Silently I sit with my thoughts,
Meandering between images of sudden
Love? Lust? Perhaps, agony and desire.
What wills a man to choose as he does?
When all that he wants is that he has foregone.
Winter cold in all clam and cacophony,
Weather-beaten but for cynical compassion,
A truth unknown; kept hidden in the twilight
Of recourse and reminiscence.
Wither the winds of sorrow,
Blow across the plain flatlands of status quo;
A dust cloud through barren waste,
Weaning itself off the rain
That promises rescue.
Not from thirst
But, from surrendering to the beaten down soul.
Can the yesteryears of post parting
Be worthy of so many memories?
Such that during times of togetherness and post period
Merge into one and blur the lines of wisdom?
Forever shall my mind wander the desert plains?
To regurgitate the promises never made,
But forever filled with good intentions.
I smile at the irony that life opens to my eyes;
For in its twisted humour of vacant laughs,
I stand corrected; I stand holding little but a resigned smile.
Forever is a long time,
But that is how long I pay penance to your absence.
For your not being here to stand beside;
For your not clutching a waiting hand;
For your lips not brushing across a hungry pout.
All seems destined to oblivion,
Yet there is so much to live for
And a life of free choices bound by principle,
Forever is for how long I pay my penance.
- 15 May 2007
Personal ramblings on whatever makes the news and shakes my fancy. Reviews on stuff I have bought or used or experienced, and observations on people I have had the fortune to meet and life's epiphanies that have impacted my development and has made me ME.
Monday, 11 June 2007
Thunder reason
Clash of thunder,
The gods play;
Lightning bright,
Thunder loud.
Rain pelting on arid land;
Gazing up towards a shortened sky,
Merry-making pitted patter
As death cycles by.
Wonder lust in reason,
Sudden release of raindrops
The size of dinner plates;
Crashing onto the ground,
Washing away sins of dust,
Cleansing the tired,
Revitalising all passion and glory.
Parting along ravines of streaks,
Running streams of lines,
Across the frail leaves on trees
Almost stopping to listen
To the sighs of relief,
The sun unmercifully hanging above
Silently watching, and waiting for her time.
Today there are smiles,
From ear to ear among the faces
Rejoicing in the mercy of cool waters.
Those cascading drops coupled into release,
Of passion but not purpose;
Of dreams but not reason;
Of forgetfulness but not forgiveness.
All around the grass seemingly pray in unison
On this dark, seasoned night.
The passion fruit of seduction,
Hovers in the air
For nights like these
Are for surrender
To one’s unspoken fears.
Ne’er a night like such comes twice in a lifetime
In a hurry to relinquish the sacred touch
Of a forbidden want
That revels in emotions.
Churning restlessly like the clouds above,
Stirred by wind forces
That lies invisible to the casual observer.
Unremembered occurrences,
Caught in the eyes of forever.
Bursting were it not for the rainfall.
The heavy fears of humanity,
Tossed around like a coin in a tin cup
Ironically from the nervous habit
Of an unfulfilled dream.
The clouds clash
In claps of thunder;
For the gods play
Beyond the distant moon rising
Yet under the eyes of the wavering sun;
Which, but for the clouds
Would seek its revenge.
What of the light that shines
In the lonely rooms,
Scattered among the living?
Peppered like careless salt flakes,
From the casual brushing hands of uncaring gods.
The demented and the denied,
Share a defiled place along the windowsill.
The rain that falls,
Anoints with equal fervour
The chosen and the unworthy;
Almost like a holy man
Who acts with neither rhyme nor reason.
The anointment washing away the sins,
Of a presumed guilty conscience.
As the rain pauses for breathe,
To let up in some way
And gather its strength to an encore,
The unreformed mortals look up at the sky to see,
Whether after all that unrelenting beating
If the squeaking of wheels can be heard
As death cycles by…
- 07 June 2007
The gods play;
Lightning bright,
Thunder loud.
Rain pelting on arid land;
Gazing up towards a shortened sky,
Merry-making pitted patter
As death cycles by.
Wonder lust in reason,
Sudden release of raindrops
The size of dinner plates;
Crashing onto the ground,
Washing away sins of dust,
Cleansing the tired,
Revitalising all passion and glory.
Parting along ravines of streaks,
Running streams of lines,
Across the frail leaves on trees
Almost stopping to listen
To the sighs of relief,
The sun unmercifully hanging above
Silently watching, and waiting for her time.
Today there are smiles,
From ear to ear among the faces
Rejoicing in the mercy of cool waters.
Those cascading drops coupled into release,
Of passion but not purpose;
Of dreams but not reason;
Of forgetfulness but not forgiveness.
