Commentary: Change is inevitable but to make it meaningful educated people must get involved

block

– Mainul Hosein

The CPD and other think-tank NGOs cleverly but carefully praised the economic miracle achieved under this government while pointed out that change in policy matters here and there will put the economy in the right position.
I liked the use of the expression structural reform of the state by Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya and asked the younger generation to learn how to do it though he also said that the economy is under pressure but not yet in crisis.
I do not say I have understood what he exactly meant. What attracted me is the idea of the need of structure for running a state. I, on my part, have always emphasised a government as a structural arrangement. Personalised arrangement to run a country is not a structural arrangement of government.
In short, authoritarianism has no structure of the government. Personal whim or wish, the unrestrained power in public affairs, is an one sided rule like monarchy or zamindari.
More than fifty years have passed yet the importance of structured government of checks and balances for the rule by institutions as against personal rule has been overlooked by our think-tanks and human fights bodies.
Our think-tanks refused to see the deficiency of structured government as the reason why good governance has disappeared so soon after the birth of Bangladesh.
Too much money is in the hands of few while the general public life is too hard and insecure because they have been counted for nothing. That is how we have rulers who cheat the people’s vote and remain in power by corrupting all sectors of administration. The people have suffered too much from fear of insecurity of life and high cost of necessities while the few lucky ones plundered public money to be fabulously rich.
Now as the country in turmoil and when the government will never agree to free elections the police power is the only strength to defend itself. Our desire to avoid bloodshed has a chance only if our educated sections care to come forward from a sense of responsibility to the people and the country.
It should no longer be acceptable that the ordinary people will give their lives and the educated people shall wait to see how best their interest can be served.
The people in desperation are combining together and coming out on streets every day in different parts of the country to express their anger and frustration.
It will be a gross mistake to think that BNP workers alone are facing clashes with the police. Huge demonstrations are also joined by the general people from various walks of life who lost their patience and cannot suffer any more. Labour unrest is growing in many areas of the country. The situation is grave for change of the government.
We do not understand how the educated people remain a privileged class of their own and feel unconcerned not to be part of the people as if we are a colony and the government is their master.
A colony or not our foreign minister went to India to beg for all help for keeping this government in power. He had no shame to describe our relationship with India is that of husband and wife.
The root cause of chaos in every sector of public life is our failure to have a structured government. It is astonishing that our educated people in general have refused to talk about it for too long for their selfish reason. A structured government is of institution that keep the government under checks and balance and the rule of law protects the people.
The change is inevitable, the question is when our indifferent educated people will have the sense of involvement to make such a change meaning without any bloodshed.

block