Understanding Sheikh Hasina

[This was published in Burma Times on 03 December and in Dhaka Courier on 04 December 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 the continent of 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.

I also 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 with all good intents in mind I resolved to dwell upon her as follows in the most precise fashion and comportment.

Sheikh Hasina, sitting Prime Minister of the Government of the People’s of Bangladesh, is the eldest offspring of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and during the tragic incidence and change-over of 15 August 1975 that took the lives of all members of the family she and her sister Sheikh Rehana survived given that both of they were staying in a foreign land. Later, under the then very grave and atypical circumstances of the Awami League--which was reborn from the very dead body of BAKSAL, a one party system introduced by Bangabandhu in 1975--- under military-turned-politician Zia administration, she had to take the helm of this newly born Awami League as its President in 1981 in an atmosphere of multi-party democracy. From then on, she has been continuing for over thirty five years and with a break she has been also elected Prime Minister for a third time. With this span of time, she had as well played the role of the leader of the opposition in the third, fifth and seventh parliaments. Considering her holding, duration and experience of the three offices she is at present,, convincingly enough, a veteran leader and statesman known to the world at large.

Pointedly enough, she is a creation of Post-1975 politics that, approving or not, divided the nation into two diametrically opposing camps initiating confrontational politics (basis of which being outright yes or no on almost all issues of national, bi-lateral, regional and global importance and dimensions i.e. what is yes to AL, it is no to BNP and vice versa) in the soil of free and sovereign Bangladesh under the nursing and care of AL and BNP. This may rightly be named ‘Politics following post -1975 mood and mode’ and, akin to BNP chairperson Khaledea Zia, willingly and/or unwillingly Sheikh Hasina hardly keeps distance from such confrontational politics.

Barely there is a debate on Sheikh Hasina’s becoming a legend in the politics and statecrafts in Bangladesh. She has her own mode and multiplicity to deal with the people and rank and files in the party. 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.

She is simple, determined, visionary, reasonable, arrogant, implacable and less emotional. Nobody can stand before he towering personality. She used to offer prayers regularly having profoundest faith in Islam. She tries to stay beyond sycophancy, cronyism, philistinism and corruptions of various forms, natures and magnitudes. She is an avowed believer in nationalism, democracy, socialism and secularism with due attention to their meanings, interpretations and applications in Bangladesh perspective. For Bangladesh, she likes to move around the concept of moderate Muslim state anointed with secularism.

As initiator of 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 prefers massive development in various sectors that need predominance of economic development over political development for a certain period of time. Thus the question of synchronization and harmonization between these two vital areas of sustainable development currently may not be possible from practical point of view. Similarly, sustainable democracy may not be rooted and enhanced at various tiers of democratic institutions, bodies and associations right at this moment. Leadership-building must have to be ensured slowly but surely and the matter of giving birth to off the rack and hybrid-leaderships should not be set aside so sensitively at this phase of democracy. Her experience and knowledge tell her that exercises of inner democracy in the party and abolition of article 70 in parliament shall be suicidal under the continuing political landscapes. Moreover, it is her firm belief that BNP and its alliances are pledge-bound and desperate to eliminate her and AL. Therefore, question of dialogue and co-existence with Khaleda Zia is ineffectual in the end.

About the 05 January 4014 elections to the 10^th parliament, she is now confident that there is no major challenge to her newly elected government since BNP itself is shattered from within and without. Jamaat is almost in a historic trauma and dilemma because of the trials and convictions of its top leaders for crimes against humanity committed during the war of liberation in 1971. Jatio party led by HM Ershad and its parliamentary party steered by Roushan Ershad are now just a kind of marionetts in her hands. Left and other right political parties of various backgrounds are grappling and groaning for survival. And civil societies who are not within the fold of AL or BNP are passing their days merely being so-called heavy weights in talk-shows on diverse TV channels, which have no bearing on the government. Therefore, on all counts Sheikh Hasina is the most powerful head of government in today’s world as she is holding the three offices of powers in the state in her fists i.e. office of the chief of her party, office of the leader of the house in the10th parliament and office of the head of government called Prime Minister under the ongoing parliamentary system.

Who else knows better than Sheikh Hasina that India is a factor in the politics of Bangladesh! Unlike her predecessors, her foreign policy has been framed after the geo-political reality of Bangladesh having in mind the existence of big India showing also due respect to article 45A in the constitution of Bangladesh. She is aware of the maxim that ‘Geography insists us to be with India (also called tyranny of geography) while history tells us to be away from India (also termed as lesson of history)’. Keeping in mind the operational vehemence and velocity of the dominance of India doctrine over Guzral’s doctrine, she has made a herculean breakthrough to put an end to the years-old notions of ‘Indo-phobic Bangladesh at the mass level and so-called India-friendly Bangladesh at the government level’, which was reared by the post-1975 administrations, civil or military, in Bangladesh. She has done almost everything for India for which India considers the ongoing relations between Bangladesh and India as a role model. Now it is Indi’s turn to reciprocate befittingly. India under Congress administration stood solidly by Hasina and helped her to overcome the Himalayan challenges before, during and after the general elections to the 10^th parliament. Therefore, she is gainer politically for her regime security and continuance. Realistically but interestingly enough, Modi-led BJP administration also appears to be friendly with Hasina administration, the closest ally of Congress. It is assumed that both the Tessta water and border issues shall very soon be settled because of consensus between or among the political parties in India and notably the u-turn and voice of Mamata Benarjee, Chief Minister of Paschimbangla, is a positive addition in this regard.

 

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 10^th 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, 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 38^th 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?