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Voter list

8 November 2005, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Badrul Islam Uttara, Dhaka
8 November 2005, 18:00 PM
Your commentary on the official stalemate situation in the EC in respect of the preparation of voter list was well timed. We hope that they (The EC and the other two Commissioners) will work as a team to mitigate the sufferings of the voters. You have raised pertinent questions about their autocratic attitude and you have also thought of the right answer that the trouble lies in the present undemocratic attitude of all the political parties and their tendency to undermine the Electoral Office and its authority. The parties are rather focussed to select the Adviser of the CTG thinking that the magic-key to winning elections lies here. In the month of April 2005, your paper put forward a valuable suggestion following the Round Table Conference on Electoral Reforms and Governance and it does continue to do so and the editors of all other newspapers in the country are also relentlessly trying their best to bring wisdom to the political parties but without any success. Have you and the media personnel ever thought why the problem persists?

May I take this opportunity to bring to your kind attention the "HARD TRUTH"? (I earnestly believe that you won't try to hunt me down to cut off my tendons!).

Everyday the leaders of the political parties just casually ask their private secretaries if the newspaper has carried any news eulogising them for their wisdom and excellent leadership qualities (each party chief thinks she/he is the best of the best). If the answer is positive then they care to read just that portion and highlight the news to all and sundry taking credit that the news media too feels that they are qualified leaders. If the answer is in the negative they just ask them to throw it in their wastepaper basket and feel sorry that seven taka went wasted. THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH.

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Now to answer your last question "How can we build democracy with such behaviour in some of our highest offices"? The answer is we can't build democracy, for we don't have the requisite quality.

In the Book "JYOTI BASU: THE AUTORIZED BIOGRAPHY" Jyoti Basu has said "In Nehru one could sense the mind of a thorough-bred politician." This quality is a result of his own education( highly qualified lawyer) but more specifically of the Lessons he received on Leadership in Politics from the legendary Mahatma Gandhi. The lesson is:"To be in CONTACT with the people, UNDERSTAND the people and KNOW the problems of the people"--that is the KEY to success and BUILDING democracy.

Taking up this advice, the foreign born Indian citizen Sonia Gandhi has become a charismatic leader and wrought a political miracle defeating the powerful Hindu Nationalist Coalition led by Mr. Vajpayee. This victory was a direct result of her study of the political environment, decentralization of the power within the party, selection and placement of the Congress members on the basis of merit and experience etc. If the political parties in Bangladesh follow this system, only then can we hope to establish democracy. Will it be done is the question? The parties don't feel the necessity because they are really enjoying this game of IN POWER and OUT of POWER, for they get paid for this game anyway without realising that there is a halal process and haram process in their livelihood.

Well, you may have a different answer and we hope you will share it with us.