As March turns to April and we pack up the festoons and flags commemorating our independence, we can look back at the past 46 years and sigh, shake our heads and mumble, “What have we achieved?” Or we can look forward to the years ahead and decide where we want to go, where we want to take the nation. The choice is ours.
It is a choice between retrospection and introspection. Retrospection is essential, no doubt — leafing through the past to be inspired by our successes and galvanised to action by our failures. But introspection is that rare faculty where we dare to look into our souls, come face to face with our inner demons and come to terms with ourselves. When it comes to nation-building, introspection is perhaps the most neglected trait of all.
We cannot deny politics, both the contributions and shortcomings of our political leaders. After all, they are the drivers of the nation, the vehicles of change, the actors on the national stage. But we, the people, are the life blood of the nation, the corpuscles that keep the country alive. So while the government is the institution that is responsible for running the nation, the onus is on us too.
It is not just a matter of whom we vote for, in whose hands we place the fate of the nation. No leader is infallible and no leadership is fault-free. Bluntly put, no political party or government can materialise our dreams in full. It is for us, as individuals and collectively as a nation, to strive for a better life now and for the generations to come. If our politicians have failed, so have we.
Rewind to the late sixties and our independence struggle of 1971. The spirit that burned within our hearts, the zeal and determination against injustice and discrimination was at its peak. It was not the sticks and stones, the guns and grenades that enabled us to conquer the enemy, to change our identity from a suppressed eastern wing of Pakistan to a proud, independent and sovereign nation. It was the spirit of freedom that led us to victory in the past and will see us through any disaster in the future. But the spirit must be kept alive.
There is much talk of the spirit of the liberation war, the driving force that led us to valiantly fight against a powerful army and snatch victory in nine months of struggle and sacrifice. But where is that spirit now? Why are we complacently satisfied with our lower mid-income status? Why are we gratified when developed nations patronisingly praise our progress? Why we do we still have to refer to Kissinger’s basket case to prove the degree of our development? Why is democracy still in the doldrums? Why is our politics still rife with petty personal vendettas? Why has endemic corruption gripped the nation, preventing our people to reap what they sow by the sweat of their brow? Why is our resilience being pushed to the limits?
This is not a critique of the government. This is a critique of us as individuals. The man-on-the-street, the teacher in the classroom, the farmer in the field, the industrialist, the journalist, the entrepreneur, the homemaker, the student… each and everyone us must be accountable.
We have the propensity to point fingers. “Hasina has failed to do this”, “Khaleda is to blame for that”, “Ershad didn’t do this”, “Zia didn’t do that”… and so on. It’s become almost a tradition to lash out at the leadership. But we must also remember that when we point a finger, our three other fingers point back at us.
A pertinent question may be, what are we to do? We’ve put the politicians in power, and now will we just sit back and watch them work for us? That’s not how it works.
With the recent commemoration of 26 March, our Independence Day, perhaps the oft quoted words of John F Kennedy should resonate more than ever in our souls: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
But there is much more to glean from his famous inaugural address made more than half a century ago. In this day and age of globalisation where we give and take so much with the rest of the world, why not share some pearls of the American patriot’s wisdom too? As our nation stands divided, politically polarised to the extreme, can we not imbibe a few more of Kennedy’s inspiring words?
To quote from his speech again: “Let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us… Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce…”
These words can apply both to those in power and the opposition, as well as the general public.
We may join hands together as a nation and say:
Let us act, rather than react.
Let our protests be pragmatic.
Let our criticism be constructive.
Let us endeavour for excellence in our respective fields.
Let us think outside of the box to build a better Bangladesh.
Above all, let the spirit of freedom fly high.
Long live Bangladesh!
Source: Prothom Alo
