Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 278 Wed. March 09, 2005  
   
Letters to Editor


A divided society


Are the intellectuals, high-level opportunists and the politicians flirting with the new born nation, aged only one generation? To stop the rot in the new young generation and provide them with a sense of national direction, some drastic basic steps have to be taken to stem the subjective tides followed by some of the leaders of the society; including, of course, the political leaders, who are calling the tunes in all the social fields.

Politics is getting too much importance, since it has become a course of business and making money through unfair practices (misuse of power and influence). In the text books there is no differentiation of different types of GND or GDP. The prevailing atmosphere is more important than dry and/or juicy statistics. Our catch is the human problem.

The apprehension of citizens is confirmed from the recent trends of corrupt practices and the use of violence to forge ahead. Now fundamental religious guidelines are being imposed, not only in Dhaka, but in other parts of the world, signifying an unattainable decade of unpredictable changes. The only (and lonely) superpower is too busy to act from within the UN structure. The latter is a disquieting phenomenon, confirming the erosion of the established social institutions which regulate human lives in the different societies. Global leadership is facing cracks in the system.

The political parties in Dhaka are too busy fighting one another, to be able to reduce the high systems losses at the national level. Seemingly, it is more than a fight for basic ideologies , although there are dedicated groups active in establishing a new world order.

The return to religious movement has started in earnest, as other man made sciences and philosophies are unable to deliver; but the tolerance factor is low, as well as patience. Diplomacy does not work these days in the right positive mode; as new technologies in the ICT sector is depending on questionable short-cuts through sustained media propaganda. Two thirds of the deprived people (of six billion-souls) cannot counter the avarice of the rich and powerful. One way communication prevails in the third world.

Politics at the lower levels cannot follow self-imposed boundary conditions, the current leadership cannot impose the same from the top, or from the outside. Politics seems to have become a closed system, and democracy has been cornered. We see the hands-up signs everywhere. The going was never better for the political pundits, but it is an internal race between the haves and the have-nots. Moral values have eroded, and tribalism rules the day (even in the modern metros). The international organisation IT is facing tough tasks ahead.

Nowadays what is the success rate of peaceful mass movements? It is the difference between quality and quantity. Our density of population is one of the highest in the world. With limited resources in under-developed countries, it is a trying task for the politicians to gain the confidence of the majority of voters (where voting is possible, regardless of the intrinsic worth of the elections rituals). How to reduce this state of instability?

When the earning is murky, the spending of it is non-transparent. When the hearts (not the physical organ) cannot be x-rayed, brilliant brains have no public utility. In the LDCs, there is no extra energy for such basic exercises.

The new politics lacks competition of the right sort. There is a shortage of the right type of leaders.

Picture
. PHOTO: AFP