All around the grass seemingly pray in unison
On this dark, seasoned night.
The passion fruit of seduction,
Hovers in the air
For nights like these
Are for surrender
To one’s unspoken fears.
Ne’er a night like such comes twice in a lifetime
In a hurry to relinquish the sacred touch
Of a forbidden want
That revels in emotions.
Churning restlessly like the clouds above,
Stirred by wind forces
That lies invisible to the casual observer.
Unremembered occurrences,
Caught in the eyes of forever.
Bursting were it not for the rainfall.
The heavy fears of humanity,
Tossed around like a coin in a tin cup
Ironically from the nervous habit
Of an unfulfilled dream.
The clouds clash
In claps of thunder;
For the gods play
Beyond the distant moon rising
Yet under the eyes of the wavering sun;
Which, but for the clouds
Would seek its revenge.
What of the light that shines
In the lonely rooms,
Scattered among the living?
Peppered like careless salt flakes,
From the casual brushing hands of uncaring gods.
The demented and the denied,
Share a defiled place along the windowsill.
The rain that falls,
Anoints with equal fervour
The chosen and the unworthy;
Almost like a holy man
Who acts with neither rhyme nor reason.
The anointment washing away the sins,
Of a presumed guilty conscience.
As the rain pauses for breathe,
To let up in some way
And gather its strength to an encore,
The unreformed mortals look up at the sky to see,
Whether after all that unrelenting beating
If the squeaking of wheels can be heard
As death cycles by…
- 07 June 2007
Friday, 30 March 2007
Cycle of touch and go
Forever is long time,
Time waits for none.
None but the poor soul without options;
Options only to wait or not,
Not promised, yet not surrendered.
Surrendered day in and day out,
Out of nothing hope lingers.
Lingers only as if by ghostly presence.
Presence of mind to know or deny;
Deny everything, yet deny days.
Days to months to years,
Years to a decade;
A decade much in touch and go;
Go, but never distant, yet always far.
Far from over, yet always close to ending.
Ending with a peck of resistance.
Resistance to goodbyes;
Goodbyes that mean hellos,
Hellos yet that do not mean farewell.
Farewell without sense, yet in full sanity
Sanity clinging to hopes,
Hopes that cannot flower;
Flower sweet truth and distinct scent,
Scent that power imagination or dreams.
Dreams that seemingly last a day, yet stays for forever…
– 16 March 2007
Time waits for none.
None but the poor soul without options;
Options only to wait or not,
Not promised, yet not surrendered.
Surrendered day in and day out,
Out of nothing hope lingers.
Lingers only as if by ghostly presence.
Presence of mind to know or deny;
Deny everything, yet deny days.
Days to months to years,
Years to a decade;
A decade much in touch and go;
Go, but never distant, yet always far.
Far from over, yet always close to ending.
Ending with a peck of resistance.
Resistance to goodbyes;
Goodbyes that mean hellos,
Hellos yet that do not mean farewell.
Farewell without sense, yet in full sanity
Sanity clinging to hopes,
Hopes that cannot flower;
Flower sweet truth and distinct scent,
Scent that power imagination or dreams.
Dreams that seemingly last a day, yet stays for forever…
– 16 March 2007
Friday, 8 December 2006
Divided You Stand; United We Fall
Following is a opinion piece that I had published in the formative years of this century. We were in the midst of the "non-cooperation" movement - a situation not very different from the current series of blockades we have suffered in the name of protecting the "people's rights" and "democracy." Ironically the "non-cooperation" was similarly billed. I think the sentiments are still relevant today.
The spokesman for one party calls it a success, the spokesman for another party calls it a failure. The people calls it farcical, and it is not the recent elections they are talking about.
The term "non-cooperation" when last used was used to send a strong message across nearly a thousand miles. The call was a prologue to the historical six point demand - in 1971, which led to a war. Today the call can be heard again from the same party, but this time could it just lead to a civil war, setting brother against brother, father against son?
As the situation progresses, or in this case deteriorates, no party can claim success or failure with the present political crisis. The shout that the success of the movement is the call of the people or the cry that the people has not supported the call of the movement are all personalized "wet dreams" conjured up by the leadership of the respective political parties in the country.
No contributing member of society should say that he can support either parties in light of the present political situation. People do not bring out their vehicles in a hartal because of the risk of its destruction and the risk to their lives, not because they fully believe in the cause of the opposition. People are attending office not to show support for the government in this period of opposition called "non-cooperation," but because they cannot afford to loose any more working days.
