How to approach politics?

The major political parties adopt the bull-dozing attitude in their political philosophy and approach claiming patriotic fervour. This comes partly from the feudal system, and partly from the rare opportunities to misuse power on behalf of the people; as protests are contemptuously brushed aside through thundering oratory.

The devil knows the other devils, who are playing in the uneven fields. It is not true that democratic politics is a leveler there are too many peaks and bumps; and black holes and comets. We have camel-hump politics, and the pace is as slow. We are deltaic people, and can surmise that there are no tides in the political canals. The political rivers have dried up, as seen under the Hardinge Bridge, where the mighty Ganges has ceased to flow.

They have not started riding the bandwagon. This introduces ad hocism and non-transparency, and the distant goals are eclipsed. The horizon is myopic, as also it is curved and dips below the eye level.

It is the hurricane-lamp analogy less attention to the dark areas outside the dimly lighted perimeter. Myopic politics takes hold, and later it is found difficult to shake off the lethargy of this negative attitude towards men and mice.

The lighthouse (not searchlight) of the leaders do not reach out enough to assist the ship of the state. Light, more light, not non-transparency. Political batteries have to be replaced periodically but we have rechargeable politicians with outdated MTBF (mean time between failures).

The initial phase after liberation or independence set the tone of the national development strategy by the politicians, who run the country through the party manifestoes. Consensus is usually rare at the beginning, and the breeze of autocracy is aromatic, enough for flirting with indiscretions at higher levels.

This is the pattern in most of the developing countries, as also seen in Africa and South America. The Indian subcontinent has almost passed through the same symptoms; as it is seen today in other parts of Asia such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Problem-solving appears to be easier than coming down to normal routine working level. The latter silent performance is due to fine-tuning. The bug is the huge gap between the voters and the politicians, or the elected representatives. The latter start misusing it, in or out of power. The gap is not decreasing, hence corrupt practices take root, flowering into a culture.

We are struck up with the cleansing of the political culture (Dhaka city is a mirror reflection). The evolutionary mode of politics does not work in this nation, hence alternative means have to be reviewed by the non-political leaders. But patience and tolerance are always short of demand; hence the vicious cycles continue to control the wobbly destiny of the new nation.

Bangladesh is the victim of bipolar political culture and that too due to the successive assassination of two leaders in power. Without these killings the course of politics would have changed in Dhaka. But that is our lot the stains have to be removed by posterity, to atone for the sins of omissions and commissions.

There is a far deeper damage to politics the politicians are out of tune with the parliament. The outside third forces to remedy this deficiency is not strong enough due to the0 partisan intellectual field. We are spirited enough, but the strength and binding force of neutral assessment are missing. We cannot stand on our own feet individually.

Don't blame the rickshaw drivers it is the political drivers, who have jammed the conscience of the society. Money cannot buy discipline, nor tolls dilute goals.