Democracy in Bangladesh is the struggle for self determination

Democracy is a theory that changes the world. The people of Bangladesh learned this word nearabout 100 years ago, but the word became popular in 1950s. At that time the people of Bangladesh became interested on Democracy and they started to practice it. Then the people understood democracy very insignificantly as the rights of vote, change the rulers through vote, the people are the ruler etc. No deep thoughts on democracy created at that time. Those leaders and political parties who fought for democracy and spoke about directing the state by democracy didn’t write any books on it. Only the word democracy had been propagandized tremendously. Later in1950s to 1980s, in the reign of military government, the aspirations of democracy had been strengthened but the foundation of democracy had not been established. In 1990s, many thinkers spoke on democracy but they also didn’t write any book on this topic. So in Bangladesh, no democratic thoughts & practices had been started.

The discussion on democracy is a long term and chronological discussion. We are not going such type of discussion. In this essay, we are going to discuss shortly about the limitation of democracy practiced by them, the causes why democracy couldn’t create roots in Bangladesh and how democracy can be successful on the life of people of this area. We’ll try to discuss how democracy could be established in Bangladesh and what type of thoughts should be promoted among them.

Democracy would be successful when the people works for the way of progression, evaluation, re-evaluation, re-progression on their life-ideas, thought-process or work-process on the basis of the qualities of historical knowledge, dialectical materialism, conscience, reason, honesty, integrity, goodwill, responsibility, factual knowledge, acquire education, making substance on experience, values, self-honor, protest against illegal  works, progressiveness, tolerance of others opinions etc. Otherwise democracy must fail. Because, in 21^st century, there exists monopolistic capital, debt capital, private capital, debit of foreign capital, profit, fascism, imperialism, permanent police-military-bureaucrats to destroy democracy. The success of democracy depends upon the fact those who lead the country. We are working for the major labor-farmer’s state, against for the authoritarian state of capitalists and bureaucrats.

The majority labor-farmer will be the proprietor of state’s property, as they are the creator of that and we know that all types of economic and other works_ production, construction, export-import, debit-credit, budget_ depends on the property of state or capital. The property of the state will be social. As long as the property of state would be social, the happiness and progress of the majority people would be achieved; otherwise the happiness and progress would be acquired only the rich capitalists, and for this reason the foundation of democracy_ liberty, fraternity, equality_ would not be acquired.

To make the state democratic is not easy or short-term policy. Democracy won’t acquire if we only speak the word ‘Democracy’.

Everyday, we should be conscious on the matter who would be the ruler or what would be the characteristics of the ruler. The people must be the safeguard of democracy. If the people become unconscious about democracy, it would be hijacked by military-nonmilitary bureaucrats; the history of Bangladesh is the history of the hijacking of democracy.

Historically Bangladesh changes into a capitalist country, though the capitalists of this country are not very strong as the Euro-Americans. We need the rules of the majority people who are labor-farmer, but not the rules of capitalists or bureaucrats. Otherwise the country remains the doll of the hand of the capitalists. As long as we couldn’t give the handle of the power to the majority people, the people would suffer from disparity, inequality, problems, dependence and exploitation and so on.

We want democracy because we hope that Bangladesh will be a powerful state, the Bangalies will be a self-reliant honored nation, the culture will be progressive, liberty fraternity equality will be established in society, all the disparities and discrimination will be removed, male and female will be equal, and the Bangalies will establish a painless, diseaseless,  povertyless happy-beautiful society. We want democracy to establish the fundamental rights of people.

Translation on January 08, 2012, Mymensingh.