19th October 2011, The Financial Express, Bangladesh
Faced with issues and problems coming from within and without nation-states in particular and the world in general are as if at a loss as to finding and setting appropriate ways, methods and frames of solutions as an effect of which the ongoing maxims of development with its various canvasses and models therein are also getting colors, dimensions and prolferations through a nonstop process of deductions, additions and accommodations. Development is in fact an atomic concept that swells up sometimes gradually and at times revolutionarily and which one of the two will lead depends on the leadership of those who matter during its course of journey accordingly. Simply because of leadership the march of development even with all its odds and obstacles, domestic or outside, may reach at the pinnacle of glory, or may grossly turn to an off-putting direction with a slur of regression, which is, truly speaking, an inability to apply duly the power of dynamism obtainable inherently in the very concept of development.
Development itself is equipped with all required essentials and hence to use and reap fruits from it is a matter of direction and implementation. Where development stands today may not be befitting for future, say twenty or thirty years later, does not mean that the concept of development has become obsolete rather judgments and thoughts must be given to the fact that the concept itself now needs to be used and applied in a wider focus to keep the peace ongoing in the new circumstances. That’s the theme and thesis of development in its factual and widest conceptual understanding. Theorists, experts, researches and teachers of a particular discipline such as economics, sociology, politics, physics, engineering etc are by nature prone to define development from the very perspective of the discipline in issue and there is nothing wrong in it. But the definition of development from the widest perspective taking everything into stocks under a single umbrella is an oceanic venture where synchronization and harmonization balancing all possible areas are condition precedent. Who will do that? Yes, it must come from the directions and guide lines of those who are in the very field of politics and statecrafts. How is it possible on their part? Yes, it is possible in two ways as under:
a. Initiatives by UN, centre place of all the nation-states in the world, in cooperation with its required affiliated bodies; and
b. Initiatives by the leaders in politics and statecrafts in their own perspective.
The former shall be responsible for devising possible frames of development latent in it in a global vision and mission with due listening to the national frame in issue and the latter shall invest its efforts to have the same in its own contexts paying qualified attention to limitations and constraints, internal and external.
More fascinating to see is that there already has occurred a revolution in the digging and application of the latent elements of development to keep its move onward with the changing landscapes of the world at large. And it came with the introduction of ‘sustainable development frame’ in ‘Our Common Future’ also known as the Brundtland Commission Report in recognition of former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland’s role as Chair of the World Commission Environment and Development, from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1987 with a definition ‘sustainable development is development to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ added a new dimension in global perspective in its entirety. Issue of environment, unheard or neglected so far, i.e. space came to the fore front from the latent area of the fold of development. It contains within it two key concepts:
· the concept of ‘needs’, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
· the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.
Sustainable development is a blueprint of resource utilization, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these requirements can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come for which it is sometimes called and taught as ELF—Environment, Local People, Future. It ties social concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with social challenges facing humanity. In the early 1970s ‘sustainability’ was employed to portray an economy in ‘equilibrium with basic ecological support system’. Ecologists have profoundly pointed to ‘The Limits to Growth’, and offered the alternative of a ‘steady state economy’ in order to address environmental concerns and hazards.
‘Our Common Future’ placed environmental issues decisively on the political agenda; it aimed and designed to discuss environment and development as one single issue. It together with the work of the World Commission on Environment and Development laid the groundwork for convening the Earth Summit in 1992 and adoption of Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration and to the establishment of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Over the decades, sustainable development has been defined, interpreted and highlighted in many ways and angles. But it is arguably and documentarily held that all the definitions essentially require seeing the world as a system-----a system that connects space, and a system that connects time. More lucid, juicy and unambiguous explanation appear convincingly and demonstratively when it is said in a mode and fashion that ‘we think of the world as a system over space, we begin to understand that air pollution from North America affects air quality in Asia, and that pesticides sprayed in Argentina could harm fish stocks off the coast of Australia. When we think of the world as a system over time, we start to realize that the decisions our grandfathers made about how to farm the land continue to affect agricultural practice today; and he economic policies we endorse today will have an impact on urban poverty when our children are adults. We also understand that quality of life is a system, too. It’s good to physically healthy, but what if we are poor and don’t have access to education? It’s good to have a secure income, but if he air in our part of the world is unclean? And it’s good to have freedom of religious expression, but what if we can’t feed our family?
