Tolerance in politics
Political parties,
if they do care about Bangladesh�s future,
must agree that resorting to violence is simply
unacceptable. The
tolerant attitude shown by the two parties this time around gives the people reason to hope that things may finally be moving in
the right direction
People across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief as hours after unveiling plans to hold rallies in the capitals same venue Suhrawardy Uddyan on January 5, both the ruling Awami League and its arch rival BNP backed out and decided to hold their programmes in front of their respective party offices. Bangladeshis from all walks of life were apprehensive about what might happen on the streets of January 5 if the parties in question had adopted an intransigent attitude regarding the matter. Politics is an art of compromise and we appreciate that the two major political parties showed a mature and tolerant attitude.
And this type of tolerance is against the trend we have observed over the years. The political landscape of Bangladesh seemed to have been engulfed by a culture of institutionalised violence and vendetta. The idea that politics is meant to be a civilised affair was becoming irrelevant in this country. The people in general feel extremely insecure whenever major programmes are announced concurrently by the two parties.
Establishing democratic and pluralistic values is one of the main tasks for the country today. Many believe it ranks above economics and GDP growth. The time has come when leaders across the political spectrum should work together to sustain the inherent quality of a nation that has always fought for democracy and against justice. This is the time to take certain visionary steps rather than attempts to keep opponents off-balance. An image of Bangladesh that seems to be fraying needs to be reversed. The growing distance between dissenters of current policies and the rest needs to be closed. This republic must demonstrate that it can accommodate widely different points of view within a common constitutional framework.
The core values of democracy celebrate diversity, plurality and tolerance. Those at the helm of political parties must understand that this is the age of connectivity, when millions feel connected intimately through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other apps. As concerns grow, sharing of individual experiences among lakhs of people using the Internet could lead to a mighty groundswell of opinion which shows complete apathy towards politicians and political parties.
It is apparent that in this highly politically polarised country, consensus on anything is extremely difficult to build. However, the political parties, if they do care about Bangladeshs future must agree that political violence killing lives and destroying properties is simply unacceptable. The tolerant attitude shown by the two parties gives the people reason to hope that things may finally be moving in the right direction.
