A surfeit of leaders!

The major political parties combined in a mass movement to topple the autocratic regimes operating in the new nation since 1975. Concentrated power has to be properly insulated against leakage. It is dangerous when the feedback system becomes insensitive. This is the state of the nation today.

Now in April 2004, the materialistically disgruntled politicians (and some capable outsiders) are hoping to upsurge such a coup again together, or separately.

The April 30 deadline may not be an April Fool gimmick, but the time is pregnant with high expectations. Too many abortions in the past, but bad politics survives to taste the vicious backlash, now overdue. We are in tune with Nature in this deltaic region our politics is full of silt, and political dredging is badly required. One slogan comes to mind : "maro taan, hayyo!"

No UN or foreign aid is acceptable for this spring-cleaning of the house; but the wily (and oily) politicians prefer internal dry cleaning to the janata whitewashing. That is the point: our politics has no laundry service, but it is a sort of national pastime to display dirty linen in public.

Passions generate contradictions and diversions, and sparks fly around. Note the fondness for anniversaries in this society. How to harness this mass movement?

We are such a compact and homogeneous society, but the internal rifts crack open our inherent weaknesses, which are holding us for more than one generation. Perhaps the new generation would unite for clearing the way towards the national goals.

That needs the right type of catalyst, but the procurement and setting up of this 'catalyst project' is not taking off. This fissiparous tendency needs identification and analysis, otherwise the future is doomed if we cannot get out of the vicious circle created by the haves and have-nots. The cementing bond is missing, due to economic disparity and living below poverty line. First look at the roots, then climb on to the branches.

This disparity is artificial and the brainchild of devious politicians. Here the game of politics is played like a game of musical chairs, where democratic outsiders are not allowed to participate (the initial stages of changeover from feudalism).

The state of politics needs stock-taking, before reforms could be addressed. Black wealth has spectacular results in some fields; and more so when entrenched. This situation takes the issue back to spot the catalyst needed for going full-steam ahead. The catalyst is there, waiting for its time to emerge after popular public opinion had learnt its lessons the hard way (this phase is now on).

There is no short cut to genuine public service. There are vacancies for selfless, ego-less leaders who will FOLLOW the masses. We are suffering from a surfeit of leaders.