The systemic fault in politics must go

The political parties should thank the Election Commission for persistently prodding the government to allow some sort of dialogue. As the country is yet to recover from repeated natural calamities, underperforming economy and restive campus, one must appreciate that it is a bold decision to allow indoor political parley. If politicians could trust and respect each other and follow the rules, there would have been no need for restrictions, much less for reforms. The institution of the caretaker government (CTG) is unique in a sense that it is an acceptance of unreliability of politicians by themselves. Without being cynical one must concede that the CTG is the outcome of failed politics. Call for reforms is not a political issue but moral challenge to the nation; B. A. Choudhury is right to demand a national government and a decade to weed out the dirty culture: but he also knows the old faces are no more acceptable to the people.
The conditional obligation of democracies to provide the promised services to the people is clear and pronounced: if breached, the right to rule even if the person is elected is forfeited, and the validity of the government is rendered doubtful. John Loke's theory of the 'social contract' implied the natural right of the people to overthrow their leaders; should those leaders betray their rights. When Loke said 'overthrow' he meant forever. 1/11 is not merely a window-dressing of betrayal culture; it is shutting the door permanently to the betrayers. If this fundamental is ignored over the pretense of legality, the democratic exercise is rendered meaningless. There is no scope of missing this opportunity to regain confidence in democracy. If politicians failed to keep their pledge, people have no obligation to endure the dirty lot. A national cleaning up process is on and every political party must go through it. A national government is welcome but it must not be mere roping in the old with a new sticker but with honest and dedicated personalities.
In the newly emerged countries imported parliamentary democracy is in turbulence without the weight and presence of the stabilizer crown. My ten-year-old son addicted to gum, refused to touch it in Singapore for fear of being whipped if he threw waste on the roadside by mistake. At that young age he learnt from Singapore that democracy is discipline for collective good, not do as you please. The politicians are fond of visiting Singapore but do not seem to learn anything. India survives on gravitation from within and the strategy of flexible approach towards conflict resolution by accommodation; since independence they have created many new states and institutions. Pluralist India is not only voting periodically, it is also defining rights and privileges of the people regularly. The British took a thousand years through innumerable conflicts and revolutions with their uncanny ability to compromise among the king, lords and the people. Her Majesty the Queen is the symbol of British pride. I must say as long as the institution of the crown survives British democracy will flourish.
The president and the cabinet come from the same parliamentary majority in Bangladesh; almost simultaneously. As a result, unlike Her Majesty's government in Great Britain, Bangladesh produces Her/His Majesty's President. The guardian of the constitution cannot be the product of mercy of the party in power. In neighboring India that prides in the practice of parliamentary democracy the president has much larger Electoral College comprising Upper and Lower Houses down to the state and union territories and a durable existence for custodian role. In Bangladesh, greedy politicians turned the five-year terms into booty collection period under a helpless president; and the people either suffer silently or go on the streets in protest. The fight is between remorseless politicians and the people at large. Bangladesh needs a guardian president to oversee the exercise of democracy.
With no King and Lords to accommodate, the founding fathers of the American Presidential system were greatly influenced by Montesquieu the philosopher, who defined power in average men's vision. Power must be divided and exercised with check and balance. There is also the French republican model - an elected president with an elected cabinet to think about. Like clothing, democracy is manmade; politics should be tailored to the needs and tastes of the people. When the president becomes a colored balloon like B.A Chowdhury, pinprick away from the whims of bad politics, the system itself needs review. The only way out is to have a reinforced president; the guardian of the constitution must be able to withstand the pressure of parochial politics. The national institutions like ACC were in existence with heavyweights of our society like Supreme Court judges and vice chancellors, but remained pathetically helpless as the government came in their way of functioning. Now is the time to shut the door of bad politics on all institutions, including that of the president. If anybody, including the government, breaches the pledge; the steel of the president should come down as the constitutional watchdog. The president symbolizes the authority and reverence of the crown in crownless Bangladesh to sustain the wishes and aspirations of the people.
The American founding fathers like Adams, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson in the formative days condemned corruption as the greatest possible evil and considered it a civic duty to fight it. Thirty-six years after independence we are in that fight now. Aristotle had once said that ethics must be mastered by doing more than mere reasoning. If politics is devoid of ethics it is fit for the dustbin only. Bangladesh cannot afford to go for reforms and changes every few years, nor can people vote everyday. We need an assertive president to remind the cabinet that the mandate to rule is conditional to the promise made to the people. Democracy demands accountability - not crime condoned; that puts law above everybody and we have no king or lords above law. The dirty politics needs dismantling and the people's power rationally divided to stop the gruesome abuse. If we can do that, Bangladesh will certainly join the middle-income group of nations before long. Please look towards Singapore and save Bangladesh from politics of greed.
The author is a freelancer.