What have we been doing for the last 35 years except for procreating mindlessly? Where have all the wise and respectable leaders gone? Have we thrown the old die away? Then who do we turn to for giving us courage and direction at times of such prolonged national despondency?

But a nation cannot go on without political leadership, just as a ship cannot set sail on a voyage without a captain. A nation needs a strong-willed, wise, courageous and honest captain, and a dedicated crew to steer it through the troubled waters and reach the shore. Where are those people?

Are we ready to give the steering wheel to the people who are now trying to market themselves as leaders? Aren't they simply another motley band of riff-raffs, so diversely disoriented, so comically contrasting, and yet yearning for power?

What antecedents do they have to show the courage to fill the void that was once filled by courageous and honest men like Moulana Bhashani, AK Fazlul Haque, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Tajuddin Ahmed, Gen. MAG Osmani, Nazrul Islam, Captain Mansur Ali, AHM Kamruzzaman and Gen. Ziaur Rahman!

Are these aspirants qualified and experienced enough to handle our education, IT, health, economy, security, diplomacy and social issues with the required prudence, and turn the country into a thriving economy in South-East Asia? Can they restore the damage already done to the image and prestige of the nation by their cousins in politics?

Well, you and I know it very well that none of the present lot of people who are now crowding the political corridors have the endowments to become national leaders. They are, and will remain, petty leaders enamoured with all sorts of triviality.

"Serving the people" is hogwash. Strangely enough, in their diversity they remain united on one issue -- plundering national wealth through various schemes.

It is at such times of obscurity, of hopelessness, of gloom, that we remember someone like late Tajuddin Ahmed. Let us remember him for a while. This dedicated politician and a visionary, a think-tank, a born leader having no greed, had single-handedly organized the Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971 and came out victorious after nine months.

In fact, he had taken charge of a ship that was pitching and tossing violently in rough waters, without a rudder and without a captain. With his unwavering courage, determination and organizational skill, he had not only raised a large force of Bengali guerrilla fighters, but also traveled half the world to convince the heads of governments in various foreign countries about our cause and gain their support. He truly had to fight quislings within and without. Like David, he had fought against many a Goliath in the international arena.

But, unfortunately, leaders like Tajuddin Ahmed do not come by anymore. Maybe God does not want to send leaders like him to us anymore for the fact that we kill them in a most brutal manner. Maybe God sends us leaders we deserve.

Redefining a VIP
When someone talks about a VIP, the very face that flashes in my inner eye is Elizabeth Taylor's. She had paired with Richard Burton in the movie The VIP. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to see and occasionally meet some genuine VIPs in real life.

VIP, or Very Important Person, meant a lot to us when we were quite naïve and politically insensitive. Nowadays, we see various interpretations of the acronym.

Today, it is used to describe almost anyone riding a car. It is not used to describe an honest teacher in a village, or an honest postmaster. Hence, people going to jail for plundering national wealth and people's money are being called VIPs, and their supporters are demanding division for them in the jail.

The administration has also become quite active in searching for comfortable sub-jails (villas in residential areas) for these VIPs (Very Imprisoned Persons).

Who knows, someday our constitution might be amended to allow VIPs immunity from any kind of investigation. VIPs cannot go to jail, can they?

Shahnoor Wahid is Senior Assistant Editor of The Daily Star.