The saying goes: “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Let’s start with the blind.
If things go according to plan, the country will see a general election on the fifth day of the coming new year. Exciting time. People are actually looking forward to cast their votes. At least that’s the impression I’m getting from the media. Whether it’s broadsheets, or news channels, the election is making headlines. But there’s a but. The voters want a free and fair election with the participation of all and this is where the Bard would say: “Lies the rub.”
The fruit vendor/vegetable-seller who often uses formalin to preserve his goods wants a free and fair election. The CNG driver who will ask you to lie to the police sergeant if stopped wants a free and fair election. The traffic police who takes Tk10 to let rickshaws and three-wheeler vans to use the VIP roads wants a free and fair election.
The bus conductor who charges you extra as soon as he whiffs that you don’t know the actual fare wants a free and fair election. The teacher who leaks the question paper before the exam wants a free and fair election. Even a former military dictator wants a free and fair election. In conclusion, a country which regularly hogs a spot in the “most corrupt country in the world” list wants a free and fair election.
So, it is actually naive of the opposition to demand for a free and fair election.
This is why after every five years we elect a one-eyed man as our ruler. That king then turns a blind eye to our every “misdemeanor.” Under that king’s rule the Hallmark loan scandal gets downplayed, the actual murderers of journalist-couple Saagar-Runi are not brought to book, seven months after the collapse of Rana Plaza, the charge sheet doesn’t see the light of day.
This king also does not protect his subjects from illegal border killings and rehabilitates a former military dictator.
We, as a nation, not only have lost the sense of sight, we have also lost our moral compass. We are rewriting our history every five years where Mr Hyde becomes Dr Jekyll.
I disagree a Coriolanus will rise from the ashes of this mayhem. History teaches us that a real and successful revolution only occurs when you have the have nots pitted against the haves. In my country I see haves and more haves.
The middle income class now has a credit card bill, or a loan to pay, or they get a reminder as soon as the last date of payment expires. Money for the Flexiload is needed, or the teenage boy will not be able to talk to his sweetheart late at night. Trips to KFC and Pizza Hut are a requirement to post on Facebook to show that life is good.
This middle income class do not have time to take part in a revolution. Plus, they know people like Dr Milon and Noor Hossain died in vain.
I grew up listening to tales of democracy and a utopian future. I was thirteen when the military ruler fell. I collected all the newspapers of that day which I have misplaced now. The dystopian present does not haunt me. But it leaves a bitter taste every time I think about the possibilities that were ahead of us and the situation that we are in.
Democracy is messy. Democracy is not a perfect system. We have tried democracy for the last 23 years and we are none any wiser. I think it is time to rethink democracy.
I’m planning on not going to the polling centre next year. History is repeating here after five-year intervals. I’m not going to be a participant any more.
I started the piece with the blind men and the one eyed king. Here’s something that I want you to ponder when you are not too busy. What if the one-eyed king is actually bluffing. What if he’s also blind? Imagine that.
