জাতীয় পার্টির চেয়ারম্যান, সাবেক ফল রাষ্ট্রপতি পল্লীবন্ধু হুসেইন মুহম্মদ এরশাদ ও জাতীয় পার্টি

Strategy for new millennium  Hussain Muhammad Ershad Former President, Bangladesh Mr. Chairman, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Nepal, distinguished guests and dear brothers and sisters of friendly countries. It is a great privilege and personal pleasure to be able to talk to this august gathering. More than that it constitutes real challenge. I have no hesitation to confess that I viewed your invitation with some reservation specially for the theme of this summit whose course and outcome, I believe, are arcane and uncertain. However, this opportunity offers us to share some of our thoughts on the coming days and on my part I would exchange my experience of governing the most densely populated country having an undue share of problems. You would agree with me that this is a theme of intense difficulty. We are in a vortex of mass and massive communication where an idea or an image is difficult to sustain even for a week. Standing as we do, we are but the famed “thin red line” who are the soldiers on the front facing the most overwhelming odds. We are about to face the next millennium, which stares us in the face with its huge potentialities and possibly unimaginable problems. But we should reflect that the next millennium is not a new beginning. It is also a continuum to flourish our hopes and aspirations. There is no doubt that the nest thousand years will draw intensely and heavily on the experiences and pitfalls of the current millennium. While technological marvels may have been narrowing the gaps of our knowledge, it is also creating new kinds of disparity. As it lays foundations of new concepts, it is threatening the very foundations of many of our dearly held traditions and beliefs. It is weaving imperceptibly new canvas of culture and understanding. I do not think they are either evolution or, perhaps, revolution. Should we call them evo-revolution, in which many long-lost cultures and beliefs are reclaiming their places. In this drama, the old order is just reshaping into new order. But unfortunately it is also unleashing anarchic anomalies. Some problems will remain intractable. Poverty, unemployment, disease, disappearing natural resources will be among them on the economic front. Environmentally there is this growing risk of irreversible planetary damage. Earth resources are limited which will run out ultimately. Pollution and carbonic-oxide emission are causing serious environmental degradation affecting quality of human life. There is limit to human intervention that earth can safely tolerate. We have to think radically, shaking off many pre-conceptions and ideas about life on earth. Politically, we are in an incredible excitement and bewilderment. The concept of post-national community is growing in the developed countries as we see in Europe. Its waves are touching our shores rather with noise. In the same breadth, there is the effort of preserving culture and regional varieties. On the plea of technological development, idealists are talking of transcending nationalism, ensuring planetary uniformity. They are taking of global society. To many it must be a utopia. Because, such development presupposes respect to diversities in attaining the unity. We may recall that Nepal is among the few nations in this region which never lost its independence. But it did have its due share of historic burden along with a wealth of experience that we all can share. It is a matter of great achievement as well as pride to be able to sustain the independence. Before I move on to theme, may I share my thoughts with you on how we approached the philosophy of politics and development in governance. I feel that the political philosophy in governance is ever-changing. It has to be tuned to the demands of the time. The demands, on its part, continue to shift its position. Which is why the cliché is that there is no last world in politics. However, it does not mean politics cannot have its principles, which in fact, are the core round which the political grounds shift. Every government has to abide by this principal to cope with the stress and strain of politics. It is important. But it should rest on what I call development philosophy. They are actually two parts of a whole. An adequately tuned development philosophy can leave behind long testing legacy of political philosophy. During my nine-year association with the government of Bangladesh, the most densely populated country with all forms of problems pegged in one, I realized it too intensely. I encountered extreme odds in implementing the development programmes in Bangladesh. For example, Let me say few words on Dhaka city. It is now a mega-city of 10m. It was a city of 5/6m in early 80s. There could not have been greater odds than expanding roads or constructing new ones in Dhaka when I set upon the work. New laws had to be enacted followed by strong steps to evict illigal occupants in order to build new roads. If those unpopular but right measures were not taken then, Dhaka would have been a paralysed city now. One part of the development philosophy was the introduction of Upazila (sub-district) system of local governance. This involved people at grassroots in development programmes designed to bring urban facilities to the rural areas. Thousands of growth centres with civic facilities had thus spray up in rural Bangladesh. Even the personal government, which opposed this system then, has been forced to restore it. These growth centres generated economic activities to hold back people from migrating to the cities and were the first step to alleviate poverty. Unfortunately the programme that my government had launched was later abandoned inspiring the massive move of the rural population to Dhaka and other big cities of Bangladesh making them unmanageable. Every day the urban situation is growing worse. I believe that the real support for people lay in constant monitoring of their condition. This is possible through well laid development programme with a political ideology. But what should be the strategy ? The answer demands clear idea where we stand today. The poor countries are being buffeted by the vested interest groups. A set of nations has mastered the technology, which they brought them riches and power. They now control all potentials of developments. Those others without this technology are poor countries who are but fodders. We have also to remember that these fodder-states which we are, cannot expect a sudden radical change in our situation. Even if we try there would remain uphill barrier in obtaining the ladder of ascent to prosperity. We often hear what we call globalization. How beneficial will it be for the third world or what I called the fodder-states. Globalization is but centralization of decision making by the holders of technology. Let us take, for example, the e-mail. Because