Comments on: Democracy In Bangladesh: Reality Vs. Utopia

By: md. Arfin shuvo Shuvo

md. Arfin shuvo Shuvo — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:10:53 +0000

sir i need ..elected representative..franchise universal..responsibility..responsive.. Transparency and accountableity..rule of law…of democracy in bd.,,plz help

By: Mushfiqur Rahman

Mushfiqur Rahman — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 04:31:23 +0000

Thank you Abid vai, for bringing up the core agenda. Infact, it has become fashionable to criticize Zia, his regime and his development ideologies of which AL is a failure in vain. To my satisfaction and confidence, i can assure you that everywhere ppl around are frustrated with Hasina regime, no doubt. Economic developments has come to a standstill when govt doesnt know where it ca actually lead us to. All they are concerned is that they should keep stick to power and overthrow anybody that has a different perspectives. The recent case with Dr. Younus gives the clear evidence of such. I fear when Bangladesh alone will overthrow them out of politics, it will be hard for them to accept defeat. In the political history, their greed for power has restrained them aback from politics and power. Never did ppl had concern about AL. Exception were aristocratic rule by Ershad when ppl broke out for democracy. She (Sheikh Hasina) is the one when failed to be in power in 1991 vowed not to give peace to Bangladesh in public and media. Now, she is the prime minister and she has got Ershad on her left hand wing to meet her thirst in political power.

By: Abid Bahar

Abid Bahar — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 21:43:27 +0000

Sir,
It is worth quoting you. You said “…if democracy ails, the prescription should be democracy as well. Alternative experiments and expeditions are fatal for the life of a nation.” But I see your analysis you are negating when it is appllid in Bangladesh context.
In your analysis there is no mention of Mujib’s installation of one party rule and closing all the opposition newspapers,and extrajudicial killings making mujib an undemocratic and authoratorian leader. Mujib’s cadre politics which still lingers in Hasina’s second term. Mujib’s man-made 1974 femine. Despite all that Mujib like mamy authoritarian leaders would still be alive if he didn’t live in Dhanmondhi. And a single event Dalim’ and his wife were kidnapped by Golam Mostofa who took them to Mujib in Dhanmondhi.
If you read the Fifth Amendmend by Zia you will see it opened multiparty democracy and market economy over Mujib’s North Korea style Socialist backward-looking authoritarian rule. Mujib’s Fourth Amendmend was banned by Zia because as you said in your premise “…if democracy ails, the prescription should be democracy as well [not the BKSAL.] Again you are right in your premise: “Alternative experiments and expeditions are fatal for the life of a nation.” Just because Zia came from military is not a sufficient condition for him you said obstructing the development of democracy in Bangladesh. Again I am quoting you, “Alternative experiments and expeditions are fatal for the life of a nation.”

By: The Peoples

The Peoples — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:00:25 +0000

Bangladesh is known as democratic country
But as per article (section) 70 of Bangladesh Constitution, only key person or party chief. can take decision none the else

Second one is very age old or left over colonial laws and legal system for ruling the people.
Due to which billions of hard earned cash money of common people are spend in conducting these pending suits or litigation in the court which may not be settled even in life time nor have any certainty of any specific results

Now the question- who are direct beneficiaries ?

Contesting parties are compelled to spend money in addition to valuable times of their active life, year after year

ARE THESE PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES ?

If not why such colonial laws and legal system are not changes ?

Peoples are in opinion that Bangladesh can not face the advancement of Science and Technology like other Asian Countries nearby Bangladesh

Even Bangladesh will not be able to dream the face of digital world with existing colonial laws and legal system.

But it is good for providing money to a group of people involved in conducting present legal process / system who have no rule in productive activities to change the face of poverty of the country .

Third point which is most significant and important are the lack of accountability in every stage of life for people or Government Personal / Officials

It will be wise to reform / replace the concerned ministry with expert of political sciences / social welfares and expert from relevant subjects of science and technology. Like medicine, engineering, agricultural sciences, business and commerce etc ?

