Bangladesh is either on the verge of a political crisis, or is in the midst of it, in the same vein as the one that crippled the country in 2013, leading up to the election on January 5, 2014. Depending on personal prejudices, the situation is largely defined in one of two ways.
The first states that the aforesaid election was necessary to serve and save democracy, conducted in accordance with the law of the land. All attempts to sabotage and stop it were not only illegal, but tantamount to terrorism.
The current situation is the fault of the same terrorist organisations, who, having opted out of the sphere of governance of their own volition, are determined to turn Bangladesh into a failed state. They are evil, and they need to be ended, for the sake of the country and the populace. Glory to Bangladesh, glory to its people.
The second states that the aforesaid election was an illegal one to end all elections, the government produced as a fruit of that poisonous tree an illegitimate one. It should not have been allowed to go ahead, and, having had its noble efforts to do precisely that thwarted by state terrorism, the once legitimate opposition and now legitimate government is trying again.
Bangladesh needs to be saved from the autocracy in charge, to keep it from becoming a failed state. The government is evil, and it needs to be ended, for the sake of the country and the populace. Glory to Bangladesh, glory to its people.
The media, worried about programming and developing content under normal circumstances, has been in a blissful state of contentment. When the manifestation of normal circumstances is political warfare, real and imaginary, mental and physical, content takes care of itself within the framed syllogism. There is nothing else to report or comment on.
Regardless of the overt prejudices and biases, it is clear from all the self-important statements that something needs to be done to permanently correct the nation’s course, and that this needs to start somewhere. Since the current and former prime ministers have directed their scions, parties, and allies to take leave of their senses, some ground rules ought to be set for the depraved sycophants, the unscrupulous fraudsters who pollute the country’s airwaves and newspapers.
The term “democracy” needs to be banned, its use made a punishable criminal offence. No one wants democracy, no one’s rhetoric reflects true democracy, no one is representing democracy: Therefore, no one can speak of or for it. Judging according to democratic values and lectures on democratic practices are similarly offensive. The next step is equally simple.
Everyone speaks of accountability, for when it is lacking, corruption is not only possible, it is easy and inevitable. Excellent deduction, time to implement it. Every time anyone dares open his or her mouth to spout more partisan drivel, he or she needs to be reminded to take responsibility for his or her complicity in the zealot pursuit of despotism that is causing unbridled devastation once more.
Blaming someone else does not pass muster any longer, not when the only objective truth is that people are suffering and dying. It does not matter whose fault it is when everyone agrees it cannot be allowed to continue. If one is not willing to play one’s part in that process, deliberately fanning the partisan flames instead, one should politely be told to hold one’s peace, indefinitely, for the good of humanity.
Any editor or programmer who gives these inconsiderate, unconscionable, irresponsible wastes of space in all their guises – “Joy Bangla” and “Bangladesh Zindabad” sloganeers, foreign diplomats, the Polli Bondhu’s friends, military sympathisers, extremists, members of the civil society, intellectuals, the righteously indignant, professional grovelers – a platform needs to beg forgiveness for his or her inexcusable indiscretions, and vow never to do it again.
It is glaringly obvious that no one is speaking for the people. If someone was, the endless rivers of excrement that flow to pontificate about and debate the state of affairs in Bangladesh ad infinitum, would run one sentence long: People are suffering, and nothing is being done to put a definitive end to this and constructively pave the way for a better tomorrow, for a stronger nation.
There are no clean hands in this, about that irrefutable truth everyone ought to be honest. No one can have the audacity to presume to speak for the people, to take ownership of the country and its heritage and history, to wrest its values and soul from the citizens. Ban all hollow political rhetoric, regardless of whether it originates from members or representatives of domestic or foreign political parties, or their lackeys who pose as concerned private individuals – at least let Bangladesh be free from this pathetic brand of nonsense.