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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Bleak Dream

Bleak Dream
Ashim Kumar Paul

Good governance - some may call it a mere daydream or reverie, while others may opine that it still is a possible thing which matters for Bangladesh. In fact, good governance is a matter of great debate for developing countries like ours. As views asserted by experts, many issues revolve around the process of good governance and nothing can be left unaddressed which is responsible for the absence of it. Formal education, anti-corruption watchdog, political stability, fair and transparent participation of mass people in relevant sectors, social security and absence of violation of laws can play the vital role in ensuring the practice of good governance. These indispensable requirements of acquiring the much needed act of governance are all inter-related and the efficacy of one hinges upon the other; a problem in any ingredient of it will, in the end, compromise the success of the other. If there is any interruption in the flow of good governance, one can be sure that there will be absence of public access to their basic rights and privileges.

However, many assent to the view that formal education and mass awareness are two of the main components required to build up the structure of good governance. If availability of formal education and mass awareness is ensured, the beginning of good governance must and will mark its mammoth footprint. But, it is a matter of great dismay that in our country, the rate of achieving formal education is often substituted with the number of mere literacy (the ability to read and write one’s name only). Gaining the aptness of literacy means mastering the level of education, but that very concept is absolutely absurd. I would like to draw the picture with the following experiences of my friends who had gone through a huge trauma of finding their glowing dreams go off the rails.

During the local government poll, two of my friends residing in
Dhaka had gone to their village to cast their vote and lend their supporting hands to a local friend, who was one of the five aspirants in his own ward. The aspirant friend became much glad and sanguine at their lively presence. Maintaining the rules and regulations ordained by the Election
Commission, they joined in the election campaign and tried their best to make the people understand about the competency of his candidature. After a several-day-long campaign, my friends were convinced that despite their seemingly poor educational background, the villagers would not at least turn in their valuable votes to the incompetent candidates like before. Following the expiry date of the campaign, when they had nothing but to reckon the possible number of votes casted for their friend, they were much hopeful about his triumph.

It is noteworthy that the process strictly followed by the Election Commission and local administration to hold a fair and credible poll was really laudable and exemplified. No fake voting was attempted and no violation of laws was even seen. The village looked like a festive arena and the villagers preserving order and discipline were found in cosy mood. However, from the moment when the name of the winner was to be announced, my friends were thrilled as they were waiting to hear their friend’s name as the winner. But to their utter disappointment, he failed to win the election and received a severe defeat. Nothing but words of commiseration could be said to solace him.

Few days after the election, while my friends were roaming around their village and talking about the unexpected defeat of their friend, a quinquagenarian man, who, at that time, was passing by, intervened their discussion. He informed that it was the grand feast for the villagers arranged by the winner, dodging the eyes of law during his campaign that played the key role in the defeat of their friend. They were thunderstruck at his words. They could hardly find a word to express their exasperation.

It is really sad to say that the blazing star of their dream was sunk in the beginning of its ascent. While they were gripped in foreseeing the materialisation of their aspiration and dream, the foolish act of those people left them deserted. I put forward to you a question to muse on: how can we dream of good governance that will act for the welfare of the country and her citizens when these people are easily convinced to trade their valuable votes in exchange of a grand feast or some money?

To view its internet edition, Click: Bleak Dream

Saturday, May 05, 2012

The Fall of Humanity


Text Box: Eve Teasing 

The Fall of Humanity
Ashim Kumar Paul


As an engulfing social curse, eve teasing or sexual harassment has, in recent times, become a deadly phenomenon that is occurring more and more every day all over the country. Alongside the social, economic and cultural differences, girls fall prey to eve teasing – an inhumanely odium deed committed by morally degenerate people. Almost every day, via the mass media, we are being informed of the dreadful violence that our girls are subjected to. It would not be exaggeration if we say that those victims are destined to be persecuted, given our socio-economic scenario.

In today’s world, eve teasing is not only confined to verbal abuse. Women are subject to physical harassment in almost every sphere of life – when they are on the way to their school/college/university, workplaces or any other destination. As a matter of fact, nowadays, no place can be deemed ‘safe’ or ‘secure’ for women. The evil of eve teasing is so rampant that women do not even feel safe in their own houses. As a result, helpless parents feel extremely insecure about allowing their daughters to step outside their homes. At times, parents even feel compelled to either stop their daughters’ education or marry them off. Sometimes, the victims are even driven to committing suicide to forever rid themselves from the torment of eve teasing.

There are certain reasons behind this viciously expanding social disease. The erosion of religious and moral values, social injustice, laxity of family bonds and norms, reckless exposure to the cyber world with no assurance of security, and the dwindling state of our culture are vehemently responsible for the degradation of people’s collective morality, especially the younger generation. With the aggression of western culture and thriving information technology, our social, moral and religious values are waning away. Moreover, most people have chosen the negative sides of tech-benediction instead of the positive side. The advantages of technology are abused over and over again to strangulate the bright prospects as well as luminous dreams of many girls.

Although victims, in a few cases, come forward to protest the humiliation they face, they hardly find justice, especially because in times of need, these victims are scarcely supported by the society. They are often unjustly blamed for the harassment they have to endure. In most cases, they are even coerced into withdrawing the impeachment filed against the felons. Otherwise, the security of their life and their family is put at stake. Most of the times, eve-teasers are directly or indirectly involved in native politics. As a result, they “enjoy” the privilege of being a part of their affiliated political wings.

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” – this famous line from Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare’s masterpieces, can be applied here to illustrate the contaminated mentality of those people who are incessantly eroding the valuable lives and creating hindrance in the way of progress. More specifically speaking, what is a fair attitude to the women is supposedly an unfair job to those aberrant people. On the contrary, some men derive a perverted pleasure from publicly harassing women. In practice, their sense of morality and humanity has been occupied by the outright abhorrent psyche.

The development of an entire country requires equal participation of both male and female citizens in all the developing sectors. Hence, to speed up the wheels of progress, the rights, security and evaluation should be maintained by giving both parties equal attention. Sadly, what we now witness is nothing but a true reflection of inequality and social victimisation of the female populace. Due to eve teasing and other social tyrannies that women are subject to, they are unable to be at par with their male counterparts. In fact, the tumour of eve teasing has become such a deadly threat that it is hampering women’s overall advancement. The 21st century is a mark of progress; progress in the ground of education, science and technology, business and society. Hence, to progress with the light of knowledge and evolution, we need to purge ourselves from the prevailing social prejudices that make us retreat from the path of development. We must begin by changing ourselves.

To view its internet edition: The Fall of Humanity