Destruction of property, public or private, is a crime. Not because of the unruliness and chaos it brings but because of the amount of valuable foreign exchange wasted. With the loss of more and more working days and loss of productivity, more and more failed deadlines in the export industries and more and more missed school days, the people of this country are being asked to pay a far heavier price then they can either afford to pay or are willing to pay.
The person making a contribution to society, the person trying to make ends meet, the honest individual who wants nothing more than to live his life are the people who are saying - enough. The political leaders are playing their own game of supremacy in their ongoing struggle to be one step ahead of the "enemy", loosing the true sense of the fight far behind.
The masses supporting the movement have always been delinquents and people who cannot make a contribution to society. The economy does not help, with the growing disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" an animosity for each other has developed. With the advent of corruption there are a lot of people in the country with amenities that they do not deserve, advantages that are not their due. Because of this the country must undergo intense reform for any headway to be made. But with a reformed and new competent leadership.
The majority of the people in this country are moved by emotions and sentiment, not the black and white of an economic or an ideological platform. A definite lack of formal education among the voters only helps in the confusion. In a country where the voters cast their votes with the recognition of a symbol instead of a rhetoric, democracy is not what needs to be fought for. The leadership of this country must concentrate on encouraging foreign investment, open markets and seeing that the living standards of the people improve.
The leadership is only putting the wool over the masses' eyes, and confusing them with irrelevant ideas in their pursuit for power. With the support of people who do not know better and who do not understand that destruction of property, the killing of people over what is considered ideology differences is pulling the country further down into the doldrums.
The old styled politics of yester-year has to be discontinued immediately for a more intelligent approach to development. Unfortunately, the political culture is still embedded in the politics of nostalgia. Political leaders are still judged for competence with familial ties instead of education or ability. The leader of an mostly uneducated nation must be among the most highly educated, and one with the ability to use that education effectively. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Prime Minister until 1990, was the architect of the economic miracle that has increased the Singapore per capita income to US$ 23,000, in just 30 years. The second richest nation in Asia, after Japan, Singapore was officially recognized as a developed country this year.
The present day hot item on the world agenda is democracy for all. Bangladesh in the present day is still too immature to utilize it for the benefit of all its citizens. Democracy comes with liberalization of the economy and with the liberalization of ideas. The people would still prefer to have their thoughts governed.
The majority of the people are more concerned about at least two square meals a day, they do not care for ideas that promise them a better life in the near future. The masses are like small children, only just beginning to venture out into the world. They are not equipped to understand that a little restraint now will promise a consistent uniform country-wide development later. And besides the economy has conditioned them to only think of their own benefit and the benefit of their kin, what matter is it to them of the benefit of people with whom they have no contact.
The country is in need of a positive development in the hands of a leadership that is committed to the good of the nation and not just their own kin. In the twenty-five years of the nation's independence such a leader has yet to rise. Today a larger number of the people in the country are more educated and more cognizant to their environment then the numbers during the independence; today the people are demanding of their rights.
With the growth of industrialization in the country and the export of labour, more and more people in this country are becoming aware that the economic benefits can also be theirs. This industrialization was jump started by industrial investment, and by foreign investors. If the current political trend continues the country will loose what little development that has taken so far, alienating foreign investors and local investment.
further.
The economy has never been the ruling party's to own. It has always been the asset of the nation and its people. The political opposition parties at any given time in the last twenty-five years have attempted to hurt the economy in their bid to hurt the ruling party. The result : An occasional change in the leadership and a failing economy.
The politics of this country has proved farcical to outside observers. The only news that reaches beyond the borders have been negative. News of floods, news of famines, and news of political unrest have saturated the papers abroad. If the political crisis can be averted, then news of development, news of progress and news of social reform can take their place.
The newspapers report that US Congressman Bill Richardson is very excited with his first visit to Bangladesh. Richardson describes Bangladesh as an "important" country and that he will present a "first hand account to the US Congress on Bangladesh." The question is what thoughts does he take back with him?
Time and time again, the political opposition has deliberately attempted to foil any prospect of foreign investment. When the US Trade delegation visited Bangladesh in July of last year, when the British Trade Delegation was in Bangladesh in November of last year, the first thing they witnessed was the day long strikes called by the opposition party. They witnessed that the political nature of the country's political parties to bring the economy to a standstill.
It is small wonder that the leadership do not realize that by subjecting the country to undergo economic and social degradation the task they want to take up of saving the country becomes far more difficult. Ironically, with the political culture of mass destruction and blatant disregard for property that the disillusioned youth of this country are witnessing, the true problems of development is yet to surface.
The spokesman for one party calls it a success, the spokesman for another party calls it a failure. The people calls it farcical, and it is not the recent elections they are talking about.
