Promises in the manifestos
Monday, 15 December 2008
The two main political parties of the country--the Bangladesh Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) -- have declared their election manifestos or action plans about what they would do on going to power for the knowledge of the voters. Political party manifestos are essential because the same help the voters -- specially the more conscious ones -- to examine and weigh their relative merits before deciding for whom they will vote. But in this comparing exercise, the voters in Bangladesh will not have much to do this time because the election manifestos of both the parties, particularly in broader economic programmes are found to be quite similar. So far as the broader economic goals and objectives are concerned, there is a striking commonality between the manifestos of the two main electoral rivals. That is otherwise a good sign about an emerging national consensus on ways to confront broader economic challenges that the nation faces today, despite the rancorous discord on various political issues among the rival parties or alliances. Whether this consensus can help forge a common ground for actions in order to grapple with economic challenges is entirely a different matter in the context of the country's fractious polity since long.
The manifestos of the two main parties have mainly addressed the economic priorities and related social sector requirements such as food security, poverty alleviation, investment promotion, power generation, employment creation, social safety net, human resource development, infrastructure building activities, etc. There are only promises to act in order to improve conditions in these areas and in some cases the pledges are time-bound. But specifics or details are not available in the manifestos about the modus operandi of fulfilling the declared undertakings. The moot question for consideration here is how the resources, both domestic and external, will be made available to redeem all those promises under the given circumstances. The institutional arrangements to deliver the same is also a relevant issue here.
The unfurling of the manifestos has been a business-as-usual approach, to say the least, during the election period. The circumstances, however, are much different this time, both on domestic turf and external front. A more mature response to such circumstances will be required from the parties, particularly the winning one, in the post-election period. The sharpened felt needs of people will also have to be taken into consideration when time will come for giving a concrete operational shape, particularly by the winning side, to redeem the pledges, if it really means business about its manifesto. Detailed road-maps then will have to be convincing as well as capable of being achieved, step by step within a time-frame. The political parties will have to break the past traditions of churning out general promises, if their manifestos are meant for inspiring the people. There is no denying that the problems confronting the country call for a dynamic approach from the parties to provide strong signals about their getting truly organised to tackle these problems very expertly and dedicatedly.
Meanwhile, all concerned would expect that the major political parties would lose no time in assuring the nation that they would really try and transform the country's future political culture. And that culture should contribute to political stability which, in turn, would translate into sustainable economic dividends. Pledges about accepting election results gracefully if the same are found to be held scrupulously, making the parliament the centre-point of political activities and not the streets, pursuing a broader approach to major national problems, etc., and their practice, more in deeds than in words, will be of much importance to help promote political stability and a mutually respectful political culture, shunning the path of winner-take-it-all in the post-election period. The link between political stability and economic growth and development is an umbilical one. The political parties will face an acid test, after the elections, to demonstrate amply well that they are not oblivious of their responsibilities to this effect.
The manifestos of the two main parties have mainly addressed the economic priorities and related social sector requirements such as food security, poverty alleviation, investment promotion, power generation, employment creation, social safety net, human resource development, infrastructure building activities, etc. There are only promises to act in order to improve conditions in these areas and in some cases the pledges are time-bound. But specifics or details are not available in the manifestos about the modus operandi of fulfilling the declared undertakings. The moot question for consideration here is how the resources, both domestic and external, will be made available to redeem all those promises under the given circumstances. The institutional arrangements to deliver the same is also a relevant issue here.
The unfurling of the manifestos has been a business-as-usual approach, to say the least, during the election period. The circumstances, however, are much different this time, both on domestic turf and external front. A more mature response to such circumstances will be required from the parties, particularly the winning one, in the post-election period. The sharpened felt needs of people will also have to be taken into consideration when time will come for giving a concrete operational shape, particularly by the winning side, to redeem the pledges, if it really means business about its manifesto. Detailed road-maps then will have to be convincing as well as capable of being achieved, step by step within a time-frame. The political parties will have to break the past traditions of churning out general promises, if their manifestos are meant for inspiring the people. There is no denying that the problems confronting the country call for a dynamic approach from the parties to provide strong signals about their getting truly organised to tackle these problems very expertly and dedicatedly.
Meanwhile, all concerned would expect that the major political parties would lose no time in assuring the nation that they would really try and transform the country's future political culture. And that culture should contribute to political stability which, in turn, would translate into sustainable economic dividends. Pledges about accepting election results gracefully if the same are found to be held scrupulously, making the parliament the centre-point of political activities and not the streets, pursuing a broader approach to major national problems, etc., and their practice, more in deeds than in words, will be of much importance to help promote political stability and a mutually respectful political culture, shunning the path of winner-take-it-all in the post-election period. The link between political stability and economic growth and development is an umbilical one. The political parties will face an acid test, after the elections, to demonstrate amply well that they are not oblivious of their responsibilities to this effect.