So Badruddoza Chowdhury is calling for a national consensus government for the next 10 years.
President of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) Prof AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday called for a “government of national consensus” for next ten years comprising all democratic and patriotic political parties that believe in common development programmes.
“In order to bring peace and prosperity in our country and to prevent hartal, demonstrations, damage of public property and bloodshed in the post-election period, we need a government of national consensus for at least ten years,” Badruddoza Chowdhury said at an iftar party at city’s Sheraton Hotel.
Said HM Ershad who was present as the invitation-only iftar in response to the proposal:
“It’s a new idea. We need to discuss it within our party.”
Actually, it’s not a new idea at all. BAKSAL, anyone? It was a bad idea then, it’s a bad idea now. And read 10 years as “indefinitely”.
Seriously, B Chy - 10 years would be around a fifth of this country’s lifespan, if this idea takes off (the consensus in such a “consensus” government will likely last for 2 months btw, if not less. We Bengalis are a quarrelsome lot - that might be a good thing…). Do recall that by some people’s measurements, we did have a national “Jatiyo” consensus government between 81 and 90. It too was a bad idea, and you were right then about why it lacked, what do I call it, legitimacy…
Some people have a hard time understanding what our needs are as a polity. What we need is accountability, and a system that generates accountability. Others have stated things more eloquently (there’s a number of the Federalist Papers that talk about factions and the benefits of divided power in a system of checks and balances, for example, that I am too lazy to go and dig up…) But since I am partial (may be even slightly egotistical), I am going to link to something I wrote a few weeks ago. It’s not very long. Read particularly the last couple of paragraphs. Where is accountability in a “national unity government” system going to come from?
I hope this idea of a national consensus government of some degree of permanence dies the silent, unmourned death that it deserves. I fear it won’t.
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October 9, 2007 at 6:18 am
AsifY
Hairey Saif! Tomar title porei to haashi shuru hoye gelo. “Chacha chowdhury” = classic!
October 10, 2007 at 7:11 am
Sanin
Always looking for the easy answers to rather complex questions. How about improving the law and order, and as true “patriots”(whatever that word stands for these days) not engage in negative actions and bloodshed.
October 10, 2007 at 11:36 am
fugstar
I dont think he forgets history, if i recall correctly, he lived through interesting times. It is a positive thing that politicians with their restored microphones say something mature and hope inducing for a change.
‘We will not spread hatred against national leaders of the past or present in the sole interest of political gains and show respect to leaders with different political views and will not make anybody smaller nor make anybody mightier.’
National Unity Govt, and the necessary democratic spirited and sculpted procedures to acheive it can be pursued in any number of ways. The experiences of Basic Democracy, BAKSAL and other similar ventures can inform the creation of a better model. Why burden the future with oppositional co-destruction, just for lack of precedence that smells good?
October 10, 2007 at 7:10 pm
AsifY
*shakes head. moves on*
October 11, 2007 at 5:53 pm
tacit
Good post. I heard about BAKSAL from people who were at the receiving end of the regime then, and it sounded incredible back then. How quickly we fall victim to our own worst demons.
October 12, 2007 at 4:45 am
Saif
You’re right, fugstar bhai, that what B Chy says about “spreading hatred against national leaders” etc. is a move in the right direction. The thing is that this kind of statement is cheap one to make - it is following through the spirit of such statements in practice that’s difficult and thus matters. It is interesting though that even such low-cost statements were so infrequently heard in the pre-1/11 state of things from the two netris, and indeed, this had some role to play in the poisoning of the atmosphere. It would be interesting to hear a rational reason why such statements were not made. Am I underestimating the cost?
On the issue of the National Unity Government, fugstar bhai - I think you’re missing a key point I make in the post. We should be wary of such national unity government ideas not just because of our failed history with Baksal and suchlike (mind you, at a time when much of the Bangladeshi populace would have voluntarily jumped off the edge of a cliff at the mere command of Bongobondhu) We should be wary because national unity governments - especially entrenched ones of the kind proposed by B Chy - inherently lack built in processes of accountability. It’s not “just lack of precedence that smells good” that’s driving my worry. It’s the very essence of human nature. “Wa khuliqa al-insanu da’eefa.”
October 14, 2007 at 3:33 am
bitterboy
Badruddoza chowdhury, a dancing doctor [why a dancing doctor! I was a direct student of BDC, he could draw the silhouette of heart and lung on blackboard in single stroke with a dancing spin, that's why I call him DD], always brags about his merit. He is good at making something new like BiKol Dhara. But it so far flopped and will continue to, I hope.
He touts the politics of secularism and keeping religion out of politics. But pretty interestingly, he is the guy who did completely new thing in the politics of Bangladesh: he had once given a “Hunger strike” program in the High court/Majar campus. I don’t know why!, to stave away lathi-charge by police or something else, he started to read Al-Quran during the hunger strike, completely new invention of using religion in political program. Now secularist BDC gave a clarion call for NUG [National Unity Government] in Iftar party, another illegitimate way of using religion for politics by so called secular polititicians.
By this time his unique NUG proposal has been negated by the major players in politics. And more enthusiastically his disciple OLI is trying to throw out another proposal NAGIN [National Agreement Government of Indemnified Netribrinda!]
Let us see who is more meritorious BDC or COLI [cornel oli]
Thanks
October 14, 2007 at 6:42 pm
addafication
Your definition of secularism is interesting, bitterboy…
- Saif