The term "non-cooperation" when last used was used to send a strong message across nearly a thousand miles. The call was a prologue to the historical six point demand - in 1971, which led to a war. Today the call can be heard again from the same party, but this time could it just lead to a civil war, setting brother against brother, father against son?
As the situation progresses, or in this case deteriorates, no party can claim success or failure with the present political crisis. The shout that the success of the movement is the call of the people or the cry that the people has not supported the call of the movement are all personalized "wet dreams" conjured up by the leadership of the respective political parties in the country.
No contributing member of society should say that he can support either parties in light of the present political situation. People do not bring out their vehicles in a hartal because of the risk of its destruction and the risk to their lives, not because they fully believe in the cause of the opposition. People are attending office not to show support for the government in this period of opposition called "non-cooperation," but because they cannot afford to loose any more working days.
Destruction of property, public or private, is a crime. Not because of the unruliness and chaos it brings but because of the amount of valuable foreign exchange wasted. With the loss of more and more working days and loss of productivity, more and more failed deadlines in the export industries and more and more missed school days, the people of this country are being asked to pay a far heavier price then they can either afford to pay or are willing to pay.
The person making a contribution to society, the person trying to make ends meet, the honest individual who wants nothing more than to live his life are the people who are saying - enough. The political leaders are playing their own game of supremacy in their ongoing struggle to be one step ahead of the "enemy", loosing the true sense of the fight far behind.
The masses supporting the movement have always been delinquents and people who cannot make a contribution to society. The economy does not help, with the growing disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" an animosity for each other has developed. With the advent of corruption there are a lot of people in the country with amenities that they do not deserve, advantages that are not their due. Because of this the country must undergo intense reform for any headway to be made. But with a reformed and new competent leadership.
The majority of the people in this country are moved by emotions and sentiment, not the black and white of an economic or an ideological platform. A definite lack of formal education among the voters only helps in the confusion. In a country where the voters cast their votes with the recognition of a symbol instead of a rhetoric, democracy is not what needs to be fought for. The leadership of this country must concentrate on encouraging foreign investment, open markets and seeing that the living standards of the people improve.
The leadership is only putting the wool over the masses' eyes, and confusing them with irrelevant ideas in their pursuit for power. With the support of people who do not know better and who do not understand that destruction of property, the killing of people over what is considered ideology differences is pulling the country further down into the doldrums.
The old styled politics of yester-year has to be discontinued immediately for a more intelligent approach to development. Unfortunately, the political culture is still embedded in the politics of nostalgia. Political leaders are still judged for competence with familial ties instead of education or ability. The leader of an mostly uneducated nation must be among the most highly educated, and one with the ability to use that education effectively. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's Prime Minister until 1990, was the architect of the economic miracle that has increased the Singapore per capita income to US$ 23,000, in just 30 years. The second richest nation in Asia, after Japan, Singapore was officially recognized as a developed country this year.
The present day hot item on the world agenda is democracy for all. Bangladesh in the present day is still too immature to utilize it for the benefit of all its citizens. Democracy comes with liberalization of the economy and with the liberalization of ideas. The people would still prefer to have their thoughts governed.
The majority of the people are more concerned about at least two square meals a day, they do not care for ideas that promise them a better life in the near future. The masses are like small children, only just beginning to venture out into the world. They are not equipped to understand that a little restraint now will promise a consistent uniform country-wide development later. And besides the economy has conditioned them to only think of their own benefit and the benefit of their kin, what matter is it to them of the benefit of people with whom they have no contact.
The country is in need of a positive development in the hands of a leadership that is committed to the good of the nation and not just their own kin. In the twenty-five years of the nation's independence such a leader has yet to rise. Today a larger number of the people in the country are more educated and more cognizant to their environment then the numbers during the independence; today the people are demanding of their rights.
With the growth of industrialization in the country and the export of labour, more and more people in this country are becoming aware that the economic benefits can also be theirs. This industrialization was jump started by industrial investment, and by foreign investors. If the current political trend continues the country will loose what little development that has taken so far, alienating foreign investors and local investment.
further.
The economy has never been the ruling party's to own. It has always been the asset of the nation and its people. The political opposition parties at any given time in the last twenty-five years have attempted to hurt the economy in their bid to hurt the ruling party. The result : An occasional change in the leadership and a failing economy.
The politics of this country has proved farcical to outside observers. The only news that reaches beyond the borders have been negative. News of floods, news of famines, and news of political unrest have saturated the papers abroad. If the political crisis can be averted, then news of development, news of progress and news of social reform can take their place.
