Stability sine qua non for development

In the present context, nothing is more important than a stable socio-political environment for sustainable development of the country. The liberation of the country more than half a century ago unlocked the potential for Bangladesh to become a politically stable and economically advanced country. But nothing of the sort could be achieved during this long period of existence as an independent nation. Most of the time, the country ruled by barefaced autocratic or pseudo-democratic regimes went without peace and stability. All state institutions faced deliberate strangulation right in their infancy. Instead of peaceful transfer of power in accordance with people's verdict, regime changes very often took place through violent means including mass uprisings, coups and countercoups, and even killings. This perpetual instability and lack of peace and tranquillity naturally could not lead to steady economic growth of the country. The outcome is very much before everyone's eyes; the country still languishes in economic woes and remains stuck to the least developed country status. 

The worst chapter in the history of the country was indisputably the period of the blood-thirsty dictatorial rule of the pre-uprising regime. It is now universally recognised that the immediate past government not only destroyed all democratic institutions, suppressed freedom of expression and tried to annihilate members of opposition political forces but also ruthlessly plundered resources of the country and siphoned off the same to safe havens. Under such circumstances of chaos and instability, economic growth and social progress continued to remain a daydream.

Now, the overthrow of the tyrannical regime through the July-August mass uprising is viewed by many as an opportunity for overhauling the statecraft and setting the national economy on a strong footing. However, in order to avoid misconception about this regime change, i.e. the ouster of the immediate past regime and replacement of it by the interim government is not an end in itself; it is an opportunity for working out basic changes in the state structure and economic arena. Pragmatic steps under a well thought-out strategy should be taken to reap the benefits of the change. It must not be forgotten that such an opportunity does not come every now and then and therefore its fullest possible utilisation should be made.  The chances must not be allowed to slip through the fingers.

People want to get rid of the boundless oppression that they were subjected to during the dictatorial rule. The nation eagerly waits for restoration of peace and stability in society and recommencement of healthy political and economic activities. But that is not going to be an easy task. While the changes in the political superstructure have created great opportunities, those have also thrown a number of formidable challenges. For the sake of putting politics and economy on right track, the interim government and the political forces will have to cleanse the Aegean stable first; they will have to remove heaps of garbage that the pre-uprising regime piled up in almost all areas of the state administration. The post-uprising government formed six core commissions with the aim of establishing a new Bangladesh based on an anti-authoritarian and anti-fascist political system. As a landmark development, the commissions have submitted reports to the Chief Adviser with lots of recommendations for changes in such arenas as basic state principles, form of parliament and curtailment of power of prime minister. They will submit final reports by the end of this month.

The first and foremost challenge thrown before the government and the political forces is to come to a common ground on the recommendations of the reform commissions. Moreover, like never before, they will have to reach a consensus on vital issues of national interests. The future course of the country hinges upon the nature and strength of the agreement stakeholders are able to reach. Without such unanimity, chances for doing away with the remnants of the past misrule and possibility of putting everything in order will be lost.

However, coming to a common position in all these diverse issues is not going to be an easy task due to differences of ideology and opinion among the political forces. While such differences are natural and also beautiful under a democratic polity, reaching an agreement at least on vital national issues is quite possible if the stakeholders are ready to compromise on less important questions. That the all-party dialogue on July uprising ended in unison is a ray of hope for greater agreement in all other core areas. Hopefully, the National Consensus Commission headed by Dr Yunus will be able to thrash out an agreed stance on the future course of the country's politics and economy. It is also expected that the stakeholders will make concerted efforts based on such a unity to create a peaceful atmosphere conducive to steady economic growth of the country.

Bangladesh is now passing through a tough time when inflation continues to threat market stability. The country's economy is yet to come to a stable position in the post-uprising situation. Production in industries is seriously hampered because of short and erratic supply of power and energy. The growth rate of the economy is also likely to remain low in the current fiscal year. The hurdles that the country has to overcome following the LDC graduation within a couple of years are also going to be even more challenging. Only a stable socio-political environment based on the much anticipated unanimity among the stakeholders can enable the nation overcome these hurdles. The state and political actors must play a pioneering role in ensuring such a favourable state of affairs.

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