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Developing the country as a social movement

M. Mizanur Rahman

Once Dr. Mahathir Muhammad was asked how it was possible for him to make a drastic change of his country Malaysia. His reply was very short and simple: it was due to 'uninterrupted and continued democratic government'. This charismatic leader. although sometimes controversial, led the country for 22 years giving it prosperity that has taken the country to an envious position, not even dreamt of by many developed countries. Now Malaysia is the destination of many people of developing countries. He showed how dynamic political leadership and foresight could strike miracles in terms of development of a country.

The government is the biggest establishment to work as change agent for development of any country. In a democratic country, politics is the biggest instrument that facilitates a democratic process to ensure development. Politics is an instrument that creates competition among people to accelerate the process of development. In Bangladesh, apart from the government, a lot of development organisations and partners are working with the same agenda i.e. development.

Thousands of NGOs (non-governmental organisations), both national and international, a large number of donor agencies with more than 1.2 million people and millions of taka, are operating a large number of projects for developing different components of this complex whole. In spite of all these arrangements, they are not yet able to reach every pocket of the country and its coverage is not as wide as that of the state machinery. Definitely, it is not the agenda of the NGOs or development partners to improve the lot of every individual equally; rather they just create some models and pursue the government to go for widespread implementation of such models. Here we are undoubtedly successful as many of the NGOs have successfully proved the efficiency of different development models in Bangladesh, called abroad as a prominent laboratory of development experiments.

The political system of Bangladesh has a huge potentiality of guiding the country to right path to development. We at present have in the country only two political streams, which ascend to power by turn. So, when power of ruling the country is only between two groups, it is certainly possible for them to have a consensus and mutual understanding on adopting and implementing the same strategies for taking the country ahead. These two parties can start a competition of doing good for the country giving an idea of what 'politics' should really mean. As a result, they could ensure well-being of the people.

If we take a closer look, we find that the two leaders, leading these two parties, hold the supreme power and have the strength of taking decisions and leading the country. So, now the things have become definitely easier. People of this country have a historical and emotional attachment with the families of the two leaders. The educated segment of the society will support them wholeheartedly and unanimously if they take steps for the wellbeing of the country.

It is unfortunate that today everything is possible here except consensus between these two parties. But there must be a way-out. Can't we think about development as a social movement? It is possible when people are now being educated, information technology is enriching people with updated knowledge, social media is connecting people in a moment and media is trying to focus every anomaly in this country. Strong nationalism and patriotism are running high in the veins of our young generation.

The ugly competition for capital accumulation will one day go away when some people will realise the futility of money in ensuring happiness. We see development as nothing but a synonym of happiness. And definitely, human beings can never be happy alone. Being happy is a feeling of satisfaction seeing everyone happy. Bangladesh will soon look for this.

Only three million people in this country of 160 million are extremely poor. When the country will have 1.9 million wealthy people and a very strong group of middle class, will it be really very difficult to graduate these three million out of poverty within a year? Many of us are able to help at least one extremely poor man in our life-time taking it as a social responsibility. If we all come together and make it a social movement, within a year the entire scenario will change.

We, 160 million people, can plant 160 million trees and the country can be turned green. This is the potentiality we have if we really can start a social movement. Let us stop all irregularities and anomalies from both the sides of service providers and service receivers. Let us uphold the dignity of human beings, let us uphold the spirit of the Bangalee nation. The country will change soon for the better.

From today, if we come out of narrow partisan feelings and identify ourselves as true Bangladeshis, we will not bother for micro-level interest for individual or ownself. We all will work for the greater interest of the country as a whole.

It is shameful and frustrating to see that most of us--academicians, intellectuals, doctors, judges, students and civil servants--are identified with the party lines; some are devoted to either this or that political party.

Like the regime of Dr Mahathir Muhammad, none of our leaders here got the long and uninterrupted scope of holding power because power in the country often tended 'to be corrupt'