Dr. M. S. Haq
A continuous inflexibility – for quite some time now – on the part of concerned political parties of Bangladesh in matters of upcoming elections has apparently been causes, effects and causalities of harmful hartals after harmful hartals, harmful blockades after harmful blockades and other harmful activities after other harmful activities in the country. Outcomes of war crimes trial so far have added additional dimensions to above harmful activities. As a result, people including law enforcers are killed or injured, properties are destroyed, productive hours have apparently come down to sustain only a minimal of the country’s daily mundane activities, frustrations and sense of insecurity are high among people including students, sufferings of ordinary people especially, daily earners are on the rise, and economy plus social cohesions for the advancement of sustainable human development in the country are at a greater risk, to mention a few. At present, above developments are taking place on a daily basis at variable rates of progression.Domestic mechanisms of people of Bangladesh – such as and as appropriate civil society, the media (print, electronic, others) – have not yet able to assist for example ordinary people of Bangladesh in efforts towards stopping ongoing acts of political and other misconduct by all concerned by taking necessary action against them. Further, the near absence of influential people’s power in accountability domains of Bangladesh is being instrumental in inter alia enlargement of choices of say the political parties and others concerned when it comes to putting party interest over the best and overall interest of Bangladesh in particular, and those of the world at large, in general. It will not be out of place to mention here: the situation is becoming complicated by inter alia justice perceptions of people of Bangladesh when it comes to the right and affordable justice for all at all time in the country.
On the other hand, efforts of friends of Bangladesh including those of the US, the UN, Japan, China, the EU, Canada, and the UK towards resolving the political dispute (I mean on matters of elections) at the soonest are being marginalized, as appropriate though, by lack of aggressive and meaningful follow ups in relevant areas – by people and institutions concerned of Bangladesh – missing opportunities for building upon gains from above efforts in those areas. Besides, factors such as and as appropriate outcomes of harmful loyalty, harmful partisan politics and harmful motivation for replicating the past (say, the first election of 1996 in Bangladesh) are being instrumental in blocking negotiations aiming at breaking up the deadlock on core election matters with the help of domestic or external or other kind of initiative or in combination of them.
Media of Bangladesh (print, electronic, others) have been failing, as applicable though, to capitalize on hard work of for example friends of Bangladesh in pursuits of help resolving the dispute to the satisfaction of all concerned. Let us now focus on one of the headlines, as well as sub headlines of one of the leading English newspapers of Bangladesh of 12 December 2013 – “They talk twice, agree to nothing. UN chief phones PM after fruitless AL-BNP discussion”. I believe the mechanics of presentation of news under say above headlines (one of the first impression makers) suffers from insufficiencies when it comes to management of news diplomacy with all news related goals intact (as practicable though) and demonstration of the media foresightedness in relevant areas, to mention a few – all, under ongoing uncertainties, interdependencies and relativism at local, global and other levels. In short – the headlines are not apparently very conducive to perceptions of inclusion for remedying political emergency situations in Bangladesh.
As regards support – by neighbors of Bangladesh such as India – in areas of upcoming elections, the people apparently have mixed perceptions about that, owing to a variety of reasons. Besides, there are rumors rife in markets of Bangladesh. For example – India wishes to see a particular political party to win the upcoming elections because India believes the party could handle terrorism in Bangladesh in a proper fashion. Several things concerning above rumors come to mind. A few of them – relative to time, space and other variables – have been presented here.
01. At present, Bangladesh is not apparently at par with Pakistan or India in terms of terrorism and ramifications of terrorism therein. Hence, a more than the required effort to control terrorism in a proactive manner following perhaps a mirage of terrorism by Bangladesh could lead to at least possible two scenarios: one, controllable terrorism on a sustainable basis – not affecting neighbors; two, uncontrollable terrorism affecting all concerned in a variety of ways. In such events, Bangladesh could eventually become an equivalent of Pakistan or India in terms of terrorism and could be more than India or Pakistan in terms of ramifications of terrorism because Bangladesh is a densely populated country. But having said that, it will not be out of place to mention here Bangladesh, being a densely populated country, enjoys inter alia and as appropriate a variety of space related advantages when it comes to containing terrorism therein. In short, real faces of terrorism in Bangladesh should dictate in proactive, reactive and other manners – the course of its containment in Bangladesh. Political parties come and go but what matters here is, among other things, purposes and tensile strengths of anti-terror policy, program and implementation.
02. Given present day statuses of terrorism and ramifications of terrorism in Bangladesh, possibilities associated with for example exportation of terrorism to Bangladesh by concerned countries for a variety of purposes could not be ruled out. It implies inter alia Bangladesh could become a victim of its present day terror free status (in certain ways) in the future as a result of its eventually becoming what I would call unloading grounds for terrorism by terror laden neighboring countries – against the backdrop of for example destructive political culture resulting in continuing or frequent domestic instabilities in Bangladesh.
Relevant media perceptions – such as, Bangladesh is a threat to its neighbor in terms of say terrorism – especially, prior to possible winning of BJP in India’s upcoming general election and against the backdrop of politically motivated terrorism prior to elections in Bangladesh over the years tend to indicate inter alia a possible move towards positioning of terrorism as one of core dimensions in India-Bangladesh relations in the future could be in progress. It is expected PM Modi (God willing) will pursue and implement changes for better in pursuits of for example more mutuality, more constructive pluralism, greater thrust and more satisfaction than that at present in areas say collective peace, security, progress and prosperity in SAARC region with the help of SAARC and others concerned including the US and the UN.
In fine, it could be said inter alia: political parties of Bangladesh should from now onwards refrain themselves, in a sustainable manner, from further becoming causes, effects and causalities of politically motivated terrorism in pursuits of inter alia keeping Bangladesh terror free through future times. Do not forget – people are out there to harm Bangladesh. Do not push up for example maintenance costs of Bangladesh, costs of progress, as well as prosperity of Bangladesh and Bangladeshis at individual, collective and other levels, and costs of ‘quality’ DNA transfers at a variety of generational levels – through anti-people politics in the country.
Settle the dispute on election matters in a peaceful, result-oriented and example-setting fashion before it goes out of control of say ‘democracy’ in Bangladesh. Respect people, their right to life, and their human rights, to mention a few. Afford people of Bangladesh benefits of the right and affordable justice to all at all time via for example – free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in the country and not inviting terrorism to Bangladesh.
Friends of Bangladesh might elect to assist Bangladesh in resolving the election related dispute in a collective, accelerated and result-oriented fashion – under leadership of the US and the UN. A continually terror free Bangladesh is in the interest of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the US, and others concerned. Let us work towards that. Happy Victory Day 2013! God bless. (The author is inter alia Proponent of Gene mechanics)
