[This was published in Burma Times on 26
November 2014]
Asian political landscapes may precisely be
taken into weight as a fertile domain for political studies, focuses, analyses,
and thus for reforming and devising models and theories to meet with the calls
of time, space and dimension. Needless to say it twice that activist, leaders
and statesmen playing within the wrinkle of such landscapes are also importantly
unavoidable to understand politics and statecrafts therein since politics and
statesmanship can hardly stand apart from contemporary political culture and
notions of system of government. In any system including a multi-party
democracy, there is no denying the fact, person/persons who leads/lead is/are a
factor. Weight of such factor varies from system to system, place to place and
country to country. Even there are variations within the same system only
because of the weight of such factor. Therefore, focus on the very mindset of
such factor (leader) also equally deserves to be cited to understand the
working of a democracy and administration therein. From such standpoints,
understanding the mindset of the third-time Prime Minister of the Government of
the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Asia Sheikh Hasina, also President of
Awami League (largest political party in Bangladesh) for over thirty five years
without a break, starting from 1981 is recurrently bound to come about since in
this day and age she is the centre of politics, statecrafts and power in
Bangladesh. Everyday numbers of write-ups, gossips, talks and so on, positive
and/or negative, are being produced and presented on her from diverse points of
views and analyses. Publications of books and documentaries highlighting her
epically are frequently available. Face books, twitters, blogs in Internets and
websites are being flooded repeatedly. All these together entail that nothing up-to-the-minute
is verily left for her. This very write-up is a kind of rebuilding and updating
of my piece of writing ‘Listening to Sheikh Hasina’, Burma Times, 13 November
2014, which has drawn attention of various quarters inside and outside
Bangladesh both for its style of approach and contents.
Hardly there is a debate on Sheikh Hasina’s
becoming a legend in the politics and statecrafts in Bangladesh. In most of the
time Sheikh Hasina likes to keep
people with and around her in an environment of suspense, hallucination,
mystery, bafflement, excitement and tense about what she exactly thinks and
foresees regarding the issues and problems before her. It is on record that she
first listens to all, individually and/or collectively, passes time and at the
end point opens her mind, readily or subsequently, which is decisive and
irrevocable. In politics and statecrafts it is called a ‘leadership strategy’.
One may like it or not, but this is what Sheikh Hasina feels, believes and
sticks to. I made attempts several times to write on her but was in vain again
and again because I could not fix up where from becomingly I start and at which
point befittingly I stop. Having been caught in such bewildering and conflicting
state of standing, decisively then I, having all good intents in mind, resolved
to have words from the very mouth of Sheikh Hasina about her mode of thinking on
politics, democracy, human rights, good governance, leadership, statecrafts,
foreign policy and so forth and the following prose-poetry presentation is the artifact
of my such very frame of mind.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
I am Sheikh Hasina, eldest daughter of the
father of the nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and
currently Prime Minister of Bangladesh
For a third term, opening of its kind in the
history of Bangladesh;
People call me daughter of democracy, dreamer
of vision 2021 for
Turning Bangladesh into a middle range income
county by 2021;
Political activists, politicians and
statesmen
Political scientists, analysts and observers
Development experts, activists and theorists
Social activists, experts, bodies,
associations and organizations
Communal harmony activists and believers,
Medias, journalists and intelligentsia
Foreign policy activists, thinkers,
think-tanks and interlocutors
Of various shades, forms, natures and
dimensions at home and beyond
Putting their hands together by and large
with love and genuineness egging me on for
Becomingly having acquired nuts and bolts of Leadership
and statesmanship and
Come what may not!
Stretches I all over taking every side and
corner in the fists
Going beyond horizon and understanding as
customary;
Should not believe I besides
In position and/or opposition(s) nowadays in
Bangladesh
Remains there none to test and beat me in
politics and/or in statecrafts!!
