Ten questions
During this time, the political parties will be holding huge public meetings, delivering fiery speeches, making innumerable and outrageous promises, and garnering thunderous applause. The sad part of all of this is that the public will have forgotten the intoxicating language and the long list of promises made to gain their votes. And towards the end of the term of office, the public will certainly fail to hold the leadership accountable for what is delivered relative to what was promised.
My purpose in writing this piece is to make an attempt to hold the aspirants to their commitments by raising ten questions (with sub-parts), answers to which are sought, not in speeches, but in publicly written responses in the print media. Taking out several full page segments of the most popular newspapers in the country ought not to be very costly and, therefore, not an unreasonable suggestion.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Answering them in the election manifestos is not enough since these are very generic and not widely available to the public. To earn the right to lead the country, the political parties have an obligation to clarify their vision and the direction in which they intend to take the nation. When that vision and direction are clearly stated, in writing, the nation will be better disposed to (s)elect its leaders. My 10 top questions are as follows:
1. The question of identity and orientation: On what ideological (philosophical) basis will the state be run? Will it be run along conservative/religious leanings with Bengali idealism relegated to obscurity or will the opposite prevail? If a middle ground is sought, what precisely is that position? If an alternative "ism" will be the basis for charting out the nation's path, what is that "ism"?
2. The question of national unity: How will national unity be forged? There is little doubt today that Bangladesh is a divided nation. A divided and contentious nation, where conflict is the order of the day, cannot but falter. How will the nation's energies be brought to a confluence where greater understanding, respect for each other, and the need to combine our strengths be enhanced?
3. The question of empowerment, human quality and capacity: How will the electorate be better empowered during the term of office? Consequently, how will the education and related systems be restructured so that they enhance capacity and produce quality human beings able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of other nations? Today, a large majority of the people of Bangladesh earn their bread using sheer human labour while other nations use higher value-added mental labour. When and how will a greater part of this nation's sustenance be earned, not so much by sheer physical labor but by higher mental faculties developed by the education system? What strategic choices must be made to strengthen human capacity, a resource that we have in plenty, so that the nation's people are better empowered and their well-being dramatically enhanced?
4. The question of sustaining human productivity: How will the health care system be reshaped so that valuable and unaccounted productive hours are not lost because of health issues? Many who can afford it are seeking health services in other countries. Clearly, the health care system must do better. How will such a health delivery system be designed to sustain and enhance productivity?
5. The question of insecurity and due process: With better education and health, more wealth will be generated. How will people safeguard them? What processes will be in place so that people feel protected by the justice system? How will corruption, the nation's shame, be eliminated? How will people feel more secure to speak up (and partake in democracy), how will the mastaans be eliminated to bring about a society in which fearfulness is replaced by fairness and where due process will reign?
6. The question of inclusion: How will more of the marginalised population be enabled to partake in the rebuilding of society and allowed to share the fruits of development? Roughly fifty percent of them are women, huge numbers are in poverty, and untold numbers of children are in woe and sorrow: How will their energies be harnessed and how will they be afforded a fairer share of the nation's resources? And what about members of the minority communities? How will they be integrated into the nation's affairs?
7. The question of resource allocation and growth paths: What economic goals will be pursued? What targeted industries should receive the greatest attention? How should their potential be released? Should privatisation be sped up while public enterprises are shut down? Should external orientation in terms of trade, investments, market development, etc. be the preferred strategy in opposition to internal (import substitution) orientations? Should a capitalistic economy be fostered as opposed to a socialistic economy? How should we free ourselves of the dependencies and obligations that external aid generates?
8. The question of international standing: Who are our friends and allies? Who are our enemies? On what basis will our relationships with other nations be shaped? What groups (Saarc etc) do we want to belong to? To what purpose? How would historic episodes shape our alignments with different nations? In what international projects and programs should we engage (e.g., peace-keeping) to enhance our standing in the international community?
9. The question of resource and environmental custodianship: How can we safeguard ourselves by being better custodians of our resources (gas, water, etc) and by better treating the environment? Air pollution, water pollution, waste disposal, food contamination, arsenic contamination, spread of disease, biodiversity, and other issues have a direct effect on the quality of life of the nation's citizens. What environmental policies will be in place to ensure that the environment is in balance and harmony with the people?
10. The question of heritage preservation: How should we preserve our language and heritage, our songs, music, poems, stories, fables, proverbs, art forms, attire, historic landmarks, food preparations, and many such cultural emblems and identifiers that are subject to a veritable cultural invasion sweeping across the land like a tsunami?
This country needs enlightened leadership to grapple with these questions and steer a steady course. Those political parties that will provide reasonable answers will certainly be better qualified to take the helm of this country and guide it in the face of strong winds of change. It is now up to the voters to demand answers: not after but before the elections ... and preferably in writing!