It was the first week of May back in 1970. The Baishakh heat wave was full on. Dhaka University was heated too. DUCSU elections were imminent. At around 11:00 in the morning a group of students rushed through the corridors of the arts faculty building. It was a sudden procession and the processionists all wore read headbands. They called out slogans of the communist ilk, declaring a boycott of the election. They were activists of a particular ideology and were told by their guru that elections were a part of a reactionary system.
There was no emancipation through elections, revolution was a must. Many people watched them, with hardly any reaction. It was only the animated activists who were drenched in sweat, gathering at TSC. You could get a Coca Cola for 6 annas then and that cooled them down. Some of them, bottles of Coke in hand, shouted out slogans against American imperialism.
Meanwhile, another group of students marched by. They wore white caps, decrying coeducation and chanting Islamic slogans.
That year the most festive DUCSU election in memory took place. Previously, the VP and GS were chosen through hall quotas. This time, the quota system was abolished. The election was held through direct voting.
A few months later came the national election. There too, the presence of the boycotters was noticeable. The same mantra, the election is a trap of the bourgeoisie. There is no emancipation liberation through elections. Armed revolution is a must. This is what Chairman Mao Zedong has taught us. Many students frowned and asked, Mao Zedong? Who is he?
Maulana Bhashani was a great leader. His party was the National Awami Party, NAP in short. He was preparing for the election. He had fought for many years for the demands of the peasants. He organised massive rallies with farmers.
His electoral symbol was the sheaf of paddy. Many of his party members became candidates in the election. Their slogan was: "A new day is here already, vote for the sheaf of paddy." The rival party’s symbol was the boat. Their slogan was: "Joy Bangla."
Then suddenly something happened with the Maulana! He announced that he would not contest in the election. At Paltan Maidan, he declared: “Independent East Pakistan.”
Speculations ran abound. Why did the Maulana say that? One group was saying, things don't look good on the ground. The tide is in favour of the "boat" and the "sheaf of paddy" will drown. It will be humiliating and so it’s better to withdraw. Another group was saying, the Maulana was clearing the field for his disciple, Sheikh Mujibur. He didn’t want to waste votes.
Arshad Sami Khan was ADC to Pakistan’s President Yahya Khan. People don’t know him and one will now have to say, he is popular singer Adnan Sami’s father.
By then, Pakistan had already broken apart. Bangladesh had become independent. Long afterward, Arshad Sami wrote a book. In it, he spilled the secret that Yahya had given money to the Maulana for holding elections. Later it came to light that the Maulana himself knew nothing about the money. Yahya had indeed paid, but it was said that Mashiur Rahman, the Maulana’s party secretary, had pocketed it. Be that as it may, the revolution never happened. The elections took place with great fanfare.
On the country’s horizon a new sun arose, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The country never turned into Naxalite land, nor did it follow the path of Makkah and Madinah. After that, many things happened. Struggles were fought. People killed and died. East Pakistan became Bangladesh.
The country had become independent, but how would it run? At one time the British would rule this country and many people did not want this. They wanted home rule, self-rule, independence. The British rulers said, you are not qualified to be independent yet. When the time comes, we will grant you independence.
Then the country became independent. The Gujaratis ruled, the Punjabis ruled, the Pathans ruled. There was the all-powerful Ayub Khan who said Allah had sent him down as a saviour for the suffering people. It was a tough task because Bengalis were not patriotic, they only talked about being Bengali. Ayub Khan had studied in English. His college had been in a small town called Sandhurst, about 32 miles from the city of London. He saw that the British were truly a race of rulers. They taught him that unless you whip them into shape, the subjects cannot be kept under control.
Nirad Chandra Choudhuri was one of Ayub Khan's favourite writers. Choudhuri could not bear the air and climate of the country. He lived in Oxford. He was very irritated with the Bengalis. In an essay he wrote that Bengalis cannot take care of themselves. They are petty-minded people, always quarrelling among themselves. Ayub Khan was deeply worried about the Bengalis. Out of seventy million, only two men, in his eyes, had patriotism—Jabbar Khan and Monayem Khan. Can a country run like that?
Then, all of a sudden, the country became independent. But no one seemed to care how it would be governed. There was a party called the Awami League. Having suddenly come into possession of a 150,000 square-kilometer estate, they were bewildered. One cannot run a country on fiery speeches at Paltan Maidan alone. On top of that, there was looting. It began with the theft of blankets, and by the end they had swallowed up entire banks. Then they vanished. After their overindulgence, they now sit in luxury chairs in Kolkata, Delhi, Dubai, London, Toronto, and Virginia villas, satiated and belching.
Elections are supposed to nourish democracy. A dozen elections have already been held in this country. Despite those twelve elections, the country has been stripped to the bone. Now another election is around the corner
Then there was another group whose only refrain was: once the Awami League is removed, the country will turn into paradise. The Awamis have made the country into “hellfire.” If only they could be overthrown, this land would become heaven, “Jannatul Firdaus.” But the country never did become a paradise.
And that's how things were running. When an ox goes astray, it can be whipped into line. But oxen are high maintenance. So with the arrival of the mechanised plough, all those problems were solved. Now, those who ran the country were intelligent beings, eminent people; but they too refused to listen. How could they be made to leave? That thought led to sleepless nights.
The English imported many things into this land: blouses and petticoats, shorts and ties, the harmonium, ABC, Shakespeare, the railway, cricket, and democracy. And so, for decades, the country has been run with that democracy. Yet it has never really been put to use.
Elections are supposed to nourish democracy. A dozen elections have already been held in this country. Despite those twelve elections, the country has been stripped to the bone. Now another election is around the corner.
There are the revolutionaries. They unobtrusively stay behind the scenes, emerging when needed. Some of them have taken up the old refrain, "Boycott the election!" Who knows what lies in their minds? There's clamour all around. Some have hope and some despair. Some spread panic. And all the while the thirteenth election gradually comes closer.
Yesterday even an election roadmap was announced. But until the election is actually held, one cannot really say that the election is actually taking place. But it is imperative to have an election.
* Mohiuddin Ahmad is a writer and researcher.
* The views expressed her are the writer's own.