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Leading the largest political party Awami
League over thirty five years onward
Plus further knowledge and experiences in
statecrafts as both
Prime Minister and leader of the opposition
in Parliament(s)
Beyond qualm it is,
I have been being swelled and enlightened due
to constant inputs and interactions from
Intelligentsia and experts of various
backgrounds, folds, natures and scales;
I am aware of so many definitions,
elaborations and interpellations of concepts involving
Politics, statecraft, patriotism, good
governance, human rights, democracy and transparency
Being forwarded by activists, think-tanks, academics,
researchers and others and
Believe me whole-heartedly, certainly, certainly
I am on all counts attentive and responsive
to all these.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Truth it is, whether you believe me or not,
never I allow in and around me
Corruption, cronyism, philistinism and
sycophancy
Even though, I am being leveled by many for
allowing unbridled so
Alas! What can now I do?
Let Transparency International of Bangladesh
and others working in such lines
Feel free to tell truth to the nation, surely
without bias or favor
Mounting over prejudices, humiliations or
fabrications under any cap or brand,
Let me declare with the profoundest and
strongest vow:
In the soil of Bangladesh, there s no place
for any of such vices
Born with the vision and mission of ‘Golden
Bangladesh’ dreamt by the
Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman
Bangladesh, under all the circumstances,
approving or not, raise the head
High in pride, not hung down in shame
Yes, I am committed entirely to continue to
put all these into practice.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
To me, practice of democracy within party is
a misnomer at this phase of
Getting flowered, developed and grown-up
since in our perspective
Democracy is still in the offing;
Mostly recognized it is that oppositions in
Bangladesh milieu implies-----
Opposing the activities of the party/alliance
in power roughly sans
Arts, science, technology, logic and
mathematics
Whatever the overall political landscapes
appear to be;
Find I oppositions taking pride all the time
in forwarding so shamelessly
Suppressing, negating and burying ‘bona fide
role’ in august parliament
Being also understood, cherished, depicted,
carried and publicized by
Connoisseurs and non-connoisseurs in the connected
lines and bye-lines;
Does Awami League differ from so while playing
role as opposition in parliament?
As a carrier and implementer of parliamentary
democracy never I hide the truth and reality
Yes,, Awami League is far away from being haughty
like BNP and all that.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Neither stay I far-off from the understanding
and schooling of
Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Ferdousi and
others in the array and the rest
Nor remain I too distance from Abraham
Lincoln, Nehru and Nelsen Mandela and the like;
To me too, politics and statesmanship are arts,
mathematics, science and technology
It is an art when it works so suitably to
suite the purpose(s)
It is mathematics when it remains within
range and target
It is a science if it yields coveted domino
effect expectedly and
It is a technology provided it generates so
perfectly.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Let me sound on a high volume:
I am one of the two survivors of the historic
tragedy of 15 August 1975 whilst
Other being my youngest sister Sheikh Rahena
now settled in United Kingdom;
Furthermore, I am one of the survivors of 21
August 2004 Grenade assault
Eyewitness of termination of the lives of
many;
Profoundest belief in the air is that survive
and continue I given that
Allah, Creator of universe(s), wants some missions
to get done by me
Even In the face of Himalayan dilemmas, challenges
and margins.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Without a reservation at all let me open my
mind to you every single one:
Not I am weighed down with Ostrich love of
any sort
My son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy and daughter
Saima Hossain Putul are tuned to it very well
Know they what's more, their mother Sheikh
Hasina is dedicated for Bangladesh and its people.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
I am a sweetie child of democracy, and was
born and brought up under an air of
Democracy, human rights, nationalism and
secularism
I am neither autocrat nor a believer in
demagoguery
I am a democrat after the model and spirit of
the soil and people of Bangladesh
And I will continue in the stripe with all my
might and merits till the death..
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
I stick to the belief with all firmness and
sophistication:
Politics is not only a pledge-bound
responsibility but also a kind of music, hence chairs of the
Position and the opposition rotate democratically
with elections in practice;
Rotate following the rules of game and music where
the people as the deciding factor remain
In the end and so sound I with all
assertions, compulsions and affirmations
Needs to be closed sine die undemocratic
means for usurpation of power and supremacy and
Article 7 in full should be living document
for all in politics and statecrafts!
