Points to ponder
The nation is in hysteria with the landslide mandate that one party received in national elections. The media, both electronic & print, are abuzz with the excitement of experiencing a 'free' and 'fair' election. The spontaneity of the voters is also being praised. The CHANGE we have been looking for in the last two years, the 'din bodoler pala' we have been eagerly awaiting has finally arrived. ...Or, has it?
In the past two years, we have been hoping for a positive change in our political system, including the process and the players. We have been talking about 'jogyo prarthi' and 'amaar vote ami debo, dekhe, shune, bujhe debo' in all the local TV channels and seminars and symposiums. But have we really been successful in making that change we yearned for? We wanted a change in the system; we wanted to change our representatives in parliament; we wanted a big change in our political culture. The change we have been waiting for was not about merely changing the regime of one political party or alliance; the change we wanted was for changing the character of our politics for good. Have we achieved that change?
Have the citizens of our country diligently cast their votes, or have they only stamped on a particular 'marka', rejecting the other one that they trusted in the last elections and later felt betrayed? When a voter was inside the polling booth with the rubber stamp in her/his hand, what exactly was going through in her/his mind? Was it a sense of rejection, an urge for revenge, or loyalty towards a marka, or was it the competency of the candidates? I am afraid if the voters did not vote as per the EC slogan 'dekhe, shune, bujhe debo', then the change that she/he brought in as the outcome is not the change we wanted.
The 'No' vote was an excellent opportunity this time to bring the real change. And this option was chosen by many, mostly youth -- the first-timers, trying to bring the real change we have been dreaming about. Unfortunately, this option was not enough publicized by the EC or the media, and therefore went unutilised in the rural areas. The uneducated people have long been familiar with various 'marka', and they could not make any sense out of the 'No' vote option. If this had been properly explained, the results would have been different.
The only positive change that the people have brought in through their franchise is the rejection of the fundamentalist groups. I hope my fellow citizens will continue using their intelligence and not get influenced by emotions, false religious decrees, and money. Interestingly, the candidates who won against these fundamentalists not necessarily got all popular votes. The 'No' vote, not being properly explained to the voters, helped them in getting the advantage of the negative votes.
Being an optimist, I am still waiting for the CHANGE we have been longing for. Like many of you, I am a patient citizen of this country.
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