I wanted to write about politics for a long time, because you see; my writing instincts, I believe, is inherited from my father, who in turn inherited it from my granddad. My father is a journalist turned into a political analyst, and my grandfather was the first journalist in our district (Narshingdi). I come from a family which is deeply involved in Bangladesh politics, and therefore, I descry it almost every day. And because of this, I have come to ascertain the fact that Bangladesh politics is pathetic.
It is ludicrous and devious from the prime objectives of politics itself. It is based upon deceit, connivance, and manipulation. Well, politics all over the world is based upon these, undoubtedly, but what makes BD politics so special is that how the politicians go about doing these stuffs. The way they weave their veil of lies is farcical! And the sad thing is, our citizen are so uber stupid and imbecile that they will gobble down any half-wit lie they are served on a golden plate.
I will be disclosing a few incidents which I either saw with my own eyes, or heard directly from the top notch politicians. Let's start with the story of a woman leader who cried wolf.
This political prima donna was doing her evening exercise on a park beside her house. Upon exercising for 2-3minutes, she decided that she did one hell of job, and went on to returning to her home. But she was stopped in front of the park by a couple of hooded figures who asked for her money and watch. It was just another day in Dhaka where hooded figures threaten you for your Chinese mobile set and New Market bought watches; nothing significant. But this lady smelled a political promotion amidst all this. She went home, tore her own dress a little, and forced her husband to call an ambulance. Then she conjured two reporters to the hospital to tell her story. And her version of the story went something like this (dramatized):
Reporter: So, madam, you were attacked while returning to your home? Do you have any idea who did this?
Prima Donna: OFCOURSE! I KNOW ALL OF THEIR FACES! THEY ARE THE CADRES OF THE RIVAL POLITICAL PARTY! THEY HAD BEEN THREATENING ME FOR A LONG TIME. I HAD GIVEN MY LIFE TO MY PARTY, AND SO I PRAY THE PRICE. *The official slogan of her party*
Reporter: Umm..so it wasn't a normal mugging? Are you sure it was the rival party cadres?
Prima Donna: Of course I am! They were chanting their slogans all the time?! Are you asking if I'm lying? Do you know who I am? Do you know what can I do to you?!
Reporter: Of course, of course! You're right.
Apart from the conversation with the reporter, which I made up, all the other facts are true. The news agency belonging to the leaders of that political party (Yes, BD politicians directly own news agencies ) telecasted the fabricated story and dumped all the blame on the fictitious cadres. Why did she do it, you ask? Simply to spread the word that she has endured agonies for her beloved party, and that she has been punished because of the commitment and enthusiasm she has shown to her party. Therefore, she should be given a higher priority, and maybe nomination for next Minister or something… That was the motivation behind the whole drama!
This TRUE story actually explains BD politics better than a thousand page book written by a veteran political analyst. It's a place where you trade your self esteem and dignity for power and money.
The thing that strikes me most, like a cold shower in a winter morning, is how easily the people supposedly leading our country can lie in your face and still has a serious look in their face. The example of our respected Prime Minister denying that she ever promised to reduce the price of rice to ten taka per kg, or that inflation has DECREASED and people are happy about the price of commodities is evident to this. The opposition party is no different. Before election, they promise to turn Dhaka into Singapore City overnight, but when their tushy touch the power throne, it's all about wealth.
And then comes the vicious cycle of retribution. The first year of coming into power is spent transferring people who support the opposition party into the remotest corner of the country and giving promotions to people who are ardent supporter of the ruling party. Govt. housing is exchanged, and people are forcefully evicted from their homes to make space for the ‘supporters'. I have been a victim of this, so I know the nitty-gritty of this routine pretty well. The sad thing is, this cycle will go on every five years. And I really mean EVERY five years. And thwarted mayor candidates OPENLY (ON AIR) threatening the rival candidate doesn't help much. They don't get tired of all this perpetual retribution, even knowing that their sons will be dragged into this eternal loop of hatred and inhumanity. The limit is crossed when someone spends 14 billion taka just to change the name of an airport, because it is named after the founder of your rival party. Couldn't this money be spent elsewhere, for more significant thing, like, I don't know, food for the underprivileged people or shelter for the roofless? But hey! What do I know, eh? I'm just a teenager whose area of expertise is procrastination.
So what to do? The answer is simple: GET RID OF THE SYSTEM. Let's look at the problem constructively. The reason behind the failure of BD political system to establish sustainable development is the failure to produce the next generation of leaders/politicians. The old generation refuses to step down to make room for the younger one. Their insatiable desire for wealth has morphed into a disease - an incurable disease.
Either by a revolution within the party, or by the general citizen of the country, the oldies must be obliged to ‘retire' from power. Each sector has to go under this alteration. The truly wise oldies should be appointed as ADVISORS with no direct control over policies, that way we can reap the best out of them, and also respect their intelligence.
Legislature should be passed, prohibiting the same candidate to run for Presidency for a third consecutive time. Yes, I'm copying the US electoral policy; it's one of the best I've seen so far and so effing tailor made for a fragile country like BD, where people are sick of seeing the same ragged face over and over again!
Most significantly, we have to make the general public understand why we cannot pragmatically move forward with the status-qou. They already I know, I believe, but you have to spoon feed to the mass illiterates; give them a kind of a brain wash. Once they have realized we need to change and change badly, making other modifications wouldn't be a problem, as people power surpasses everything. Tahrir Square has taught us a history changing lesson which will be etched across every freedom loving soul.