The concept of sustainable development is indeed in this sort of systems thinking. It helps us understand ourselves and our world. The problems we face are complex and serious----and we can’t address them in the same way we created them. But we can address them’.
Brundt Commission Report, perhaps from this point of view, deals honestly with sustainable development and the change of politics needed for achieving that. The United Nations 2005 World Summit Outcome Document refers to the ‘interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars’ of sustainable development as economic development, social development and environmental protection’. Based on the triple bottom line, numerous substantiality standards and certification systems have been established in recent years in particular in food industry and internationally focused standards include Organic, Rainforest Alliance, Bird Friendly and the Common Code for the Coffee Community.
It has latter been argued by Indigenous peoples through various international forums such as United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Convention on Biological Diversity, that there are four pillars of sustainable development, the fourth being cultural. Further elaboration on the concept came from the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (UNESCO, 2001) with a note by stating that ‘cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for future. It stands as one of the roots of development understood not simply in terms of economic growth, but also as a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence’. In this exposure, cultural diversity is the fourth policy area of sustainable development.
And there is emerging a new line of thoughts from the latent areas of development to voice, and I believe also, that careful attention to the real teachings and practice of religions of various faiths and folds shall in future be taken as the fifth pillar. Today it is being felt, realized to a greater extent than ever before that the basis of development for its overhauling from within and without requires supports from religions as religion, only religion can touch the body and soul together. Man-made laws, rules and regulations all are subject to flaws and short-sightedness, and contain adequate roads, avenues, lanes and by-lanes for escapes and exits. Greediness, lusts, ugliness, negative competitions etc , which have meanwhile appeared and stood up as a ‘Leviathan’ challenging the very foundation of development, can hardly be uprooted from the very minds of those who prefer moving behind wealth, assets and resources anyhow and at any cost to living in a community based on equitable distribution of them all. Therefore, keeping the appeals and efficacy of religions at a long distance in the name of so-called standards of development and civilization may not continue as a measuring rod in future. Growth of extreme secularism i.e. separation of religion both from life and state means in the final end rise and application of proper teachings and lessons of religions in life not as a segmented piece but as a whole at every possible stage of life from self to family to society to state to international compacts.
Time has come to reassess and recast everything in a new perspective and focus that neither Muslims nor Christians nor Jews not Hindus nor Sikhs nor Buddhists nor others in the currents are in a position to say in most of the cases, to be sure, that they are very much aware of the proper teachings and lessons of their respective religion while dealing with other(s) in a community, society, state in particular and the world in general. No religion in true sense of the term encourages a person to be dogmatic, hostile, terrorist, regressive and static. Humanity, humanitarian outlook, dedication and sacrifices are said to be ornaments of a religion. This is also true that, like other areas, religions have also become prey of negative interpretations, uses and escalations. We have to bear in mind carefully the difference between a religious person and a religion-loving person. One is exactness leading to conclusion being the minority of a religion and the other is vagueness keeping distance from conclusion forming the majority. Today it is really difficult to find and rank a community based on proper foundation of a religion. Let the leaders in the domains of religions take the crisis as challenge without delay anymore.
Take it guaranteed that I am not talking of a religion-based development or state rather the proposition goes on saying that no canvass or model of development can succeed or thrive in full or even achieve an optimum level of satisfaction if the people engaged in the process of distribution and implementation are not committed and dedicated from within with a considerable degree of sanctity and purification. Once founding father of India MK Gandhi, widely acclaimed as pioneer of non-violent movement in India, remarked, ‘there is no politics devoid of religion’ and his concept of religion consisted in truth and love. Gandhi, in brief, desired to moralize man and society with an emphasis that moral means must be adopted to achieve desired results because where there exists and continues moral values and standard there is a way to even mindedness which is full of a kind o spiritual power to spray and spread one’s sense of dedication and sacrifices Today my realization is, ‘there cannot be development proper short of touch of religion in building and cementing the base of dedication, honesty and sacrifices’.
