In the late Nineteenth century Tagore in his famous poem “Dui Bigha Jomi” (Two bighas of land) portrays Bengal’s villages as “Chhayasunibir shantir neer chhoto chhoto gramguli” (Thickly shadowed tiny villages abode of peace). Much changes has taken place since then in the Bengal scenario. It has been divided twice – once in 1905 and again in 1947 in the name of economic development, democracy and civilization – but the traditional peaceful and tranquil environment of rural Bengal remained more or less undisturbed throughout ages up to 1971 the year of Bangladesh independence. The traditional peaceful and tranquil environment of rural Bengal has been shattered in recent time in the name of so-called democratization of the country – a new civilization. Whither rural Bengals traditional tranquility and peace?
Had the EC thoroughly investigated violence and irregularities in the first phase and taken stern action, there is every reason to believe that the next phases would have been less violent
Prof. Sarwar Md. Saifullah Khaled
In the late Nineteenth century Tagore in his famous poem Dui Bigha Jomi (Two bighas of land) portrays Bengals villages as Chhayasunibir shantir neer chhoto chhoto gramguli (Thickly shadowed tiny villages abode of peace). Much changes has taken place since then in the Bengal scenario. It has been divided twice once in 1905 and again in 1947 in the name of economic development, democracy and civilization but the traditional peaceful and tranquil environment of rural Bengal remained more or less undisturbed throughout ages up to 1971 the year of Bangladesh independence. The traditional peaceful and tranquil environment of rural Bengal has been shattered in recent time in the name of so-called democratization of the country a new civilization.
Nothing wrong about democratization and local polls embracing the rural areas of Bangladesh under political party banners when people in Bangladesh have much to do with politics than less-rewarding economics these days. But the experiment, avowedly for breaking away from the British-era model of non-political election to local government bodies, takes place in a wrong time and perverted political milieu. Peaceful, tranquil and sleepy villages have gone turbulent a new experience. Apart from the political adversities and a curious administrative ineptitude, the Election Commission (EC) is to blame for the poll rioting in many rural areas as it looked as deaf as a post to all criticisms and call for preventive action in exercise of its powers vested constitutionally.
The EC holds supreme sway over the administration in an election area. So, it should bear the supreme responsibility for the bloodletting that has taken place in the traditional tranquil villages over the grossly mismanaged and deeply flawed union council or union parishad (UP) elections the critics say almost by one voice. Over a hundred lives lost and thousands maimed while houses and property damaged as activists of rival candidates, armed with conventional lethal weapons and even guns, ran riot to secure a win for their respective candidates nominated by their political parties for the first time in history. And, in most cases, it was infighting within the ruling partys lower orders.
The main opposition in the run looked marginalized, as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) faithful have long been reeling from ruthless action following the failed violent resistance against the last 05 January 2014 national elections. One of the worst bouts of intra-party rioting occurred in a union of Baghmara Upazila of Rajshahi district, where several poll activists were killed in a terrible attack on the supporters of the Awami League (AL) chairman candidate reportedly by those hell-bent on booking victory for an AL rebel. A latest such bloody clash shook a Jamalpur UP areas. Acts of violence and ballot stuffing in many cases have marked all the rounds of the six-phase UP polls. But the fifth phase, held on May 28, was the deadliest, with 12 deaths and 200 injuries in one day.
Elections for around 3,988 UPs have been held in the six phases since March 22 till June 04, 2016. And a total of at least 119 people were left dead in outbreaks of violence in the run-up, during and post-poll periods. Previously the deadliest was the 1988 UP polls that saw 80 lives lost. A civil society organization on May 26, had claimed that the death toll and irregularities in the ongoing UP polls broke all previous records in Bangladesh. Adding another dimension to a plethora of complaints, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee met the chief election commissioner on May 27 and demanded effective steps to prevent attacks on minorities amid the poll hullabaloo. Election
Commission measures to curb violence in the union parishad polls remained confined to only sending letters to the home ministry for its help but no follow-up action as per its jurisdiction.
There have been hushed-up voices of criticisms from those who participate in live talk from within the ruling-party ranks. But one outspoken AL senior leader blurted out: Neither this EC does act nor does it relinquish. Opposition BNP leaders go on tongue-lashing the EC in any reference to the conduct of UP polls in public address that This Election Commission is devoid of minimum sense of self-respect. Almost all election experts blame indifference of the EC and lax enforcement of the law for the violence. Local government experts said The commission should have played a strict role to check violence and irregularities since the start. But it didnt.
They opined that had the EC thoroughly investigated violence and irregularities in the first phase and taken stern action, the next phases would have been less violent. It is pointed out that the EC should have absolute control over administration at the field during election time. But some incidents have proved that the EC lacks control over the local administration. As the EC had not played a strict role since the beginning, it was very difficult to check violence in the subsequent phases of the six phase election.
The last parliament election, boycotted by BNP and a number of other political parties, left deep scars in politics and elective democracy. The nation also witnessed an unprecedented urban street mayhem over the polls, which affected normal run of economy and society at large. All quarters had pinned hope on the UP polls and return of BNP in to the race for a political reconciliation. But it looks a missed chance. On the contrary, political violence got decentralized down to the grassroots the rural Bengal. It created divisions within a party, a family, community and village hither to unknown to rural Bengal. Animosity replaces traditional tranquility and peace of rural life and society by in this way of introducing new UP polls civilization.
A Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) leader said As politics pays dividends, polls became a means for grab, especially for those who belong to the party in power. And this motto and mentality fuelled violence, particularly between the ruling party-nominated candidate and rebels. Some of the experts viewed the trial run of the political local polls had wrong timing. Full-fledged
exercise of democracy within parties and in government should have led the way to local polls under political banners.
The national politics itself is in bad shape and it only got transmitted into peaceful and tranquil village politics through the UP polls. No one knows what Tagore would have written seeing the present day rural Bengal in polls. This time all the malice of new urban civilization has been transmitted to the serene rural Bengal. In disgust at such nature of new civilization Tagore wrote in the same period of late Nineteenth century in his poem Shobbhotar Proti (To civilization) Dao phiriey shei aronno, lou a nogor ... Hey nobo shobbhota! (Give back that woods, and take these cities ... O new civilization!) We have had enough of new civilization no more please.
The writer is a retired Professor of Economics
