After three years, where are we?

Three years of a government's tenure is no small time-period. For, it is the afternoon of a government's term. At this point, essential signs of how the rest of its tenure will go can be read.

Even in the life of a nation three years is no mean spell of time, given the fast-track advancing world of today, let alone the whizzing pace of development in China, India and Malaysia. Mustn't we picture ourselves against the panorama of countries which began at the same time we did but have left us behind?

On some social development indicators we have fared well, even 'outperformed' rest of the region but 'at our level of income', a significant pointer to our limitation. We have done well in the areas of water access and sanitation, and in terms of lower morbidity, mortality, control of birth rate, female education and the like. The credit goes in part to the government for maintaining momentum of past trends, in part to the social dynamics linked to certain processes and in part to the dynamism of certain NGOs.

In macroeconomic terms, there have been increases in forex reserve and FDI inflows but indicators like inflation, government borrowing and deficit financing give negative signals.

The overriding fact is that given our baseline, even incremental growth is not enough what's critically important is sustainable development. Whatever success the government claims is outweighed by its abysmal failures in a wide range of vital areas of national life. And the factors that cancel out 'achievements' also make the latter unsustainable.

The mathematical averages may give the BNP-led coalition some satisfaction, but the feel good factor is sorely missing as despondency takes over the national psyche. People have no peace of mind and no sense of security in terms of life, property and future. Political interference in administration, PMO's supra-ministerial role, politicisation of the police, corruption in institutions and high places and seeing everything through the party eye have messed up governance.

The biggest arms haul, the most dastardly grenade attack on opposition political rally and the series of bomb blasts topped off by poor investigations are a ringing indictment on the alliance's failure to govern. That the normal instruments of crime control have failed us is amply demonstrated by the creation of a wide range of crime-busting forces. Ominously, instances of journalist killing and religious militancy are on the rise.

Parliamentary democracy has received a severe blow from the failure of the ruling party to engage the opposition in a dialogue. Political confrontation is compounded by indiscriminate arrests.

What is the way out? The force of electoral mandate behind the BNP-led coalition is fast wearing thin. What vision has the alliance got to stop the nation's downhill journey? People would like to know.