The newspapers report that US Congressman Bill Richardson is very excited with his first visit to Bangladesh. Richardson describes Bangladesh as an "important" country and that he will present a "first hand account to the US Congress on Bangladesh." The question is what thoughts does he take back with him?
Time and time again, the political opposition has deliberately attempted to foil any prospect of foreign investment. When the US Trade delegation visited Bangladesh in July of last year, when the British Trade Delegation was in Bangladesh in November of last year, the first thing they witnessed was the day long strikes called by the opposition party. They witnessed that the political nature of the country's political parties to bring the economy to a standstill.
It is small wonder that the leadership do not realize that by subjecting the country to undergo economic and social degradation the task they want to take up of saving the country becomes far more difficult. Ironically, with the political culture of mass destruction and blatant disregard for property that the disillusioned youth of this country are witnessing, the true problems of development is yet to surface.
High drama and the original sin
This article is another from my Daily Star Magazine contributions from the turn of the century 2000. I do believe that history does repeat itself, but I would have thought that history repeats itself after the passing of a generation or two! In Bangladesh we are so possessed with "history" that it seems we repeat ourselves (commentary-wise, at least) every turn of a regime. Read and see that nothing has realy changed in the last six years.
This being an election year it is a year of high drama. A year where it’s termed ‘undemocratic’ that the opposition party says it will win in the same sentence that the party in position ‘democratically’ declares its expected victory. I can understand and condone the statements because an election result in this country has traditionally been only as fair as the party that wins declares it to be. After all each party competes with the tacit understanding that it will only lose if the elections have been rigged! Therefore the forthcoming elections will be both “fair” and “rigged” – the quotes will be attributed according to results. If there is one sure statement that will encapsulate the up-coming election results in a nutshell it is that “the Awami League will not lose; but neither will the BNP.”
There will be a loser in the next elections, and it will sadly be the people who do not feel the need to politicise their day-to-day living. These people choose nothing more than to lead an economically-sound and relatively crime-free existence between work and family (I say ‘relatively’ crime-free, because you can never be too sure of the tax equation). These people are not busy trying to con the upper-hand or milk the ‘connection’, they lead an honest life and pay more than their fair share of dues to society. They are the educated middle-class – a class most countries swear by, a class that builds nations and brings down regimes. Sadly though in this country, they are the forgotten and neglected majority. The brunt of the face-saving hartals and the crime falls on them – they far from the palatable comfort of “easy come easy go” because it has never been “easy come” for them. They are the people who repay their bank loans on time, balance their budgets and report most of their income for taxes.
As another new batch of eligible voters enter the fray, unfortunately they are condemned to live the rest of their natural lives in political turmoil. Given the life expectancy of the average politician and the short-term memory of the average voter, Bangladesh will wallow in the depths of political ineptitude and corruption for still some time to come. The residue of political dregs that will be left in the wake of our current leadership will take years to drain away and die out, leaving in its path scum that will be harder still to wash away. Short of an act of God or the sudden rude awakening of the dreaded and defeated middle class, will the political culture of unaccountability and profit be stopped in its path. As our corrupt leaders bury themselves in the “my turn” cliché of political depravation and the unfounded lust for material accumulation, we people do little more than watch and engage ourselves in nothing more than arm-chair politics of discontentment and belated erudition. The average Bangladeshi is comfortable in its make believe nest of security, we have little desire to upset whatever semblance of balance we dearly hold onto. Historically we have proven to be people who take to the streets for our rights, not anymore. Suddenly we believe we have too much to lose, choosing to forget that we DO have too much to lose with inaction.
The people that the politicians so earnestly speak for is being tried of their patience – the leaders should remember what they try to remind in their rhetoric that the people will rise for their rights if pushed too far. The people want a democracy, but first they must earn it. The only way to understand the value of democracy is through an educated (and civil) electorate. An electorate that is not only willing to listen to others speak but also willing to act on their own judgement. Sadly the people know what should be done and how they should exercise their voting franchise – they however do not protest even in the full knowledge that their ideas have not been respected. Unfortunately, between the AL and the BNP we have a poor choice in leadership. The next elections will most likely be rigged. Either way, like Zimbabwe, the present ruling party will win and stand in front of their people and declare their allegiance. Unfortunately, when the time comes we will fail to remember to ask what (or who) they are alleging to.
Good governance comes from good leaders, and good leaders from good people. Just as “a nation deserves the leadership it gets”, we deserve whatever future lies in wait for us under the “able” leadership of the two bickering matriarchs of hate and displaced egocentricism. What more can we expect from a democracy run by parties that do not believe in democracy from within.