the server is in a distant land, the mail to our next door has to travel through the distant land. All world economic activities are likewise being routed through the centre, which obviously will not be under the control of third world. With such scenario in the backdrop, the next millennium might arrive at “our” doors with more problems than we can solve. The struggle between these two sets of countries is hardly on ideological lines. Here the economy is the ideology. And that economy will continue to be dominated by the first world as the ill-effects of their high consumption will have to be borne by the smaller countries. These small nations might even lose their sense of direction and part of their sovereignty as well. The UN estimates that 88 percent of world population lives in less developed regions. The question should be addressed from a different perspective. A synthesis of a new philosophy of life will have to be evolved for moderate levels of comforts spread over the greater part of the world. This can narrow the gaps between the high consumption of the extremes of rich and depravity in the less development regions. In other words, environment, development and population should be considered distinct aspects of a harmonious whole. If such consideration is backed by fundamental ethics of ecological equilibrium  a proposal in which the affluent nations have greater role to play  the approach could be a potent means of eliminating global poverty. The per capita consumption in the development countries is as high as 40 times than that of poor countries. The issue of population growth is tackled by developing countries as an integral part of their socio-economic growth. The industrialised nations must contribute its Share from the standpoint of preserving the environment. We are confronted here with the question of future supply of energy. While the sources of fossil fuel dwindle, nuclear power is not within the reach of most nations. How the ever increasing human demands for energy can then be met? The next millennium concern us all because, I believe, one of its potential persuasiveness . The information technology (IT) that suddenly emerged at the end of 20th century seemed to affect every facet of our life. Will it revolutionise our ways of living? Or will it simply overwhelm us? We are here to dilate on these vital issues so that the new possibilities do not enable its controllers to usurp the rights of majority human being. Already assumptions are being shredded to pieces before they can be translated into reality. The cyberspace seems to have inaudible impact. It is being predicted that traditional "nation-state" will find it difficult to capture income, to tax its peoples or enforce burdensome bureaucratic regulations. Cyber encryption will protect and conceal assets, nation states will fund it increasingly difficult to tax at punitive rates. Talented citizens will have no fixed nationality like in the Middle Ages. Capitals will fly to where it is safe. Now attitude will emerge where governments might be considered redundant and people would prefer the olden times when regulations were few. Obviously the politicians will be increasingly considered as disappointing staff. Once the founder of wall street journal, Charles Dow said, Politicians properly observed, will often disappoint. Ideas, properly understood seldom will". In fact ideas will join with the resurgent concern for values. Human societies have thrived through the centuries on morals and ethical standards. These two essential elements will face the greater threat from this new technological development. Even now increasingly personal responsibility is being overlooked or ignored. Instead there are constant attempts to misuse the power at every level. Lack of accountability could reach enormous proportion. Established notions of truth and virtue face challenges and curriculums are being dumped down to teach children that parents are not to be trusted. In few words, young people are being insidiously exposed to ideas and feelings that they needed not to think for the society as a whole learning is not any more important. This scenario is emerging in the affluent societies will trickle-down effect on poorer ones where we live. While well entrenched government in the west may face the situation it will have disastrous effects on our socio-economic reality. Then what do we propose to do? This is a challenge which must nudge us to reality. Unfortunately, our problems are mostly created by forces beyond our control and we fall back on them for its solution. The developing nations are thus being treated like children, who have to remain ever dependant. Rarely some stars get lose when no time is spared to bring the errant star on to the orbit. One pseudo problem is that some pretenders to regional powers try to behave like the west. In such a case, the danger for the really poor countries is perpetual. As we step into 21st century, I would propose that the developing countries weave a new unity so that they can explore and exploit their own resources to their own benefits. It is also essential the richer nations, who will benefit the most in current globalization, extend greater access to their markets. Some of these ideas can be phrased in the following terms: (a) South- South unity without compromising ones own interest; (b) New thrust on harmonious development with promise from the affluent nations to restrain this unnecessary consumption. (c) Spread of education with greatest stress on morals and ethics. (d) Tariff free exchange of goods and services along with south- south support to develop the skills. (e) Develop policy on sharing benefit of Information Technology on equal footing. (f) Programme for alleviation of poverty through development philosophy such as building growth centres to stop migration to cities. (g) Movement for self preservation through inculcating sense of personal responsibility (h) Inter-nation relation based on equality, faith and understanding. (i) Resolution of conflicts through negotiation with a spirit of universal amity reciprocity and equity. (j) Utmost efforts at preserving values for social cohesion to ward off disintegrative impact of technology. These are few thoughts on the coming days which may be harbinger of great good as well as great harm. It is the human being who shapes them up really. It we wish the good for the humanity, our goodness must prevail over baser instincts. We all know how baser instincts can overwhelm the other qualities. As I conclude my prayers are for multitudes of have notes who would never get the enlightenment of the next millennium. Thank you very much honourable speakers. May I venture to say I gained new insights as you do from the erudite speakers of this session. Everyone of this session - Mr. -------------------------- , Mr. ------------------ had held position from where they could view and visualise the world around us.