by Nayyara Noor
Bangladesh has just weathered another storm, albeit a mild one.
The talk about Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus contemplating to throw in the towel sent shockwaves through the country, with the Bangladeshi diaspora also feeling the ripples.
There were those, who, without having in-depth knowledge about Bangladesh and her amazing capacity to come back from the brink of a precipice, sounded out an alarm: the much-vaunted “revolution” is about to implode!
Well, doom-mongers have fallen silent, and the country is not in the grip of a major catastrophe!
Actually, when someone looks at Bangladesh from a distance, and through social media plus TV news, it may often appear that disaster is hovering over her.
If memory serves correctly, in the post-August 5, 2024 period, the country faced several challenges: protests aimed at disrupting civil order, a natural calamity that caused immense human suffering, a calculated drive of misinformation to demonise the interim government as well as a fractured law and order situation.
Reports of stolen weapons from police stations in the immediate aftermath of the July-August movement only added to a sense of unease.
Put all these together and you get the image of a troubled nation.
Fortunately, many of these impediments have been tackled, while several others are being dealt with.
The beauty of Bangladesh society and politics is that monotony hardly becomes the prevailing mood.
Bickering within the parties, relentless protests blocking Dhaka roads, dispute over when elections should be held and rumours of a rift between the military and the government snowballed to create a feeling of anxiety.
An apt analogy can be found in the many tidal cyclones that seem to be heading towards Bangladesh coast but suddenly change course at the last minute to be downgraded to a storm.
The latest political imbroglio also lost its ferocity, thanks to a swift series of talks.
Candid discussions can settle a lot of differences and if they can’t provide total solutions, then they can surely show a way through which a middle ground can be reached by making concessions, and clear thinking.
The party-wise discussions with the chief advisor seems to have secured a victory for reason.
As an expatriate, I see a lot of happy faces and a few unhappy ones.
The latter group desperately wants the country to fail naturally because their political rhetoric is sounding a little hollow at this moment.
Not extolling or excoriating any particular party, as a Bangladeshi living abroad, one feels that the people really need to see a set of crucial reforms and a truly fair and acceptable national election.
From what we see on TV and social media, the contentious issue dividing many is whether to have reforms before elections or not.
Naturally, with so many aberrations everywhere, a total overhaul of all public institutions would be impossible and impractical.
However, the government, put into place by the masses who led the July-August uprising, can and should implement a few key reforms before polls take place.
For instance, an independent commission to oversee the operation of law enforcers is a primary requirement.
The police force, formed to serve the masses, was politicised to such an extent that prior to Aug 5, 2024, it became a uniform-wearing force loyal to the party in power.
In the South Asian socio-political dynamics, overshadowed still by colonial-era interpretations, power is usually in the hands of those who occupy government and not with the masses.
Consequently, transforming law enforcers to become fully accountable and free of political control will take time.
However, in a few well thought-out measures, the police can be made a force, distancing itself from the practice of blatantly serving a political ideology.
As an expatriate, we would also love to see a smoothly operating airport in Bangladesh, where people coming from overseas can enter the country in the same jubilant mood in which they boarded the plane for Bangladesh.
For too long, the media industry in Bangladesh had to contend with a series of political arm-twisting with most media narratives dominated by one political doctrine.
This gave birth to the crony journalism culture and a political dogma-influenced agitprop.
A balanced media is essential rather than channels brazenly flying political colours.
For many Bangladeshis living overseas and meeting during weekends or for special social occasions, it’s very common to begin a conversation with the question: “Desher ki obostha?”— “What’s the condition of the country?”
This question, often asked with a deflated tone – a hint of worry tucked behind the words – opens the floodgates to a litany of concerns about problems plaguing the country.
The interesting thing is, for about as many years as Bangladesh has come into existence, the question’s tone has remained almost unchanged.
This proves that whatever the period, whether it was the tumultuous time after liberation when Bangladesh faced famine, natural disasters and was one of the poorest states in the world or, a country which, now eyes developing nation status, the emphasis was and still is on problems and socio-political anomalies.
The biggest success of this country is that even after a seismic change, it did not slide into an abyss.
People are working, livelihoods are being earned, the system of governance is operating, religious festivals of all faiths continue to be observed across the country and contrary to what many doomsayers had predicted, zealotry has not overtaken the general creed.
In a turbulent global economy, the UK is taking relief in a 1 per cent growth forecast whereas for Bangladesh it’s 3.9 per cent.
This outlook may seem very generalised to many, but compared with the rise of social ills in many First World nations, Bangladesh is hardly in a pickle.
Increased anti-immigration sentiment bordering on overt expressions of hate, lack of employment aligned with one’s qualifications and desire, inability to afford accommodation, health system riddled with red tape and lack of work-life balance detract from what is mistakenly deemed as an overseas life of comfort.
The grass is also green on the other side but it’s rarely greener!
From what we see on television and social media, the election road map appears to be the call of the time in Bangladesh and unless there is a major disruption, it will take place.
Most Bangladeshis living overseas want to see credible elections, which, as general expectations run, will hopefully trigger a mechanism for creating a better country.
The aspiration is always for a better Bangladesh, not a perfect one because perfect countries did not, do not, and will not ever exist.
To end with a famous line from George Bernard Shaw:
“Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than what we deserve.”
[Nayyara Noor is a non-resident Bangladeshi, living in Toronto, Canada]