By: The Peoples

The Peoples — Fri, 14 May 2010 07:10:37 +0000

Bangladesh is known as democratic country
But as per article ( section ) 70 of Bangladesh Constitution , only key person or party chief. can take decision none the else

Second one is very age old or left over colonial laws and judicial system for ruling the people.
Due to which billions of hard earned cash money of common people are spend in conducting these pending suits or litigation in the court which may not be settled even in life time nor have any certainty of any specific results

Now the question- who are direct beneficiaries ?

Contesting parties are compelled to spend money in addition to valuable times of their active life, year after year

ARE THESE PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES ?

If not why such colonial laws and legal system are not changes ?

Peoples are in opinion that Bangladesh can not face the advancement of Science and Technology like other Asian Countries nearby Bangladesh

Even Bangladesh will not be able to dream the face of digital world with existing colonial laws and legal system .

But it is good for providing money to a group of people involved in conducting present legal process / system who have no rule in productive activities to change the face of poverty of the country .

Third point which is most significant and important are the lack of accountability in every stage of life for people or Government Personal / Officials

It is wise to reform / replace the concerned ministry with expert of political sciences / social welfares and expert from relevant subjects of science and technology. like medicine , engineering , agricultural sciences , business and commerce etc ?

By: Azimuddin Khan

Azimuddin Khan — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:46:47 +0000

I think we have finally entered the phase where democracy has the chance of getting a permanent foothold in Bangladesh. The army’s role in politics has been totally discredited.The last two years of illegitimate army rule has exposed how corrupt and morally defunct military rule is. The army has been behind the brutal assasination of the founding father and then the killing of its own creation Zia-ur Rahman. Then we have seen the army’s intelligence wing in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami directly getting involved in shipment of arms for terrorists in foreign countries.

It all began with Zia when he shook the pillars of independence by reinstating the war criminals in politics. His torch of fake democracy has been ably carried on by Khaleda Zia and her crooked sons by sponsoring state sponsored cross border terrorism in neighboring countries and using the defence forces intelligence in assassinating the entire top brasss of the Awami League including Sheikh Hasina. They even managed over one crore falsified voters to rape elections repeatedly. But the irony of fate is that their blueprint to turn Bangladesh into a failed state has been foiled by divine intervention.

By: IC

IC — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:42:06 +0000

I agree with you and i wonder why is this happening over and over again. How an army plays so significant role in power sharing and installing executives in power yet play so humble. Where does the source of that strength come from?

India, Pakistan, Bangalee remains but the real broker of the corridor of power in Bangladesh remain in the same place where it all started from 15th Aug 1975.
It is imperative for the nation to ascertain whether or not this need stoping at once.
Democracy in Bangladesh is a beggars believe. It is more like a dictatorical democracy- A SHOW OF ONE PERSON.

By: Manirul Islam

Manirul Islam — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:39:17 +0000

Sir,

Your analysis has enriched my perspective and has certainly opened new windows to look at the contour of the issue from different angles. I have used a broad brush and a small canvas for the portrait. Your example of not-so- perfect functioning of democracy in USA perhaps strikes a chord of optimism that our democracy also should work with all it’s limitations. Sir, existing political chasm does not make me feel upbeat on that. But I sincerely believe, if democracy ails, the prescription should be democracy as well. Alternative experiments and expeditions are fatal for the life of a nation.

I am grateful for your time and care, Sir. Thank you

By: Dara Shamsuddin

Dara Shamsuddin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:01:32 +0000

Dear Manirul,

Many thanks for your long and illuminating reply.

I think you have an excellent theoretical underpinning of your article. However, with explicit statement of the theoretical aspects, namely the second paragraph of your reply starting with “I have structured …..” and ending with ” … in the arena” would have supplied the reader with the necessary thread that weaves the whole series of events, associations and interrelationships.

