A full circle

These politico-economic differences contained seed of future problem and called for a different structure which did not come forth. On the contrary not only our built-in advantages were cruelly scrapped after partition, the new contours were drawn in our political landscape to define new terms of engagements in inter-communal relations in new dispensations as well as new political ethos -- which came to be blatantly authoritarian. It was a cruel irony that we had to fight afresh to re-establish our basic rights that we had voluntarily forfeited by being subsumed to Pakistani polity -- let alone the question of garnering any extra advantage from our superior position. Whether in regaining fundamental rights, a fair deal on the question of autonomy or in registering dissent to government decisions it was again a long arduous struggle which took almost entire span of time of our union with Pakistan.

But then it was a political process we could not but go through. Even if it was a mixed bag the achievements were stupendous. We learnt to live through the struggle and in its process we settled many things -- through movements, dialogues or through a process of sheer political inter-action. From the beginning Pakistan has been a novel experiment in the history of nation-building which was further compounded by a number of dichotomies. The ruling cliques hailing from West Pakistan, where lay the bulk of bureaucracy and the military, wanted to rule the country by means other than unbridled democracy.

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As long as Pakistan remained united the inter-regional friction growing out of the clash of interest could however be resolved. An imperious government that ruled Pakistan immediately after partition could be made to understand the rule of the game in a democratic polity: the election, parliament, political dissent, constitutional opposition, tradeunionism, the right to strike and so on. For a time these institutions did function and democracy with all of its humiliation was flourishing even in a country like Pakistan. After all, a free fair general election of 1970 stood testimony to the fact how democracy was marching forward in Pakistan.

The advent of Bangladesh is considered one of the great political development in this part of the world. But has with that the political process of the country come a full circle? Seldom does a nation retrogress even if it only crawls forward. But after half a century of our relentless struggle to move forward are we retrograding? We are reopening the settled issues of democratic norms -- the fundamental rights, right to dissent as well as the minorities' right and the right of expression. The newspaper is splashed with the news of vandalism of the party in power or its supporting organs against the political opponents. Isn't it reminiscent of what the Muslim League goons used to do half a century back hounding after nascent opposition of the day and any of their activities? Where are they now? Let's not once again inexorably push the country towards a fascist mould.

It is ridiculous today to debate over the rules, procedures and conventions of our parliamentary proceedings. Apart from the fact that the British gave us many things like self-government institutions and training institutions for higher leadership just on the platter we also with our genius and collective wisdom developed our parliamentary politics. Even during the British time the period between 1937 to 1943 was considered golden time of parliamentary democracy in Bengal. It produced leaders of the stature of Shahid Suhrawardy, A K Fazlul Huq and scores of seasoned parliamentarians with their records of momentous parliamentary speeches.

How were they made possible? It is no mean achievement that we made those great traditions. The question before us today is: shall we break them or rebuild? Democracy will have to be run only on democratic way. Running it any other way will leave in its wake anything but democracy. Let the new turn of the circle bear the stamp of our great democratic tradition.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.