The original sin of politics in this country has sprouted from the fact that voters are mesmerised with icons and images that outlive its use. Just as Shiekh Hasina, in all her “good” intentions, will be unable to retire from active politics because the “people” will not let her, Khaleda Zia will not be far behind in that her “people” will not follow the BNP without her leadership. Meanwhile the people will wonder as to who has “betrayed” them and are actually stopping these two ladies from stepping down.
This being an election year it is a year of high drama. A year where it’s termed ‘undemocratic’ that the opposition party says it will win in the same sentence that the party in position ‘democratically’ declares its expected victory. I can understand and condone the statements because an election result in this country has traditionally been only as fair as the party that wins declares it to be. After all each party competes with the tacit understanding that it will only lose if the elections have been rigged! Therefore the forthcoming elections will be both “fair” and “rigged” – the quotes will be attributed according to results. If there is one sure statement that will encapsulate the up-coming election results in a nutshell it is that “the Awami League will not lose; but neither will the BNP.”
There will be a loser in the next elections, and it will sadly be the people who do not feel the need to politicise their day-to-day living. These people choose nothing more than to lead an economically-sound and relatively crime-free existence between work and family (I say ‘relatively’ crime-free, because you can never be too sure of the tax equation). These people are not busy trying to con the upper-hand or milk the ‘connection’, they lead an honest life and pay more than their fair share of dues to society. They are the educated middle-class – a class most countries swear by, a class that builds nations and brings down regimes. Sadly though in this country, they are the forgotten and neglected majority. The brunt of the face-saving hartals and the crime falls on them – they far from the palatable comfort of “easy come easy go” because it has never been “easy come” for them. They are the people who repay their bank loans on time, balance their budgets and report most of their income for taxes.
As another new batch of eligible voters enter the fray, unfortunately they are condemned to live the rest of their natural lives in political turmoil. Given the life expectancy of the average politician and the short-term memory of the average voter, Bangladesh will wallow in the depths of political ineptitude and corruption for still some time to come. The residue of political dregs that will be left in the wake of our current leadership will take years to drain away and die out, leaving in its path scum that will be harder still to wash away. Short of an act of God or the sudden rude awakening of the dreaded and defeated middle class, will the political culture of unaccountability and profit be stopped in its path. As our corrupt leaders bury themselves in the “my turn” cliché of political depravation and the unfounded lust for material accumulation, we people do little more than watch and engage ourselves in nothing more than arm-chair politics of discontentment and belated erudition. The average Bangladeshi is comfortable in its make believe nest of security, we have little desire to upset whatever semblance of balance we dearly hold onto. Historically we have proven to be people who take to the streets for our rights, not anymore. Suddenly we believe we have too much to lose, choosing to forget that we DO have too much to lose with inaction.
The people that the politicians so earnestly speak for is being tried of their patience – the leaders should remember what they try to remind in their rhetoric that the people will rise for their rights if pushed too far. The people want a democracy, but first they must earn it. The only way to understand the value of democracy is through an educated (and civil) electorate. An electorate that is not only willing to listen to others speak but also willing to act on their own judgement. Sadly the people know what should be done and how they should exercise their voting franchise – they however do not protest even in the full knowledge that their ideas have not been respected. Unfortunately, between the AL and the BNP we have a poor choice in leadership. The next elections will most likely be rigged. Either way, like Zimbabwe, the present ruling party will win and stand in front of their people and declare their allegiance. Unfortunately, when the time comes we will fail to remember to ask what (or who) they are alleging to.
Good governance comes from good leaders, and good leaders from good people. Just as “a nation deserves the leadership it gets”, we deserve whatever future lies in wait for us under the “able” leadership of the two bickering matriarchs of hate and displaced egocentricism. What more can we expect from a democracy run by parties that do not believe in democracy from within.
The original sin of politics in this country has sprouted from the fact that voters are mesmerised with icons and images that outlive its use. Just as Shiekh Hasina, in all her “good” intentions, will be unable to retire from active politics because the “people” will not let her, Khaleda Zia will not be far behind in that her “people” will not follow the BNP without her leadership. Meanwhile the people will wonder as to who has “betrayed” them and are actually stopping these two ladies from stepping down.
This land is your land, this land is her land. Whatever happened to our land?
What I find astonishing about re-reading some of my earlier work is that the political stalemate that we are experiencing has been going on for longer than we realise. Below is an article I wrote in early 2001 (again published in the Daily Star Magazine) that is as relevant in today as it was all those years ago. While we switch the BNP with the AL and vice versa, we are not making any headway. It is shocking that not one word has been changed and I could be serving this article as if I wrote it yesterday. Read this and know why it is imperative that we TAKE BACK BANGLADESH!
History is being made as we speak, the political leadership of this country have decided to discuss and arrive at a compromise to, ironically, put a stop to this impasse.
