Giving politicians a chance

We as a nation cannot afford anymore to let a few person do whatever they want with the country. Our beloved country needs at least two political parties practicing democratic norms and their hierarchy and leadership being democratically decided or at least we should put pressure on the existing parties to elect their leadership at every level democratically.

We have to create two more things in the country -- one good press and media dedicated to honesty and objectivity and the other, a good class of honest intellectuals. These two are much stronger than any political party in position or in opposition. So we have to make sure that they are people's voice and they work as the conscience of the public so that they can be instrumental from outside the parliament to maintain a good check and balance inside the parliament.

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Now that Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury and Kamal Hossain et al have started, or so it seems, to talk about a third stream of politics, we along with our intellectuals and press should not discourage them . Rather we should take it as an opportunity to bargain with them cautiously and carefully (because no one believes politicians) on how to really make a new stream of politics and thereby a new political party. We, the general public, intellectuals and the press have to make sure these politicians agree to shun their age-old tradition of inherited leadership of the party, that they will register all their members and the registered members will elect the leadership at every level and make sure that it is not a single person or a few of the party who will decide the nomination for the parliamentary election, but the participation of all the local members of the party has to be ensured to decide the nomination of a person in a certain constituency so that the parliament member can be accountable more to the local party members than to the central single leadership or the central oligarchy of the party thereby ensuring that the MPs are truly accountable to their people who have elected them. This will be a good way to prevent mass resignation from the parliament. This will also keep the parliamentarians free from fear of the central leadership because the central leadership will have less power in nominating.

Now if the people really think about it carefully and negotiate with renowned politicians and intellectuals and organise themselves for the next election strongly , I think that will send a very strong message to both BNP and Awami League and they will be forced to understand the message of the people and elect their leadership democratically in stead of inheriting leadership. It is high time that we thought about our country and gave the politicians some chance if they really deserved some chance otherwise. Otherwise whatever way we go, whichever way we vote, we will always end up with one of them who have already showed their absolute powers to our people more than any kingship.

The third stream does not necessarily have to be in the government but it can also be taken as an opportunity to put pressure on the mainstream political parties so that they institutionalise their parties democratically . We want democratic institutionalisation of the parties and thenceforth of the state itself , no matter which party goes to power. It is, after all, the democracy which matters most make the words 'state' and 'country' synonymous otherwise the state will perhaps continue to 'serve against the country' no matter which party stays in power.