People’s
representatives for people’s interests
Ripan Kumar Biswas
A good intention possesses completely, or in a high degree,
if it serves the purpose for
which it is intended. There can be a great deal of hope more
than ever before in the ongoing battle against corruption and
volatile political practices to keep Bangladesh alive if
everyone practices good till the end.
According to the Chief of Army Staff in Bangladesh, General
Moeen U Ahmed, the way army has discharged its responsibility in
the past and is doing presently, is all for the good intention
to see the honest and competent leadership come to power to
govern the country. “As patriotic citizens, the army is
extending round-the-clock cooperation to the caretaker
government and certainly the army is not part of the
government,” Genral Moeen reaffirmed army’s intentions, steps,
and desires to the nation through the editors of national print
and electronic media at the Army Headquarters on April 08, 2008.
The army chief further assured everyone along with the leaders
of the different political parties that
there would be no deviation from holding
national poll as per roadmap by end-December and there would be
nothing but democratic rule in Bangladesh. His remarks came just
after while
the detained
former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her apprehension
over holding of the general elections in time and restoration of
democracy. Like her, on Monday, April 07, 2008, Jatiya Party
chairman Hussein Muhammad Ershad also expressed the similar
uncertainty at a press briefing at its Banani party office.
Bangladesh has a history of military
takeovers. On December 16, 1971, Pakistani forces
surrendered, and Bangladesh-- meaning " Bengal country"-- was
born. Although the new country became a parliamentary democracy
under a 1972 constitution with four basic principles
nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy, but its
democratic journey had been interrupted several times. Pakistan
's history from 1947 to 1971 was marked by political instability
and economic difficulties and was governed by martial law
between 1958 and 1962, and again between 1969 and 1971. Apart
between 1990 and 2006, the country was mostly administrated
either by emergency or martial law.
Although the emergency rules have placed serious limits on civil
and political rights, and have severely diluted constitutional
protections of individual rights, but the recent ongoing state
of emergency, which was triggered by weeks of pre-election
opposition protests and violence on January 11, 2007, was
welcomed by ordinary Bangladeshis, many of whom want a return to
normalcy after the violent political standoff that has wracked
the country. People were upset to see the same tainted
politicians and their cronies who had been in and out of the
government during the last sixteen years of our experiment with
parliamentary democracy.
During
the two months prior to the takeover by the caretaker
government, the country had experienced unending riots and
widespread demonstrations in which more than 60 people lost
their lives, millions of dollars in property was damaged, and
the economic activities in the country came to a squealing halt.
Like Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed,
people believe the present role of the Bangladesh Army in
maintenance of the country’s law and order in order to bring the
nation back on the right track. Their relief and rehabilitation
activities in the wake of two consecutive floods and cyclone
Sidr last year or their logistic or technical support in the
crucial work of voter listing and national identity cards are
obviously praiseworthy. People believe like the army chief that
army will neither follow Pakistan or Thailand or previous
takeovers in Bangladesh in the maintenance of democracy, through
transfer of power to the elected representatives and holding a
free, fair and transparent election by December 2008.
Starting with 2,193 member team to monitor
peace in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the first gulf war in
1991, Bangladesh Army started its peace keeping activities
throughout the world. Following that, they
participated
different peace keeping activities under the United Nations
Peace Support Operations.
As of February
2008, Bangladesh remained the largest contributor with 11,200
troops in the UN Peacekeeping forces.
In those mission, sometimes they worked to curb inter border
terrorism or to clear illegal dwellings and establishments or
they worked to restore democracy as they know how much it is
important for a civilized society.
Like them, people also firmly believe that
emergency can not be a permanent solution for any problem and
civil society can not be run by commanded system.
The recent
remarks of former Chief Adviser and Chief Justice Habibur Rahman
“that military involvement in politics and administration is
likely to affect the country and the military equally
adversely,” are very meaningful and logical. The US authority
recently expressed the same political theory to the Bangladesh
Ambassador in US Humayun Kabir, which has been proved globally.
The
history of democratic governments, from the ancient republics of
Greece and Rome to the modern states that have replaced earlier
totalitarian governments, show that governing by committees, or
legislative bodies, however never works in times, but at least
it holds public opinions and debates over serious issues
concerning general people. The army-backed non political
government has failed to curb the price spiral, the sufferings
of the people are intensifying day by day and people are leading
inhuman life without food.
Failures of the past elected
governments
cannot be used as excuses to keep the democratic process
suspended. People do believe that only “people’s
representatives” can be a form in a civil society as they will
be under constant watch and pressure and bound to
look after
the interests of the people.