The question that enters the mind is that will this be it. Will this be the increasingly crucial direction change, so that the country under the existing politicians can make some headway in economic and social development?
However, the fact that the situation had come to be as bad as this, that the only way out was to arrest the economy is something of concern. Have the political leaders, opposition and otherwise, considered it more important in the last several months to overlook the suffering of the common man and the economy in their pursuit of the most powerful office in the country?
As any cognizant self-respecting person will attest, it did seem like that was indeed the case. The real concern is whether this was actually what had happened? But to put it simply, if it looked like an apple, smelt like an apple and tasted like an apple, it probably was an apple.
Now with a leadership that has proved that its interest lies in the office and not too much beyond that, is it prudent to allow the discussion to be held without the direct supervision of a neutral body representing the real interest of the economy? Is this to mean that the political leadership cannot be trusted to cut a fair deal? A fair deal for themselves, yes. For the people, some have their doubts.
In the last few months of this stalemate, the papers have been reporting murders committed in the name of the party. One party accuses the other of terrorism when both are equally responsible for it. We have "evolved" in our political thinking to take up weapons and participate in political action to kill people for subscribing to a different political belief. And the leadership just sits back and watches the killings and chalks it down as a price to pay for democracy!
What kind of a leadership is this, that cannot control the very people that support them? Murder is murder, no matter who is in prime minister's chair. It is a pity that it is the destiny of the people to subscribe to a leadership that does not seem to take any responsibility for the political atrocities committed by their own party members.
How can a political leader scream for justice for the killing of one member but remain silent upon seeing the carnage left behind by another? This eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth retaliation politics once out of control, assuming that it is under control, will surely remove any threat of true democracy that this country may eventually undergo.
It is time for the people to take back the country, not under the diction of any of the present leaders but under new leadership. The people have been fooled long enough, there is no gain from nostalgia. The past is past, by clinging onto the emotions of days once were we are losing the chance to make the most of the now.
If we continue on the path of nonproductive, retaliatory politics that has been played out so far, Bangladesh will be left far behind in the economy boom cycle that it rippling through South east Asia. Vietnam, a nation in economic turmoil for the last several decades, is opening up its markets and raking in the benefits of foreign investment and industry. And if we lose any more of our share of our export industries due to failed deadlines, the economic loss may be too large to makeup.
In light of these facts we still have politicians bickering over whose turn it is to "drive." What matter is it who is on the seat of government if the economy is strong and the nation is prospering. In the last few weeks the constitution has been the center of attention, the point of contention among the politicians. Since the document has to be amended, why not ensure checks and balances that keeps any one individual from amassing too much power and too much wealth.
Checks and balances and a leadership that is accountable to the judiciary. The politicians talk about their right to power, why not the people's right to have good government and their right to have the option of changing government after each term.
The leadership have made clear their demands, but what right do they have to put a city to ransom if those demands are not met? The newspapers quote opposition members threatening to burn down a certain city if their mayor isn't released. Where is the democracy? Where is the right to choose?
In a country that seems starved for a little democracy and a band of political parties competing to be the one to bring it, we should see a little democracy being played in the hallways of the parties themselves. Let the current leadership bow down and hand over the torch to more competent members, it is time that a little inside election is held to see if the political elite support their chairperson wholeheartedly. The idea is that the political party and not a political person is more important. A party stands behind ideology, the person chosen to carry out that ideology should be the person considered the most capable.
The leadership in the last few years have lost the support of the up and coming generation. A generation more concerned about development and more attuned to the state of the world and view Bangladesh in that context.
As a developing country, the responsibility we face is higher. We are expected to meet technology head-on where previously there was none. Literally from quill pens to super computers in the last ten years. Similarly, the responsibility that falls on the leader of a developing country is much higher. A person must be attuned to the vibes of the world and the directional winds changes of the economy to handle the job. Meanwhile our politicians have spent all that time foiling each other's feeble attempt to progress.
The people need a good government and an opposition to police it for the country to prosper. Opposition parties must not take the fight to the streets and encourage violence and anarchy to ridicule the ruling party. When government property is lost, lost is national assets not the personal property of any individual; lost is valuable foreign exchange that could be put to better use.
The majority of the people in this country have volatile emotions and with the economy as bad as it is and unemployment on the rise because no new investment is taking place, the country has a lot of people hurting. Harnessing all these negative emotions for destruction, is only a short term "gain," such behaviour if allowed to continue results in a crime problem that is not just the governments alone. Yet this simple thought appears to evade the political leadership, or aren't they attuned to what is happening?
