Dhaka democracy!

ARINDAM CHAUDHURI’S 4 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE IIPM...

A military backed democracy is a sham to fool people

A military ruler announcing the election dates in a country & urging the people, “Don’t sell your vote and don’t allow others to do that”, is a perfect example to understand the meaning of the word ‘oxymoron’. Because, the moment, the Generals’ begin to decide the fate of democracy, one should start counting the days left for the death of freedom. And that is exactly what is transpiring behind the scenes in Dhaka, where constant trampling of democratic norms has pushed the nation towards a political mess.

With the general elections slated to be held in December 2008, one is hardly sanguine about the prospects of a well-intentioned liberal set-up to emerge in the near-future. Th e sight & sound of polls may make the US Charge d’ Affaires Geeta Pasi sing a happy note, “Bangladeshis have entrusted the caretaker government with a great responsibility, including to put into place a foundation for a free & fair election by the end of 2008 & a healthy, functioning democratic system that Bangladeshis deeply desire.” But, the facts on ground indicate that the military backed caretaker government will produce only an ‘embedded democracy’, devoid of powers to sustain people’s choice.

Recently, when Bangladesh Army Chief General, Moeen U. Ahmed pronounced the forthcoming election dates, one wondered why does a General (enjoying all the powers and privileges of running a proxy administration in a nation), go in for elections. One is pretty sure that the General and his cohorts do not have any genuine love for democracy. It is mainly the intense pressure exerted by the international community & the Bangladeshi expatriates living in the West that has forced the General to relent. But one and a half year is a long period in the history of an instable & poor nation like the Bangladesh. And when the army will do an about turn and decide to renege on its promise to restore democracy, will remain a million dollar question.

Earlier, elections that were scheduled to be held on January 22 were cancelled; emergency installed and political leaders of the two major political parties – former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and her arch rival Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) were asked to pack their bags and leave the country. Through this rather bizarre act, the military, ostensibly intended to introduce a ‘new brand of democracy’ in the nation, bereft of leadership capable of providing stability. But little did they realise that “in their urge to get back the lost power, the two parties are likely to add to the political chaos”, says Sanjay Bahadur of the School of International Studies, JNU, while speaking to B&E.

In 1971, when India had helped create Bangladesh, it had believed that its eastern neighbour would be a political model distinct from its erstwhile colonial master, Pakistan. But ‘old habits die hard’. Today, Bangladesh is a carbon copy of Pakistan. Just as military is considered to be an indispensable part of Pakistani politics, Bangladesh Foreign Adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury too feels that since Bangladesh is a “violent and crime inflicted society with trans-border links, the army must assume a more robust role.” Now how does one reconcile this love for military dictatorship with their urge to dream democracy? All one can say is, insha’Allah!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2007

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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