PRESIDENT Abdul Hamid on Tuesday said the country’s politics has gone to businessmen’s pocket to make easy money which is not possible overnight in other activities. He finds it regrettable and urged for getting rid of it while speaking in his constituency in Kishoregonj district. The President by making the point has spoken out the mind of the entire nation and he deserves to be thanked.
Disclosure made by SUJAN said in the current parliament 50 per cent lawmakers are businessmen followed by 14.57 per cent lawyers while only 6 per cent come from farming community. The garment makers alone dominate the biggest group using money and wealth to change the character of the country’s politics from focusing on people’s welfare to preserving their own interest.
The President has rightly said that the work of a public representative is to work for people’s welfare and a politician without sincerity and honesty can’t bring about real development. These are the essential qualities for a public representative at any level – be it Member of Parliament or down to Upazila and local Union body. But as it stands now the business interest of lawmakers and politicians are often contradicting the general people’s interest and here the nation is losing ground to self-seekers and rent-seekers and hypocrates now controlling the national politics. The President was candid in saying that dishonest people are making business out of politics or otherwise businessmen have taken over politics destroying its focus on development of the masses. As it appears they spend huge fund to get party nomination for parliamentary election or any such election by making big donation to the party in power and its senior leaders. And this in turn is allowing businessmen to wipe out real politicians from the scene.
The President voiced his sharp disapproval to taking up politics by people to make money saying there are many ways to make fortune but one should not choose politics for amassing wealth. He said public representatives misappropriate money depriving the area they represent and their actions bring setback to the nation.
Perhaps, it is too late to save politics for what it should be. Even the present leaders of the Awami League, he served and who made him the President, will not take his urgings gracefully to pay heed to it.
May be one of the problems is that the present leaders were not actively associated in the thinking process of Awami League to know the true meaning and purpose of politics for which the founding fathers of Awami League fought for and suffered immensely. Most of them were young workers not realizing the importance of values in politics the founding fathers of Awami League were trying to initiate against the class politics of exploitation in Pakistan days. Many of them think politics is power and arrogance to remain in power at any cost.
