Weakened leadership

The name of the party is not critical, but the current performance is. If a current leader leaves a party and works independently, his performance might suffer only marginally and locally, (the principle and approach must be right for the people); as he is not denied the native qualities of his head and heart, and his knowledge and experience do not evaporate, nor are they quarantined.

In Dhaka, the situation appears to be the reverse: the leader clings to the followers (and not the other way round). The followers are spoiled, and become sycophants. There is too much oiling and gassing in our politics (slippery foundation). This is undemocratic in the long run, as the public favours are not equitably distributed.

Any genuine leader has a big problem working in a have-not society, which is subjectively oriented, in actions and reactions. The spirit of sacrifice and humility is pitted against leashing egotism. The order of public service priorities changes (one reason for the boycott of the parliament by successive oppositions). When two major political parties dominate in a country, they tend to adopt closed-door policies, starving the roots of democratic games. The games are played too seriously, but not in the right spirit (winner takes all, for example).

How to get out of the trap? Ventilation. The types of political ventilation available need not be elaborated here. Charity begins at home. First wazoo, then namaaz. Inner cleanliness comes first. What is noticed is the external saaj-goaj. The gift of the gab is being prostituted.

There are many aspects of different approaches to the political malady prevailing in Bangladesh today. The amateurish points noted above should stimulate deeper analyses by the experts.