চলুন সবাই মিলে দেশ গড়ি - ভাবনাকে কাজে পরিণত করি৷

A mass movement similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt is essential in Bangladesh to get rid of the dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, to save the country from the clutches of dynastic rule and its associated evils, and to establish a truly democratic “government of the people, by the people and for the people” ......(See below) Dictatorship in Democracy One definition of dictatorship, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is “absolute power or authority” vested in one individual. So, if there is a government which gives - officially or unofficially - absolute power and control of all organs of government in the hands of one individual, it is by definition a dictatorship, even if the government is an elected one. Dictatorship appears in different forms and characters in different societies. A dictator may be a monarch in one country, or an elected head of the government in another country. When it comes to Kings and Queens with absolute state power, there is no difficulty in identifying and characterizing them as dictators, but recognizing an elected head of the government as dictator is both tricky and controversial. Take for example the case of Hosne Mubarak, the Egyptian president. He has been elected to presidency numerous times over his nearly thirty-year rule in Egypt, the last time being in 2005 by more than 85% votes of the people. Egypt also has a 444-member parliament - known as the People’s Assembly - elected every five years by public vote, and a cabinet headed by a Prime Minister who is chosen by the President himself. So, apparently, one can argue that Hosne Mubarak is a democratically elected president according to the constitution of Egypt. But it would be very naïve to think that Hosne Mubarak of Egypt, or rulers like him around the world, would let the government and the society run in true democratic spirits, upholding the rule of law and paying attention to the opinions and wishes of the people. Everyone in the world, except the hardcore supporters of Hosne Mubarak, knows what he is – a dictator. Now let us examine the case of our government and leaders. Since 1990, we have a parliamentary form of elected government. The parties which led the governments in turn over the last twenty years are Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League (AL), with the exception of two years of extra-constitutional rule by the Care-Taker Government from 2006 to 2008. These two parties are headed by Mrs. Sheikh Hasina (AL) and Begum Khaleda Zia BNP). They come from two iconic families of Bangladesh and therefore the party council sessions meant to elect office bearers of these two parties are arranged by their supporters and sycophants in a way that would guarantee these two ladies the party chair positions in their respective parties. Furthermore, the party chairs of AL and BNP are authorized by their party men to select and fire at will other office bearers of their parties. So, Mrs. Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia enjoy absolute power and authority in their political parties and have been exercising dictatorial authority for roughly thirty years now, contrary to the practices elsewhere in the democratic world. According to our constitution, the Prime Minister is the chief executive of the government. President appoints and fires the cabinet ministers upon recommendations from the Prime Minister. So, Mrs. Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia during their respective tenure practically decide who will be in and out of the Cabinet, and when. Moreover it is well known that no cabinet minister, out of fear for reprisal, dares to say or do anything that would displease Mrs. Hasina or Khaleda Zia, even if it is of urgent national interests. In that sense, the two party bosses have absolute power and authority over the executive branch of the government which fits truly into the concept and practice of dictatorship. The leader of the parliament - the legislative branch of the government - is another very important position, which has been held in turn by Mrs. Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia whenever their parties got majority seats in the parliament. Just because the party chair can sack at will or send to obscurity any member of the party, an MP never dares to say anything to the dislike of their party chairs. In other words, Mrs. Hasina or Begum Khaleda Zia has absolute power and authority over the parliament when their respective party is in majority. Some politicians in AL and BNP tried to reduce the dictatorial power of their supreme leaders, but all in vain. Moreover, the so called reformists of both parties earned so much wrath from their bosses that they have been either minimized in power or expelled from the party altogether by their party chiefs with unqualified support from opportunists and sycophants in their parties. In the process, the party bosses seem to have consolidated their power and strengthened their authoritarian grip more than ever before. So the people of Bangladesh have lost hope for democratic reforms in AL and BNP from within, just like the people of Egypt or Tunisia saw no hope for desired change in their leaders. The current situation in Egypt and Tunisia serves as an example of what happens, inevitably, when leaders fail to respond to the demands of people for democratic reforms. People of Tunisia have done what they needed to do, and the Egyptian mass is doing what it must do to establish people’s rights and true democratic governments. A mass movement similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt is essential in Bangladesh to get rid of the dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, to save the country from the clutches of dynastic rule and its associated evils, and to establish a truly democratic “government of the people, by the people and for the people”. None of the present leaders of our political parties do have the credibility, vision or integrity of character to lead the necessary democratic movement in Bangladesh. New leaders have to rise from among the people, earning their positions by virtue of work, not by exploitation of family names.