“In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?†-St. Augustine
It is ludicrous and devious from the prime objectives of politics itself. It is based upon deceit, connivance, and manipulation. Well, politics all over the world is based upon these, undoubtedly, but what makes BD politics so special is that how the politicians go about doing these stuffs. The way they weave their veil of lies is farcical! And the sad thing is, our citizen are so uber stupid and imbecile that they will gobble down any half-wit lie they are served on a golden plate.
I will be disclosing a few incidents which I either saw with my own eyes, or heard directly from the top notch politicians. Let's start with the story of a woman leader who cried wolf.
This political prima donna was doing her evening exercise on a park beside her house. Upon exercising for 2-3minutes, she decided that she did one hell of job, and went on to returning to her home. But she was stopped in front of the park by a couple of hooded figures who asked for her money and watch. It was just another day in Dhaka where hooded figures threaten you for your Chinese mobile set and New Market bought watches; nothing significant. But this lady smelled a political promotion amidst all this. She went home, tore her own dress a little, and forced her husband to call an ambulance. Then she conjured two reporters to the hospital to tell her story. And her version of the story went something like this (dramatized):
Reporter: So, madam, you were attacked while returning to your home? Do you have any idea who did this?
Prima Donna: OFCOURSE! I KNOW ALL OF THEIR FACES! THEY ARE THE CADRES OF THE RIVAL POLITICAL PARTY! THEY HAD BEEN THREATENING ME FOR A LONG TIME. I HAD GIVEN MY LIFE TO MY PARTY, AND SO I PRAY THE PRICE. *The official slogan of her party*
Reporter: Umm..so it wasn't a normal mugging? Are you sure it was the rival party cadres?
Prima Donna: Of course I am! They were chanting their slogans all the time?! Are you asking if I'm lying? Do you know who I am? Do you know what can I do to you?!
Reporter: Of course, of course! You're right.
Apart from the conversation with the reporter, which I made up, all the other facts are true. The news agency belonging to the leaders of that political party (Yes, BD politicians directly own news agencies ) telecasted the fabricated story and dumped all the blame on the fictitious cadres. Why did she do it, you ask? Simply to spread the word that she has endured agonies for her beloved party, and that she has been punished because of the commitment and enthusiasm she has shown to her party. Therefore, she should be given a higher priority, and maybe nomination for next Minister or something… That was the motivation behind the whole drama!
This TRUE story actually explains BD politics better than a thousand page book written by a veteran political analyst. It's a place where you trade your self esteem and dignity for power and money.
The thing that strikes me most, like a cold shower in a winter morning, is how easily the people supposedly leading our country can lie in your face and still has a serious look in their face. The example of our respected Prime Minister denying that she ever promised to reduce the price of rice to ten taka per kg, or that inflation has DECREASED and people are happy about the price of commodities is evident to this. The opposition party is no different. Before election, they promise to turn Dhaka into Singapore City overnight, but when their tushy touch the power throne, it's all about wealth.
And then comes the vicious cycle of retribution. The first year of coming into power is spent transferring people who support the opposition party into the remotest corner of the country and giving promotions to people who are ardent supporter of the ruling party. Govt. housing is exchanged, and people are forcefully evicted from their homes to make space for the ‘supporters'. I have been a victim of this, so I know the nitty-gritty of this routine pretty well. The sad thing is, this cycle will go on every five years. And I really mean EVERY five years. And thwarted mayor candidates OPENLY (ON AIR) threatening the rival candidate doesn't help much. They don't get tired of all this perpetual retribution, even knowing that their sons will be dragged into this eternal loop of hatred and inhumanity. The limit is crossed when someone spends 14 billion taka just to change the name of an airport, because it is named after the founder of your rival party. Couldn't this money be spent elsewhere, for more significant thing, like, I don't know, food for the underprivileged people or shelter for the roofless? But hey! What do I know, eh? I'm just a teenager whose area of expertise is procrastination.
So what to do? The answer is simple: GET RID OF THE SYSTEM. Let's look at the problem constructively. The reason behind the failure of BD political system to establish sustainable development is the failure to produce the next generation of leaders/politicians. The old generation refuses to step down to make room for the younger one. Their insatiable desire for wealth has morphed into a disease - an incurable disease.
Either by a revolution within the party, or by the general citizen of the country, the oldies must be obliged to ‘retire' from power. Each sector has to go under this alteration. The truly wise oldies should be appointed as ADVISORS with no direct control over policies, that way we can reap the best out of them, and also respect their intelligence.
Legislature should be passed, prohibiting the same candidate to run for Presidency for a third consecutive time. Yes, I'm copying the US electoral policy; it's one of the best I've seen so far and so effing tailor made for a fragile country like BD, where people are sick of seeing the same ragged face over and over again!
Most significantly, we have to make the general public understand why we cannot pragmatically move forward with the status-qou. They already I know, I believe, but you have to spoon feed to the mass illiterates; give them a kind of a brain wash. Once they have realized we need to change and change badly, making other modifications wouldn't be a problem, as people power surpasses everything. Tahrir Square has taught us a history changing lesson which will be etched across every freedom loving soul.
“In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?†-St. Augustine
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