Challenging vulnerability

Our society is gradually becoming restless. Wherever we go, only one question is asked, where are we going? It is over four decades that we have become independent. Lofty pledges were made that the foundation of Bangladesh would be built on social justice, political freedom and economic empowerment. These are considered to be the essential ingredients of human rights. Do we enjoy fundamental rights?
To deny human beings their rights is to set the stage for political and social unrest. Unfortunately, one finds that our inadequacies are enormous and our failure to ensure basic rights is monumental. This stands as a significant feature among other conditions that together make a country under-developed and vulnerable.
Vulnerability is manifested through deficiencies in legislation, particularly in observance and enforcement of law, widespread disobedience of rules and directives by public officials and their collusion with powerful persons or groups whose conduct they should regulate. Corruption is another cognisable index that causes a country to be a soft state.
The prevailing law and order in Bangladesh is far from satisfactory. Our economy is in disarray due to unprecedented stock market scam and galloping prices of essential food items. People have lost faith in the system of legal dispensation and the role of the parliament in framing legislation is shrinking.
The inclination of our people to resist public control and implementation is glaring. Loss in a game, or death due to road accident or wrong diagnosis, or negative emotional response provoke people to resort to vandalism. These are the syndromes of insularity, which substantially delays economic development. No sign of concern to bring order from a myriad of disorders is visible or heard at state or private level. There is no dialogue to promote goodwill between political parties, because of which the opposition does not feel obliged to exercise restraint.
The political strategy adopted by the major parties is to discredit each other by bullying and rhetoric. It seems that the opposition is sure to oppose everything that the government does. No in-house critique is ever carried out by the political parties for fear of reprisal as the leadership is intolerant and uncompromising. Leaders are eulogised and glorified so shamelessly that they themselves feel small about those who do so. Political parties transform into leaders' pocket institutions where democracy does not exist.
Tyranny teaches flattery. In the absence of democracy, the leaders take decisions on their own. If at all they do consult, they know that they have put their own people at importance posts in the party's hierarchy, regardless of their ability, who will be obliged to agree to any proposal tabled for discussion by the leaders.
The leaders have been dictatorial in the conduct of both party and state affairs. Successive governments made the parliament a showcase forum by refusing to give due opportunity to the opposition to raise issues critical to state development. So most of the legislations made were by and large partisan in nature. This is why the opposition hardly felt obliged to help the government implement decisions adopted by the parliament.
The intention behind the government's decision to clip the wings of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is hazy. This will embolden those that thrive on corruption. It has created doubts in the minds of taxpayers who would like to see that a similar procedure to deal with corruption is followed at all levels of governance. Maybe this is the reason why some people remain scot-free despite their known corruption scandals, and it is these people who have made property and wealth to obtain nomination even if their contribution in politics for the people is minimum.
The selection procedure of judges of the higher courts has often been questioned. Therefore, priority should be given to realisation-focused justice over arrangement- focused justice as the former concentrates on actual behaviour of the people rather than presuming compliance by all with ideal behaviour.
Voters' psyche often causes wonderment. The pattern of voting so far has been to vote for the opposition regardless of performance. The same persons or their inheritors are voted to parliament even if their performance as lawmakers is utterly poor. Many of the lawmakers are blessed with money and muscle, which they generously use during election.
How can a person coming from "Y" constituency win election in "X" constituency by defeating a local aspirant when the voters do not even know that person? This is an absolute misuse of their democratic right of franchise. The Election Commission can think of measures to up the ante by raising it as a critical national issue.
Prioritisation of subjects of agenda should be accorded to national issues over party or personal issues. Differences on party and personal issues can be initiated outside the parliament and can be brought up in the parliament to be recorded as resolutions. Eulogies for self-glorification and immodest references should be strictly avoided. It is time we inculcate a new culture based on civility and tolerance.
Our bureaucracy could have been aboveboard had it not been dragged into serving the government instead of the governed by enticement and cajoling for the mutual benefit of the government and the bureaucracy at the cost of good governance and development. They do so and get away because they are not blamed for the lack of transparency and are not answerable for any default.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) should be empowered to function independently if the bureaucracy is to be disciplined. Members of the PSC should be chosen from among the people of pedigree and wisdom with clean track record, and not by the government but by the JS. Enough time should be allocated for a purposeful debate before selection.
We all know that democracy is a bulwark of freedom. Liberties, franchises, privileges and jurisdiction of parliament are the undoubted birthright and inheritance of the people of a democratic nation.
It is time that we shun the culture of parliamentary truancy to develop parliament into a trustworthy, result-bound and vibrant organ for promoting free exercise of democratic rights. The EC, PSC and ACC should be empowered enough to function outside government influence. The Right to Information (RTI) and Human Rights Commission (HRC) should be more functional to be effective watchdogs against violations and denials or refusals. A legal commission should be activated to guard against legal default.
To inspire the nation to help protect our democracy, which will pave the way for development, the government, the opposition and the citizens should sincerely evolve a new work ethics based on patience, tolerance, prudence and fairness. The collective majority view is that we have a need for better governance, which will be possible if we remain focused on engaging the government and the opposition to work concertedly for economic empowerment of the people and for development of democracy.

The writer is a former Director General of BIISS.