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Time is matured enough to update all
Irrespective of ideologies, affiliations and allegiances
Making a clarion call:
Days of Non-Party, Neutral Care Taker
Government is over for ever
For elections to Parliament, best option
comes before us now is
Election-time government under Westminster
model and practice;
Believe me or not, tell I frankly to you all,
yes
In Bangladesh perspective too I accept it as
true
I am a democrat after the model and spirit of
the soil and people of Bangladesh
And I will continue striving for
parliamentary democracy after this very model, approving or not,
Till the last day of my living; yes,
misunderstand me not for holding elections to the 10th Parliament
On 05 January 2014, a constitutional
compulsion without a doubt;
Let us all be faithful to the path of
multi-party parliamentary democracy not in words but in action too
As well bringing elections to parliament
under the umbrella of immediate past party-run administration;
Look, look at Election Commission for its
overall reorganization, expansion and updating
That’s the unambiguous message of various
models under parliamentary democracy and so
Never think of all-party poll-time government
or anything else in our day or in future.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
On matters of nursing and pumping democracy,
human rights and good governance
Behold, behold, beneath various circumstances,
single in the field I am
Everybody talks high being flooded with
momentary patriotism, emotions and wildness
Very few in the end remain in the fields when
asked for;
To me, national consensus from right
standpoints is now an issue of urgent call but to the opposition(s)
It is a sheer rhetoric merely for going to
power baffling the people in all forms and manifestations.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Never have I bowed down head to anybody
either at home or abroad and
To me, national interests and state security
are the centre of policies and issues;
Some critics brand me being pro-Indian whilst
the unfolding certainty stands calling me a
Nationalist even with so many challenges,
conspiracies, limitations and dilemmas
National, bi-lateral, regional and
international;
Beyond pang, for critics and opponents remains
there a message:
In foreign policy and relations, Bangladesh
is now a model with required diversity and dimension;
In sustainable development framework,
Bangladesh is at present a magnetic attention to all indeed; and
In democracy, aside so many hurdles and
challenges, Bangladesh is moving on enterprisingly.
O the people of Bangladesh and the world at
large,
Let me repeat, I am Sheikh Hasina, first daughter
of the father of the nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and now
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
For a third term, fresh of its nature in the
history of Bangladesh;
Let me exhale raucously with a sense of
solace and satisfaction that in the history of Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina shall be recalled time after
time as one and unequaled.
And with such stand of Sheikh Hasina, I am in
a full temperament that Sheikh Hasina-- like all other leaders in the
democratic world-- carries her own vision and mission, which may necessarily be
an object of criticism and applause for others. Let us pray to Allah so that
Sheikh Hasina’s love for Bangladesh and its people guard her all the time to
put her in a more august position in the coming days and help her to get rid of
the limitations squeezing her constantly with and/or without her sensing. Let
her be the ‘daughter of democracy’ not in words but in action. Let her be
realistic to take note of the feedbacks of the 05 January 2014 so-called
elections to the 10th parliament. Recognitions, cosmetic or
in-depth, from inside and outside the country cannot bring about any factual
change in the political landscapes of Bangladesh. Truth remains truth under all
state of affairs, approving or not. It is the people of Bangladesh who are the
final deciding factor in judging whether Bangladesh is marching forward democratically
or not; whether sustainable democracy, during her time, has got root ushering a
light accordingly. Measuring rod is
whether voice of the people is echoed and reflected in going to power and
running the state or not. Let her be statesman in the true sense of term going
above manacles of parochialism, sycophancy, cronyism, corruptions and
philistinism. There is no doubt that Bangladesh and its people have meanwhile
given her much more than expectations and it is her turn to reciprocate
standing by them like a true friend, guide and philosopher. Fair enough, she
has to prove with necessary facts and figures that she is of the people, with
the people and for the people. She has to establish in action that electoral
democracy is a part of democracy as a whole and a part can never be treated as
the whole.
Having been intoxicated with the ‘Vision
2021’ and Digital Bangladesh (after the thought of her son IT expert Sajeeb
Wazed Ahmed Joy who is also being considered as her successor), she is caught
in a dilemma of priority between political development and economic
development. Priority is a matter of political determination and fixation.
Meanwhile her advisers and think-tanks have started beating drums in favor of
economic development first, for which a kind of sacrifice is needed in the
field of political development. No doubt, Sheikh Hasina is leaning towards such
approach. If this actually is the case then, be sure, question of harmonization
and synchronization between political development and economic development is
also on the wane upsetting the rhythm of sustainable development wherein
sustainable democracy is a compulsory part. This is very hard-hitting under a
multi-party democratic order operating also in Bangladesh. And here comes as
the Hobbes’s choice a type of authoritarian rule under the wrap of so-called
parliamentary democracy. Sheikh Hasina is conceivably unwavering to embrace
such reality in the politics of Bangladesh, which cannot go unchallenged since political
parties in the right wing jacketing BNP-led alliance and political parties in
the left wing are deadly opposed to such rule. It’s a great challenge for her.
Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—also Sheikh Hasina’s
father---who fought for democracy all the time in his life, finally moved for
one party rule (BAKSAL) in independent Bangladesh with a view to achieving the
vision of ‘golden Bangladesh’. He could not proceed further because, before the
start, he was assassinated through a coup on 15 August 1975. Today there is a
saying in the air that Sheikh Hasina has a out of sight blueprint to follow the
suit of her father in a different mood and mode having the same taste and
flavor. ‘Sheikh Mujib formed Baksal after the liberation war instead of forming
national unity. Now his daughter Sheikh Hasina is also doing same mistakes’
told BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir while addressing a
discussion meeting at the National Press Club on 19 November 2014 marking the
38th death anniversary of Moulana Bhasani.
One may feel free to argue that there are
marked qualitative and quantitative differences between the days of her father
and hers. Her statesmanship is widely recognized and weighed nationally,
regionally and internationally. Above all, India, Sheikh Hasina’s best ally, is
now a continental power. Neither USA nor EU nor China can play any ugliest game
against Bangladesh annoying India. Whatever it is, veracity tells all to recall
that support of a power to a regime cannot be long-lasting if there continues a
prolonged political instability causing havoc to lives and properties and
institutions. All these do not substantiate that whatever Sheikh Hasina designs,
she can safely put it into practice setting aside political landscapes at home
and abroad. More important is that people in Bangladesh are basically
political, which is colored and boiled with intolerance, back-biting,
risk-taking, humiliation, emotions etcetera. They carry a glorious legacy of
movements and agitations and this is recurring in nature. If democracy falls
into a trap under so-called wraps and gets stuck up then popular upsurge arises
as a befitting reply. It happened in the undivided Pakistan in 1969, in free
Bangladesh in 1990, 1996 and 2006 with necessary variations therein. Therefore,
Sheikh Hasina, from her seat of power, shall have to be less emotional,
arrogant and pugnacious while designing and implementing her vision and
mission.
Yes, we have been hearing from her for a long
with due care and diligence. Recognizing her successes in many areas it needs
to be uttered that from practical standpoints for many a reason, we are clogged,
nearly touching the wall. Shouldn’t she now hear from or listen to us with more
attention and care?
Yes, the approach I applied to understand the
very mindset of a leader in Asian perspective may also be applicable to others
in the world at large. Let researchers, think-tanks, analysts and academics of
various folds, scales and dimensions feel free to use the approach and thus add
new mode to make leaders and statesmen speak. Such presentation shall
definitely be more interesting and attention-grabbing to the readers as a
whole. But, care must have to be taken and ensured so that contents do not go
in opposition to the mindset of the speaker (leader) concerned.
No comments:
Post a Comment