeguard national security.
Obama's earnest wish for working together with rival republicans has been influenced to a great extent by Abraham Lincoln, his political guru, the sixteenth president of the United States, who most successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis: the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, it may be mentioned, had assembled a hard-driving "team of rivals" drawn from his opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860.
Those of us who has a dream to see a bright future of Bangladesh must be feeling bad and down when they have to juxtapose such mutuality of respect and camaraderie among great politicians of the world with cantankerous and rancorous relationship among our political leaders on the question of holding and sharing power.
Camaraderie among politicians on the welfare of nation is the beauty of democracy ingrained in the teachings of statesmanship and showing such magnanimity to a political rival is possible only on the part of those politicians, like Abraham Lincoln, Maulana Bhashani, or Barack Obama, who are eager to enter history as statesmen---not simply as politicians.
The basic difference, in fact, between a politician and a statesman is: 'a politician looks up only to the next election and a statesman extends his vision far and far beyond. A statesman leaves behind footprints that inspire future leaders of next generations to follow in their patriotic footsteps now and long after their departure from this world'.
Today Bangladesh is at a crucial crossroads when we have to choose and elect the fittest possible leaders who can fulfil our cherished goals and aspirations by navigating us through a stormy climate of global recession. At a time when the whole world is reeling with financial meltdown and when Bangladeshi people are quite frustrated with bitter rivalry among main political parties, casting a vote in the next parliamentary election for anyone among wrongly nominated candidates would be fatal from both the economic and the political points of view.
Giving nominations to the best candidates, in respect of honesty and true leadership quality, for the next parliamentary election should now be the cardinal policy of all the political parties. A miss of an ounce of imagination at this hour will yield tons of miseries in future!
Let us see what is happening in Bangladesh economy. In a single month of July, 2008, Bangladesh exported goods worth US$ 1.0 billion and 543 million which is US$ 71 million more compared to exports worth US$ 902 million in July of 2007. Export in 2007-2008 was worth US$ 14 billion and 110.80 million which is about US$ 2.0 billion more compared to exports worth approximately US$ 12 billion in 2006-2007. In this financial year of 2008-2009 exports may settle at US$ 18 billion -- a phenomenally unprecedented expected growth in spite of world recession -- if only what is now prevailing in the commercial arena of Bangladesh is simply retained till the end of June, 2009.
There are three main secrets behind this stupendously staggering success in our exports: one is total absence of political violence and the other is keeping of Taka currency more or less stable in spite of dwindling value of US dollar during the last two years. And the third is: even highbrowed consumers of the west are nowadays frantically searching for commodities of world class -- not those of first class or high brands -- in the wake of the present recession. Compared even to China or Vietnam, Bangladesh is the best place for outsourcing those commodities of 'world class' shoppers in the West are searching in their malls.
In the world market, 'timely delivery of goods' is more lucrative than 'an offer of cheap price for goods' as the present trend of consumerism is highly time-sensitive. Clients of our exports who have of late been used to our better sense of time management and many of whom have also turned their attention from Vietnam, China, and Cambodia to Bangladesh will immediately show their backs to us if the 'hartal' culture accompanied by as-usual political hooliganism is revived after the next parliamentary election and exporters start failing to meet the deadlines of their shipments.
That is why on the 15th November Federation of the Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce organised a grand conference where business leaders literally begged for a consensus among the major political parties to ban 'hartal'. Have our leaders -- one of whom is our next opposition leader in the waiting line -- heard what the business leaders have shouted for?
If we observe minutely what our export entrepreneurs did achieve in the last two years, when there was no political government and as such no political violence like strikes, hartals, blockades of factories, roads and offices etc., during the tenure of the caretaker government, many neutral observers, we are afraid, may develop a notion -- though wrong -- that a non-political leadership could be a better option -- not realising that an undemocratic government lulls the governed into a false sense of security only to rob them blind later.
It is reassuring to note that the caretaker government is going to prove wrong and groundless people's all the doubts about the government's sincerity of holding a parliamentary election. It is now more or less certain that 2009 will see a new democratically elected civilian government. We earnestly hope the two most important leaders, people would elect as one in the treasury bench and the other in the opposition bench, would have the mental capacity and the leadership quality to uphold national interests far above their personal dogmas and sufferings that may emanate out of their political rivalry.