I am not quite sure about the last sentence of your second para starting “The Utopia part reflects …”. The role played by our “public, intelligentsia, civil society” (I assume includes the mass media), even to this day, or perhaps more so, is dubious at best.Of course we have to carefully define and identify these three groups. In a class-structured society like we have in Bangladesh, the meaning of public might not mean the entire body of people as a whole. The better definition might be, to my understanding, ” a body of people sharing some common interest” If we agree to this defintion the next task is to identify and characterize them!!. The word “intelligentsia” might be a group of people who are “educated” and are considered by others as the “intellectual elite” of the country. Again we have to identify such a group of people !! The words “civil society” might be used for a formal or informal extended social group with similar interests having distinctive cultural and economic organization. Shall we try to identy them in Bangladesh? !!

I have defined them as I have found them. But trying to identify them would be very tricky, not the least for the reason that these three circles are not mutually exclusive. If I try to draw circles for the three groups, the outcome would be a venn diagram !! I would find quite a number of people in at least in two circles, even if not in all the three, over a period of time.

Now, about the wishes and expectations of such dubious circles of people !! I have found their expectations moving around in a circle, or better still, in the fashion of a pendulum, going from one extreme to the other. Therefore, if we want to construct an ideal/expected state of democratic scenario we would be falling into a mouse-trap of our own construction.

I would rather start with a different hypothesis to explain the series of events till to day and the role of various actors, including the “public, the intelligentsia and the civil society” I would characterize hem as interest groups. I would them hypothesize about the stages though which a country that had got her independence through armed struggle must pass.

Phase I: Period immediately after liberation: All interest groups vying violently with each other to gain control of the state power and the resources.

Phase II: One group gains control and exterminates, physically and politically, others

Phase III: Inner contradictions of the group in power (Thesis-antithesis-synthesis)

Phase IV: Involving people to gain/consolidate/justify/legalize power: journey towards democracy

Phase V: Democracy by the people, but not of the people and for the people: to my understanding we are passing through this phase now.

Phase VI: Looking into the best possible future scenario, everything else remaining constant: Democracy by and of the people but not for the people.

Utopia, the real Utopia: Democracy by the people, of the people and for the people.

I don’t think I will live to see anything even near to this in most of the “democratic” countries of the world, not to speak of Bangladesh.Look at Obama’s health insurance bill, how a good plan for the people was thwarted by peoples’ representatives !! If you try you will I am sure find hundreds of cases where “for the people” initiatives have been voted down by the peoples’ representatives all over the world in democratic countries.

I wish you all the success in your very laudable quest for bringing an understanding of the events in Bangladesh so far.

Take care and stay well.
Affectionately,
Dara Shamsuddin

By: Manirul Islam

Manirul Islam — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:30:18 +0000

Dear Sir,
To summarize my article, I tried to say that dysfunctional democracy is the reality and in the existing condition wishing democracy healthy long life is utopia.

I have structured my article in a way to detail out genesis, genetic blending and chemistry of evolution of the main three stake holders of our power politics. First, the nervous journey of Awami League from center to left- of- center and their post-liberation political errors of colossal proportion. Second, the inner-contradictions and connivance to outer conspiracies of our far-left and their immoral merger with far right that percolated down to a coalition of hybrid politics to reverse the course of our history. Third, our narcissist military, evolving into a mirror image of Pakistan army, always lurks around the power center, accelerates and magnifies the failures of the democracy and grabs power by force to save democracy. I also established the fact, two armed adversaries of our liberation war are now two main players of our democracy, none of these parties has renounced their past with reference to 71. Up to this point is the reality part of my article. The utopia part reflects expectation of public, intelligentsia and civil society to see an idyllic democracy (forget past, no cross fire, all party summit for TipaiMukh etc.) fully functional with these players active in the arena.

Sir, your words are very much inspiring and please ask me if you need further clarification.

Regards/ Manirul Islam