History is being made as we speak, the political leadership of this country have decided to discuss and arrive at a compromise to, ironically, put a stop to this impasse.
The question that enters the mind is that will this be it. Will this be the increasingly crucial direction change, so that the country under the existing politicians can make some headway in economic and social development?
However, the fact that the situation had come to be as bad as this, that the only way out was to arrest the economy is something of concern. Have the political leaders, opposition and otherwise, considered it more important in the last several months to overlook the suffering of the common man and the economy in their pursuit of the most powerful office in the country?
As any cognizant self-respecting person will attest, it did seem like that was indeed the case. The real concern is whether this was actually what had happened? But to put it simply, if it looked like an apple, smelt like an apple and tasted like an apple, it probably was an apple.
Now with a leadership that has proved that its interest lies in the office and not too much beyond that, is it prudent to allow the discussion to be held without the direct supervision of a neutral body representing the real interest of the economy? Is this to mean that the political leadership cannot be trusted to cut a fair deal? A fair deal for themselves, yes. For the people, some have their doubts.
In the last few months of this stalemate, the papers have been reporting murders committed in the name of the party. One party accuses the other of terrorism when both are equally responsible for it. We have "evolved" in our political thinking to take up weapons and participate in political action to kill people for subscribing to a different political belief. And the leadership just sits back and watches the killings and chalks it down as a price to pay for democracy!
What kind of a leadership is this, that cannot control the very people that support them? Murder is murder, no matter who is in prime minister's chair. It is a pity that it is the destiny of the people to subscribe to a leadership that does not seem to take any responsibility for the political atrocities committed by their own party members.
How can a political leader scream for justice for the killing of one member but remain silent upon seeing the carnage left behind by another? This eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth retaliation politics once out of control, assuming that it is under control, will surely remove any threat of true democracy that this country may eventually undergo.
It is time for the people to take back the country, not under the diction of any of the present leaders but under new leadership. The people have been fooled long enough, there is no gain from nostalgia. The past is past, by clinging onto the emotions of days once were we are losing the chance to make the most of the now.
If we continue on the path of nonproductive, retaliatory politics that has been played out so far, Bangladesh will be left far behind in the economy boom cycle that it rippling through South east Asia. Vietnam, a nation in economic turmoil for the last several decades, is opening up its markets and raking in the benefits of foreign investment and industry. And if we lose any more of our share of our export industries due to failed deadlines, the economic loss may be too large to makeup.
In light of these facts we still have politicians bickering over whose turn it is to "drive." What matter is it who is on the seat of government if the economy is strong and the nation is prospering. In the last few weeks the constitution has been the center of attention, the point of contention among the politicians. Since the document has to be amended, why not ensure checks and balances that keeps any one individual from amassing too much power and too much wealth.
Checks and balances and a leadership that is accountable to the judiciary. The politicians talk about their right to power, why not the people's right to have good government and their right to have the option of changing government after each term.
The leadership have made clear their demands, but what right do they have to put a city to ransom if those demands are not met? The newspapers quote opposition members threatening to burn down a certain city if their mayor isn't released. Where is the democracy? Where is the right to choose?
In a country that seems starved for a little democracy and a band of political parties competing to be the one to bring it, we should see a little democracy being played in the hallways of the parties themselves. Let the current leadership bow down and hand over the torch to more competent members, it is time that a little inside election is held to see if the political elite support their chairperson wholeheartedly. The idea is that the political party and not a political person is more important. A party stands behind ideology, the person chosen to carry out that ideology should be the person considered the most capable.
The leadership in the last few years have lost the support of the up and coming generation. A generation more concerned about development and more attuned to the state of the world and view Bangladesh in that context.
As a developing country, the responsibility we face is higher. We are expected to meet technology head-on where previously there was none. Literally from quill pens to super computers in the last ten years. Similarly, the responsibility that falls on the leader of a developing country is much higher. A person must be attuned to the vibes of the world and the directional winds changes of the economy to handle the job. Meanwhile our politicians have spent all that time foiling each other's feeble attempt to progress.
The people need a good government and an opposition to police it for the country to prosper. Opposition parties must not take the fight to the streets and encourage violence and anarchy to ridicule the ruling party. When government property is lost, lost is national assets not the personal property of any individual; lost is valuable foreign exchange that could be put to better use.
The majority of the people in this country have volatile emotions and with the economy as bad as it is and unemployment on the rise because no new investment is taking place, the country has a lot of people hurting. Harnessing all these negative emotions for destruction, is only a short term "gain," such behaviour if allowed to continue results in a crime problem that is not just the governments alone. Yet this simple thought appears to evade the political leadership, or aren't they attuned to what is happening?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)