These two leaders of ours must possess statesmanlike vision. S/he should have the mental equipment to wish his/her opponent success after conceding defeat in the next election. They must declare before election that they would not allow anybody to deprive us of our basic right of will -- to follow their call for hartal or not to follow at our own free will. They should assure us that they or their followers would not resort to coercion to make us their followers under compulsion. They should also assure us of their sincerities in not abetting demolition and destruction of public and private properties in the name of political campaigns. They should promise that they would be frame a law that would prescribe to try anybody found in indulging in any activity that may impede our economy as a seditionist.
If our leaders fail to assure us of their truest patriotism, if they fail to place the right nominees in the right constituencies in the next parliamentary election and if they fail to keep their pre-election promises, they will rather pave the way for gagging democracy. People then next time may demand a nonpartisan government not merely for three months. The demand may be for three years or more. Our leaders must now realise that time has changed. They must show their political sagacity not as populist politicians but as statesmen; they should have followers who too must be truly patriotic.
Treading a patriotic path is not an easy job. Not any Tom, Dick and Harry can be a patriot. Delivering before a mammoth gathering a fervent patriotic speech ahead of an election is easy. But, shaking hands with a rival immediately after being defeated is not so simple. Writing an essay on patriotism depends on the essayist's skill in articulation. But, sacrificing life or the last piece of personal wealth for safeguarding motherland requires hard practice and supreme dedication.
Patriotism in a way is an addiction. Once one is addicted to patriotism, s/he will go to any length to give up anything personal for the greater interest of his/her beloved homeland. A true patriot leaves behind a tale of heroic deeds and a voluble person with feigned patriotism leaves behind a mountain of blatant lies and grabbed wealth.
Tragically our nation has been blessed with a very few leaders who are or were imbued with true patriotism. In our country many leaders are picked by auction and most people are hoodwinked by their contrived political speeches. And a few emerging leaders with their proven ability to salvage our country from ruination who once led us to peek into rays of hope have either been assassinated or been made to leave the political theatre under duress. We normally don't hear the faint sounds of most of their silent footsteps.
The writer is a banker. He may be reached at:
maswood@hotmail.com
BEFORE a painfully hushed crowd, where many of his supporters were blinking back tears, McCain in his speech conceding defeat told: "Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. However, these are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
Two weeks later, last Monday, in a joint statement President-elect Barack Obama and his defeated Republican rival John McCain have pledged a "new era of reform" to solve the US economic crisis, transform energy policy and safeguard national security.
Obama's earnest wish for working together with rival republicans has been influenced to a great extent by Abraham Lincoln, his political guru, the sixteenth president of the United States, who most successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis: the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, it may be mentioned, had assembled a hard-driving "team of rivals" drawn from his opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860.
Those of us who has a dream to see a bright future of Bangladesh must be feeling bad and down when they have to juxtapose such mutuality of respect and camaraderie among great politicians of the world with cantankerous and rancorous relationship among our political leaders on the question of holding and sharing power.
Camaraderie among politicians on the welfare of nation is the beauty of democracy ingrained in the teachings of statesmanship and showing such magnanimity to a political rival is possible only on the part of those politicians, like Abraham Lincoln, Maulana Bhashani, or Barack Obama, who are eager to enter history as statesmen---not simply as politicians.
The basic difference, in fact, between a politician and a statesman is: 'a politician looks up only to the next election and a statesman extends his vision far and far beyond. A statesman leaves behind footprints that inspire future leaders of next generations to follow in their patriotic footsteps now and long after their departure from this world'.
Today Bangladesh is at a crucial crossroads when we have to choose and elect the fittest possible leaders who can fulfil our cherished goals and aspirations by navigating us through a stormy climate of global recession. At a time when the whole world is reeling with financial meltdown and when Bangladeshi people are quite frustrated with bitter rivalry among main political parties, casting a vote in the next parliamentary election for anyone among wrongly nominated candidates would be fatal from both the economic and the political points of view.
Giving nominations to the best candidates, in respect of honesty and true leadership quality, for the next parliamentary election should now be the cardinal policy of all the political parties. A miss of an ounce of imagination at this hour will yield tons of miseries in future!
Let us see what is happening in Bangladesh economy. In a single month of July, 2008, Bangladesh exported goods worth US$ 1.0 billion and 543 million which is US$ 71 million more compared to exports worth US$ 902 million in July of 2007. Export in 2007-2008 was worth US$ 14 billion and 110.80 million which is about US$ 2.0 billion more compared to exports worth approximately US$ 12 billion in 2006-2007. In this financial year of 2008-2009 exports may settle at US$ 18 billion -- a phenomenally unprecedented expected growth in spite of world recession -- if only what is now prevailing in the commercial arena of Bangladesh is simply retained till the end of June, 2009.
