Are terror and delusion new names for politics

Thinking aloud about the ongoing killing of innocent civilians in Bangladesh by political goons and law enforcers for “democracy” is not over-emphasising the crisis. The cycle of mindless killing of unarmed civilians, including children, elderly and women, which was resumed early this month, is not a new phenomenon. It's the continuation of the old conflict between the two political parties, which has been going on for the last 30-odd years.

Supporters of the rival political parties—Awami League (AL) and BNP—behave more like sworn enemies than political opponents. At times it appears that given the opportunity, the party goons wouldn't shy away from literally eliminating their political rivals. By 1996, the outbreak of political violence took a new dimension. Along with killing political rivals, political activists started using terrorist methods to kill total strangers. Since then, setting fire to running buses with gunpowder, gasoline, and other incendiaries to kill innocent civilians has become the norm. Bangladesh since then has not looked back.  

It's unfair to blame only the political activists at the grassroots for these crimes. Leaders are even more responsible for all the violent crimes their followers commit. The arrogance of some politicians—and disgustingly, of law-enforcers—reminds me of the reign of Louis XVI (1754-1793) of France. He was not averse to reforms and known for his generosity, but lost his throne and life because of indecision, and inability to control the greedy and corrupt nobility and clergy during the Revolution. While history gives the essential sense of direction to the statesmen, Machiavellian leaders squander the opportunity; and learn nothing from history. Sadly, while the prime minister thinks all the recent killings of civilians by the Rab and police were due to “gun battles” between law enforcers and criminals, the Rab chief, in corroboration asserts “there has never been any extrajudicial killing” in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, one can only keep one's jaws wide open, in total shock and disbelief!

Power is so intoxicating! It gives rich dividends to those who exercise it, and to their cronies around them. It's as difficult for the power-drunk to relinquish it as alcohol for the alcoholic. Again, power just for the sake of it, or justifying holding it for an indefinite period in the name of whatever comes handy, reminds me of Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764). She is infamously known for her catchphrase: “After us, the deluge.” She meant: “I care not what happens when I am dead and gone.” However, the average Bangladeshis don't want to see Madame de Pompadours. They are concerned about what's going on around them in the name of democracy and freedom. Unless they forestall the mindless violence against innocent people, we don't know if Bangladesh will turn into another failing state one day, may not be in the distant future.

We learn from history that even countries with tremendous resources and potentials to be in the league of the rich and powerful nations, got fractured and became dysfunctional, and some even ceased to exist. Although it does not sound palatable, Bangladesh is not among the resourceful rich countries; it's still among the poorest and most backward ones. While richer countries like Iraq, Libya and Syria have failed to endure unrepresentative governance, corruption, and prolonged civil wars; Bangladesh can't endure them for an indefinite period either.

Corrupt elites and their beneficiaries in the Third World seldom consider revolutionary changes and their own overthrow even as remote possibilities. Absolute power has its own limitations and nemesis. As Marx explains, ruling oligarchs often suffer from “bourgeois false consciousness,” which is delusional or self-deceptive. It's different from mass “false consciousness,” which is also delusional but subject to elite manipulation and cultural hegemony of mass consciousness. Elites in post-colonial countries like Bangladesh do not even behave like the bourgeoisie; as their values are feudal and colonial, so are they the neo-feudal lords and neo-colonial masters. No wonder, the country is infested with so-called VVIPS and VIPs! And being surrounded by sycophants and retainers, they only hear what they love to hear from them—sweet lies.

The new spate of violence and use of terrorist methods to kill innocent civilians have gone up alarmingly since the farcical parliamentary elections of January 2014. Alarmingly, the number of random bomb attacks in public places is going up.

It might sound hyperbolical, but people being unsure about the identities of the bomb throwers and arsonists, and the present crisis being so fuzzy and puzzling that it appears to be more challenging and unpredictable than what people experienced in the past. We don't know if the present crisis will be over in one month, one year, or in one decade. People are not sure if the violence they are experiencing today will turn into something more serious tomorrow to engulf the entire country.

The present crisis no longer reflects only a violent showdown between the two rival “political dynasties,” represented by the BNP-Jamaat on one side, and the AL on the other. One believes there are multiple parties and sides engaged in the gory business of taking innocent lives and terrorising the whole nation to promote their political and other vested interests.

We notice the sudden rise in the incidents of extrajudicial killings. And when such selective and indiscriminate killing of civilians become widespread, terrorists emerge out of nowhere, mainly out of the surviving family members, friends and neighbours of the victims as had happened in some Latin American countries, Algeria, Iran under the Shah, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan in the recent past.  

Politicians, professionals, security experts, human rights activists, members of the civil society and law enforcing agencies should resolve the crisis, which still seems to be controllable, jointly. There is no point in the information minister's recent irresponsible comment that the crisis be resolved on the street, not by talking across the table. AL has no reason to underestimate the BNP. Recently, more than a million people turned up at the funeral of Khaleda Zia's politically inactive son. And this should ring the bell in the AL camp. Let good sense prevail and leaders find out a permanent solution to hold free and fair elections in the country, only by talking with each other across the table.

The writer teaches security studies at Austin Peay State University.  Sage has recently published his latest book, Global Jihad and America: The Hundred-Year War Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan.