It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a new political party is set to emerge. Jonoshokti, or People’s Power, is the name doing the rounds with work having reportedly started on its rules of business. Nor is it unexpected that two individuals at the helm of the anti-discriminatory movement are touted for the top leadership. Once the euphoria over the surprising haste with which an almost unassailable government was overthrown -- sending leadership and cadre vanishing into the sunset -- dissipated, it quickly became clear that the post-movement plan either didn’t exist or was slow to be revealed.
Political parties sans Awami League, for understandable reasons, quickly began hugging the “election” train lines with no roadmaps about whether or not they would reform themselves. There was just too much baggage, vestiges of misrule by the AL, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and Jatiya Party that the more elderly population haven’t forgotten. Jamaat e Islami existed from long before BNP and Jatiya Party and lives in a bubble of regimented loyalists devoid of the realization that its acceptability is painted dark by its role during our Liberation War. It has moved on from denial to a recent policy strategy of separating political difference of opinion and actual war crimes. For reasons best known to the other parties, no one is raising such questions now that AL is in hiatus.
The critical factor, the younger section that has basically lived through only the recent regime, is the one that has vocally and physically cried out for change. Aside from the emotional connect of the reprehensible and violent repression of thought and free-speech, there is a growing sense of negative déjà vu as to how democracy, that “ism” of which questions are being raised, can bring change in representative governance that is truly people-centric. And, yet, the general public by and large maintains its faith in elections. That’s a belief fuelled in general by a muted acceptability of the money-making that politics has evolved into in this country.
Any new parties must clearly position themselves different from the traditional ones in commitment and targets of the reforms that are the talk of the day
The Awami Muslim League was a brainchild of a few that truly did have the people’s interest at heart. Its ideology was spread by dedicated workers and quickly gained traction as representative of the vox populi resulting in an enviable grassroots base that is still the best we have. This was further cemented by the change to the Awami League, dropping the “Muslim” so far as to accept the departure of one of its founding fathers Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani.
Various opinion polls split the vote bank almost equally between AL and BNP. But it’s a very recent, if small, poll that suggests people might be inclined to a new entity, especially if spearheaded by the younger generation. Perhaps that adds credence to the role a well-formed, ideology-based new party might play. There have been attempts, government-blessed or not to form others that will be hard out to field candidates in all 300 constituencies. Any new organization will be just as hard pressed unless it can truly attract saner, finer minds with acumen and local presence.
Just as important is communication of such an organization’s ideology, short-, mid-, and long-term objectives. Crucially, any new parties must clearly position themselves different from the traditional ones in commitment and targets of the reforms that are the talk of the day. That’s a long list that, if seriously addressed, will bite into all that is perceived as “musts” whether in reigning in the bureaucracy and the areas of education, health, and, above all, the economy. Another major area is that of public disclosure of funding such party activity.
BNP has already begun thinking of new leadership , horse trading options and statements of intent for reforms. Headline-making suggestions are of elected governments being best positioned for reforms. AL too is in the process of reorganizing itself, spurred by the efforts of new generation activists. What no one is talking about is the depoliticization of state institutions and agencies and ensuring they remain as such
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.
