Popular frustration caused by prolonged political impasse, seems to be our destiny, for now. Who is not alarmed by uncertainty about the future of the country? That, too, in an election year when voters should have been shown a rosier picture!
However, ignoring the realities all around, the people want wellbeing of their families and of course prosperity of Bangladesh as a whole. The Bangladeshis still think positive and talk positive.
They hope Dhaka’s commuter movement will be quicker, against traffic congestion, banks run smoothly, against repeated scams, public exams be fair, against widespread question paper leaks, or a society free from drugs, against massive addiction. They expect proper services, be it from mobile phone operators, at hospital or public office, not hassles and bribery. The people’s democratic rights are ideally seen as non-negotiable despite adverse situation.
When we say Bangladesh will not deviate from its goal, we express our determination. We also fear lest we lose, given the crisis in almost every sector. Politics as determinant of national attainments and ethos has turned into an Armageddon.
Everyday millions of dreams of the common people and the words of thoughts of a few are lost in the whirlwind of negative discussions here and there. Maybe, we have failed to objectively analyse the current situation and dig out a solution from the society.
The people deserve to be informed of any agenda meant for their salvation. Otherwise, any campaign to change the society may be considered as a conspiracy. Simultaneously, certain action or inaction that pushes the nation toward a deeper crisis may present those responsible as culprits not only in history but also to immediate younger generations.
So, why don’t we at least spell out our expectations? Here are some that I, as one of 160 million Bangladeshis, feel the nation needs to address:
1. Reigniting the Bangladesh dream: Appreciating collective aspirations and self-belief in each individual, creating equal opportunities including jobs and entrepreneurship and scope for pro-people leadership at every tier, making arrangement for just distribution of resources and benefits of prosperity, assuring new generations of better future and upholding democracy and human dignity
2. National reconciliation: Renouncing hostilities and conflicts in politics and society, exploring common grounds for addressing national issues, keeping atmosphere for social justice and democratic pluralism, showing respect for social icons and role models, promoting peace and harmony and opening windows of constant social dialogue
3. Restoring institutions: Unlocking independence of democratic and state institutions, bringing transparency in all office bearers’ income and expenditure, making parliament effective, ensuring justice delivery without interference and partisan bias, stopping nepotism and politicisation in hiring and appointment, practicing meritocracy in bureaucracy and financial institutions, and allowing the media and the intelligentsia to act vibrantly
4. Good education for all: Freeing the education sector from all corrupt practices, rekindling enthusiasm for education and patronising global-level knowledge-based competition, producing the best in each education segment, ridding campus of violence and politicisation, undertaking programmes to improve quality of learning, leapfrogging national research base, generating a pool of skilled and enlightened manpower and readying youth for future leadership roles
5. Services to people & responsible citizenship: Establishing the rule of justice, carrying out legal and regulatory reforms, removing corruption and injustice in governance, ending the culture of impunity for killing and other crimes, making taxpaying and voting a healthy culture, supporting resistance against corruption, drug trade and terrorism, and introducing social audit to engage grassroots people in governance process
6. Balanced development: Meaning development for people of today and tomorrow, making cities and towns livable and building more cities with adequate civic amenities, improving rural life, addressing widening inequality, decentralising economic opportunities, overhauling national healthcare system, providing utilities to all equitably, protecting farmland and environment from unplanned urbanisation, indutrialisation and infrastructures and outlining a vision for 100 years,
7. Consensus in foreign policy: Branding Bangladesh worldwide to attain national objectives, pursuing the policy of ‘friendship to all, malice to none’, encouraging parliamentary and public debates on foreign policy matters, preparing separate policy packages targeting each player and region, facilitating research on international issues affecting Bangladesh interests, excelling in professionalism in diplomatic service, and introducing citizens' national security council to discuss various threats and potentials
This is also for the perusal of the silent majority who occasionally get the opportunity to express their aspirations. And the opinion leaders and political actors have the option to react to, nullify, scrutinise and improve on any proposal made in the public domain.
Can’t we try to bring an end to being prisoners of circumstance for the sake of peace and security as well as development and the image of the nation?
* Khawaza Main Uddin is a journalist.