Civil society and business leaders yesterday expressed concern over the way things had panned out in the country’s political scene, calling for a critical rethink of the existing political practices and stereotypes.
“The country has fought hard for democracy but achieved one that exists only in name, not in practice,” said Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, founder of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra. He was speaking at a view-exchange meeting at the capital’s CIRDAP auditorium.
He also said the kind of democracy practiced in Bangladesh was autocratic in nature which only served to breed helplessness and frustration. “An undemocratic situation still prevails in the country. The prime minister has all the power which is really unexpected, but this has been going on since 1991.”
“A self-serving leadership has promoted sycophancy in place of merit and ignored the voice of the silent majority, who were pushed off centre stage. We failed to break this cycle in the past 20 years. But we must move forward and work towards establishing a real democracy.”
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, a former adviser of caretaker government, who presided over the dialogue, called into question the validity of the election about to be held on January 5 terming it “unacceptable”.
“We need to initiate a movement to resist all autocratic powers and establish democracy,” he said.
Dr Shahdeen Malik, a constitution expert, spoke in the same vein and stressed that the responsibility of the Election Commission was not only to hold an election by any means but also ensure that it became credible. “The January 5 election is not going to be credible. I think the commission should re-fix the schedule.”
Action Aid Bangladesh country director Farah Kabir said there was an absence of “collective effort” in the country and stressed the need for platforms from where to raise the voices of common people.
In his speech, Mir Nasir Hossain, former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries, cited a World Bank report that called Bangladesh an “unpolished diamond.”
“We are heading towards breaking the diamond, instead of polishing it. There are no choices left for the general voters; the only choice they had was an option for ‘No’ vote, but that too was demolished by the government,” he said.
The speakers also demanded implementation of a four-point agenda, including immediate suspension of the current election schedule and rescheduling it at an appropriate time with the consent of all political parties, immediate end to all destructive political programmes, and ensuring a level-playing-field through reconstitution of the interim government and the election commission.