There are three main secrets behind this stupendously staggering success in our exports: one is total absence of political violence and the other is keeping of Taka currency more or less stable in spite of dwindling value of US dollar during the last two years. And the third is: even highbrowed consumers of the west are nowadays frantically searching for commodities of world class -- not those of first class or high brands -- in the wake of the present recession. Compared even to China or Vietnam, Bangladesh is the best place for outsourcing those commodities of 'world class' shoppers in the West are searching in their malls.
In the world market, 'timely delivery of goods' is more lucrative than 'an offer of cheap price for goods' as the present trend of consumerism is highly time-sensitive. Clients of our exports who have of late been used to our better sense of time management and many of whom have also turned their attention from Vietnam, China, and Cambodia to Bangladesh will immediately show their backs to us if the 'hartal' culture accompanied by as-usual political hooliganism is revived after the next parliamentary election and exporters start failing to meet the deadlines of their shipments.
That is why on the 15th November Federation of the Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce organised a grand conference where business leaders literally begged for a consensus among the major political parties to ban 'hartal'. Have our leaders -- one of whom is our next opposition leader in the waiting line -- heard what the business leaders have shouted for?
If we observe minutely what our export entrepreneurs did achieve in the last two years, when there was no political government and as such no political violence like strikes, hartals, blockades of factories, roads and offices etc., during the tenure of the caretaker government, many neutral observers, we are afraid, may develop a notion -- though wrong -- that a non-political leadership could be a better option -- not realising that an undemocratic government lulls the governed into a false sense of security only to rob them blind later.
It is reassuring to note that the caretaker government is going to prove wrong and groundless people's all the doubts about the government's sincerity of holding a parliamentary election. It is now more or less certain that 2009 will see a new democratically elected civilian government. We earnestly hope the two most important leaders, people would elect as one in the treasury bench and the other in the opposition bench, would have the mental capacity and the leadership quality to uphold national interests far above their personal dogmas and sufferings that may emanate out of their political rivalry.
These two leaders of ours must possess statesmanlike vision. S/he should have the mental equipment to wish his/her opponent success after conceding defeat in the next election. They must declare before election that they would not allow anybody to deprive us of our basic right of will -- to follow their call for hartal or not to follow at our own free will. They should assure us that they or their followers would not resort to coercion to make us their followers under compulsion. They should also assure us of their sincerities in not abetting demolition and destruction of public and private properties in the name of political campaigns. They should promise that they would be frame a law that would prescribe to try anybody found in indulging in any activity that may impede our economy as a seditionist.
If our leaders fail to assure us of their truest patriotism, if they fail to place the right nominees in the right constituencies in the next parliamentary election and if they fail to keep their pre-election promises, they will rather pave the way for gagging democracy. People then next time may demand a nonpartisan government not merely for three months. The demand may be for three years or more. Our leaders must now realise that time has changed. They must show their political sagacity not as populist politicians but as statesmen; they should have followers who too must be truly patriotic.
Treading a patriotic path is not an easy job. Not any Tom, Dick and Harry can be a patriot. Delivering before a mammoth gathering a fervent patriotic speech ahead of an election is easy. But, shaking hands with a rival immediately after being defeated is not so simple. Writing an essay on patriotism depends on the essayist's skill in articulation. But, sacrificing life or the last piece of personal wealth for safeguarding motherland requires hard practice and supreme dedication.
Patriotism in a way is an addiction. Once one is addicted to patriotism, s/he will go to any length to give up anything personal for the greater interest of his/her beloved homeland. A true patriot leaves behind a tale of heroic deeds and a voluble person with feigned patriotism leaves behind a mountain of blatant lies and grabbed wealth.
Tragically our nation has been blessed with a very few leaders who are or were imbued with true patriotism. In our country many leaders are picked by auction and most people are hoodwinked by their contrived political speeches. And a few emerging leaders with their proven ability to salvage our country from ruination who once led us to peek into rays of hope have either been assassinated or been made to leave the political theatre under duress. We normally don't hear the faint sounds of most of their silent footsteps.
The writer is a banker. He may be reached at:
maswood@hotmail.com