Straight Talk
Looking back, looking forward
Photo: Munir uz Zaman/Drik News
So here we are, January 11, 2008. Exactly one year since the military-backed caretaker government took over, and a good time to take stock of the last twelve months and to look ahead to the coming twelve. One thing, which many seem to have forgotten with the passage of time (or wilfully wish to obscure), is the precipitous situation the county was in on January 10, 2007. At that point, the country was under the administration of a nakedly partisan caretaker government, which was moving towards fraudulent elections on January 22. For its part, the main opposition had announced that it would not only boycott the upcoming elections but also make sure that they were not held: it had promised a program of street agitation, beginning on January 14, that threatened to reduce the country to total chaos. The only thing which was certain, as I have written before, is that as a nation that we had run out of good options. Today, there will be no shortage of revisionists who will argue that there was no need for the Iajuddin-led caretaker government to be dismissed, and that the takeover by the current caretaker government was an unqualifed wrong. But there were very few who were prepared to argue this one year ago. Then, the nation heaved a sigh of relief that we had been delivered from fraudulent elections and the massive violence that would have preceded and followed such elections. Make no mistake, when you now hear people talk about how 1/11 was a terrible thing for the country, and that what we need is "democratic continuity" -- you are listening to the voice of shills for Hawa Bhaban, which would have been the principal (perhaps only) beneficiary of the stolen elections. The January 22, 2007 elections would not have provided anything like democratic continuity for the simple reason that fraudulent elections have nothing to do with democracy. These same people would have argued, following the fraudulent elections, that the incoming government was constitutional and that we had a duty to accept its legitimacy. These are the same people who had little to say about either the deeply undemocratic actions of the last elected government, and even less to say about the fiasco of the Iajuddin-led caretaker government. The last twelve months have had their ups and downs, and things have gone both right and wrong, but there is no scope for arguing that we are worse off than we were a year ago. Yes, there is a state of emergency, and, yes, I would like to see the emergency lifted as soon as possible. But at least we are not headed towards fraudulent elections and bloodshed. There can be little doubt that had the Hawa Bhaban blueprint to steal the elections come to fruition the incoming government would have been repressive. The best news of the new year is that we now have five freshly-minted new advisers of unimpeachable reputation and ability. This is good news on a number of counts. The first is that it demonstrates that the government is listening to the people. The public wanted a change and wanted to see the back of certain advisers. The government has heeded to this call. The second is that it can improve the governance situation. The five new advisers are, to a man (and woman), good choices, who can be expected to really shake things up and perform. Not to mention any names, but some of the advisers who have been replaced were conspicuous in their apparent inability to deliver, and one, in particular, was a train-wreck who diminished the standing of the government every time he (all too frequently) opened his mouth. The third point, not to be overlooked, is that the fact that individuals of such stature were willing to join the government, is an extremely positive sign. There has been talk for a long time of new advisers, but part of the problem was finding people willing to accept the challenges. Maybe what we will now see is the entire nation pulling together to try to make this government work. I am the first to concede that the current situation is not what we wanted. Of course, a lengthy interregnum of an un-elected government is no one's first choice, and the quicker we can hold elections the better. But, by the same token, there are many reforms that need to be put in place to ensure that the upcoming elections are free and fair and deliver a government committed to the public interest, and that we don't revert back to the unsustainable and dysfunctional situation that we were in prior to 1/11. Surely, it is in everyone's interest that the current government succeed. Success would mean that it is able to stabilise the economy, accomplish the reforms needed to make democracy functional, and move towards elections at the earliest. This is what we all want. Make no mistake about it, if this government were to fail, it would be a disaster for the country. No one knows where it would lead, but you can take it to the bank that it would be nowhere good. The very best case scenario would be that we would revert to where we were pre-1/11. And that is the best-case scenario. Much worse is likely to befall us. When you hear people wishing for this government to fail, you can be sure that they do not have the best interests of the country at heart. The guise of a "committed" democrat is a particularly hollow one. No true democrat can hope for such a thing. If one really is a true democrat, then one ought to get behind this government and hope that it succeeds and to do everything in one's power to help it succeed. This government's success is the only way we will move towards democracy any time soon. It would be good to keep this in mind. We all need to put the country before self-interest. This is a new year, and maybe, together, the nation can turn the corner. With any luck, the worst is behind us, there will be no floods or cyclones this year, prices can be brought under control, the reform process will go smoothly, and free and fair elections will be held as soon as possible. Zafar Sobhan is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star.
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