But, my stress is on the use and application of the proper teachings and lessons of religion (religion in the true of religion, not in Gandhi’s line) in one’s life so that a human being fell and realize all the time that he a creation of the Sovereign of universe, visible or not visible, and he has no choice but to go back to him any time upon His call and satisfaction. It is well perceived and digested that living in the world for a period of time is just one of the billions of fractions of ultimate time. No religion asks its followers to be bad, wicked, greedy, dishonest, corrupt, immoral, unethical, inconsiderate, ruthless, and inhuman and so forth. A human being is a blend of animalism and rationalism so fight for supremacy of one over the other is on all the time. When a human being acquires the ascendency of rationalism in life, he becomes a valuable asset for himself and others around him. Unfortunate to note it is that the numbers of such people are on decline everywhere in the world (attention to the pages 37 and 39 in the web publication of my book ‘O United Nations’ at www.sinha-ounitednations.com).
Furthermore, today it is tested and crystal clear in all respects that neither socialism nor capitalism can stand and sustain suitably as a possible response to gear the wheels of development because of the inherent flaws, constraints and limitations. All the so-called sweetest words contained in the documents, theses, theories, books and publications have come to a critical standstill, nay, collapse because of their failures to cope with needs of the development overshadowed by mismanagements, laxity in determination of priorities and corruptions in particular.
Besides, on the one hand, one of the targets of Millennium Development Goals-1 is to reduce poverty to a half by 2015 still remains a myth and on the other, both World Bank and IMF made cautious predictions and warnings about taking place a great recession in the days ahead of , which may lead to depression or even stagnation. ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests, spreading and ballooning crossing the margins of New York, unearth pointedly the present state of the negative feedback of monopolistic capitalism. Here millions of voices are mingling together against concentrations of almost more than ninety percent of the wealth and resources of the world in the hands of a few. It happens due to bad policies and decisions of those who matter in running the systems and obviously leaders of the capitalistic world, mostly the political leaders, must have to take and bear the burden for causing such havoc being subservient to the stalwarts of vested, pressure groups and opportunists in various fields.
There is no dearth of doubt that the great purposes and goals of politics have been defeated and trampled by the heinous, self-motivated targets of resources and assets mongers. WTO and GATT and all others on the same balance made challenges sharper and more acute to the concept and journey of ‘sustainable development’ since the developed countries are producers of the most of the problems related to climate change and the developing countries have become defenseless victims and sufferers of such effects. North-South dialogues are rotating around the orbit of assurances and so-called concessions from time to time. Let us recall the recent remark of the Mexican President, ‘ We have got such a big state as our neighbor which is the largest weapons manufacturer, supplier and drug consumer in the world’ that passes a message to the world at large that USA, leader of the uni polar world, itself is going down gradually from within and without. Crises of religion, morality, ethics etc. have grown, fomented and cemented there as more than a Tsunami.
Failed States Indices, starting from 2005 to 2011, are carrying tons of documents and evidences forecasting the possible and certain collapse of the very foundations of states within its defined categories. US-based left think tank Noam Chomsky already branded US as the number one failed state in its own contexts and contents. Yes, we are really at a loss as to what do now. ‘Now’ is the most important for us in term of time and, therefore, it is wiser and better to take another pillar from the latent fold of development to infuse more vitality to sustainable development with a sense of enlightenment from within indeed. It is a call of time for seeing something new in the field of politics, leadership and development and the world is waiting for those heroes and great men with bunches of flowers and garlands (attention to the page 36 in the ibid).
Let the leaders here in our perspective in Bangladesh understand, think, fell and realize as well the tasks, immediate or remote, to be carried out to meet the challenges of the 21st century in the true perspective of the development in Bangladesh. To face the challenges of development, there is no denying the fact that first of all, here a consensus on major issues between the two leading petticoat parties Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina, incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh and former leader of the opposition in Parliament, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by Begum Khaleda Zia, leader of the opposition in Parliament and former Premier, is a priori (attention to my article ‘Three-phase National Consensus Formula: Bangladesh perspective’, Dhaka Courier 11 March 2011). Let our leaders in the position (in power) and in the opposition (out of power) come forward and shake hands without a delay. Let Bangladeshi Leaders not allow themselves to take and bear the burden of being blamed by the posterity for repeating the historic saying on record ‘Niro fiddles when Rome burns’.
[Dr. Sinha M. A. Sayeed, Chairman of Leadership Studies Foundation, LSF, e-mail-sinha_sayeed611@yahoo.com]
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