ON January 11, 2007 we embarked on a journey to nowhere and were beset with speculations and conjectures about where we were heading. Amid a good deal of drama and experimentations with regard to our reformed political process, we only half believed, if at all, an election to be held before the year 2008 was out.

SURPASSING all suspicions and speculations, the country now inexorably moves towards an elected government through the December 29 balloting. This election is particularly significant as the voting takes place in a different background with a variety of changes that happened after 1/11 with a rallying cry to cleanse politics.

STANDING at many intersections. What were the arguments in favour of secularism? In the 1960s, a push-back against West Pakistani colonisation. In 1971, it was simply and joyfully, a decisive rejection of the Pakistan model. Later in the 1980s, it was also expanded to explain that religion was for private space, inner life, spiritual healing; but not for politics. Now in this decade, we also insistently emphasise that religion is to be respected (because secularism's critics falsely accuse it of being anti-religion), but it should not be involved in the running of the state.

RESEARCHERS have long studied the concept of trust. It is seen as a calculative process used to assess whether persons or parties one interacts with for a "salient" outcome will continue to meet their obligations. The calculation involves an estimation of the costs versus the rewards. It also involves imputing the benevolence of the other party to act in the best interest of the perceiver.

TWO days in the far-flung village of Kazimohallah, in Shatkhira district does not make you a political pundit, but like a pundit, I am predicting what could be a landslide for the Awami League-led coalition in the 2008 election. A reversal in fortune for the "Moha Jote" compared to the 2001 election.

THIRTY-seven years ago, they fought a war of independence on the political frontlines, on the social fault-lines and took up arms as a means of resistance. Today, the same generation, many united under the Sector Commanders Forum, has called upon itself to continue a task left incomplete despite the birth of the nation they struggled for.

COUNTING down, December 29 is just a few hours away. Other things remaining the same, the nation will have a newly elected government to run the country for the next five years. No doubt, this is a much-awaited general election for reasons already known. An elected government is not necessarily a democratic government, but election is a sufficient condition for democracy.

THE nation is seeking a democratic transition through the ninth parliamentary elections. Such a transition will obviously largely depend on the candidates who are nominated, especially by the major parties, and their backgrounds. However, it is hard to be optimistic from the information we have about the candidates.

A documentary film recently produced by Jagoree, a non-partisan political youth group, summed up many of the frustrations of today's youth -- many feeling that they are too insignificant a factor for change. In a Prothom Alo organised discussion with the first-time voters in Chittagong, the biggest frustration that came out of the 50 discussants was the fact that they felt that this election presented no substantial difference in the quality of candidates.

A study of the election manifestos of the two mainstream parties on foreign policy is not encouraging. Foreign policy figures separately in both documents, but not foreign policy issues. AL's manifesto says that Bangladesh's foreign policy goal is "friendship with all and malice towards none." It also speaks of developing friendly relations with all countries.

SO here we are at long last. This is our third attempt at democracy since we gained independence in 1971. The first attempt lasted less than four years and came unraveled in 1975, and the second lasted fifteen years but ran out of steam in the early days of 2007.

IN Khagrachari this week for a pre-election visit, I saw the value of mobile networks even in the district that was last to get it and has the most sparse coverage. Because operators have not put towers everywhere, once you leave Khagrachari Sadar certain mobile operator networks go off. After eight hours in the interior, we would return to the Sadar and networks, and immediately find phones filling up with unread SMS.

THE two major political parties have announced their election manifestos. Other political parties have made theirs' known too, but perhaps, except for the Jamaat-e-Islami's others' have been glossed over at best.

POLITICS appears to be turning towards the hypocritical, while we thought it was the art of the possible. You only have to watch Begum Zia haranguing the country on the immense darkness that will surely descend on the country should the Awami League triumph at the general elections. The people will not accept, she tells, a puppet government the caretaker administration and the Election Commission might be planning to foist on us after the elections. She does not explain, but everyone knows where she is pointing.

YOU know that when the merchandising of dreams and hopes, and fears, is in full swing the election is knocking on the door. And with that come a fusillade of manifestos and promises, and all of a sudden the fate and future of the country take unprecedented priority.

IN Dighinala, the lead Jumma (Pahari) speaker switches to Bangla after the initial Chakma greeting. As I film the crowd, I can see scattered Bengali faces. Later I ask one organiser if speaking Bangla is a way to appeal to Bengali voters. "Yes," he replies, "But don't forget, not all Paharis speak Chakma." Chakma, Marma and Tripura are the biggest presence at these meetings, but the official records show eleven different ethnic Jumma groups in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

WE are eagerly waiting for the release of the sequel to Pirates of Golden Bengal. The title of the second part is Return of the Pirates of Golden Bengal, and know what? The same cast and crew have joined together to make this film, which promises to be as entertaining as the first one, with horrendous scenes of rape, knifing, shooting, street violence, kidnapping, arson and what not. Along with these gory scenes there will be dialogues filled with lies and deceit, false promises and denials, denigration and disparagement, to keep the audience wondering.

AT long last, the nation heaved a sigh of relief. I am, indeed, happy to know that a new government will take over next year. The overdue election was supposed to be held on December 29, 2008. But what are these "other things" that may not remain as they ought to be? These "other things" have two sources of origin.

BANGLADESH stands at a crossroads, and the path to a new, invigorated Bangladesh depends on how the new political forces that emerge after the national elections on December 29 accept an environment characterised by mutual tolerance and respect, rule of law and accountability to people.

On February 17, Dhaka film star Manna died of heart attack. For most of the urban Dhakaites or mufassil-rural educated class, Manna was merely a little known name of a Dhakaiya film actor. Most of the newspaper readers have not seen any of his movies and there was absolutely no scope for any other appeal of Manna except some condescending or even demeaning thoughts.