In its truest and original sense, politics is an intellectual exercise aimed at ensuring the welfare of the state and securing the rights of the people. However, in the long political history of Bangladesh, this sacred concept seems to have lost its fundamental character, morphing into an intimidating and lucrative ‘profession’. In this country, the line between politics and toxic politics (Aprajneeti) has become so blurred that to the common people, politics simply means grabbing power, a naked display of muscle power, and a shameless race to serve vested interests.
Over time, through a historic mass uprising of students and the public, an unprecedented shift in power has taken place in the country’s political landscape. This new wind of change brought mountain-high expectations to the minds of ordinary citizens. People wanted a permanent end to the suffocating culture of fear. It is undoubtedly a great relief that the most horrifying chapter of the previous regime inhumane practices like ‘enforced disappearances’ or secret detention centers like ‘Aynaghar’ has come to an end. The state apparatus has ostensibly stepped away from the institutionalized and ruthless practice of making dissenters vanish forever in the dead of night.
However, even though the chapter of extreme human rights violations like enforced disappearances has concluded, a deep apprehension still lingers in the public mind. The question arises: has toxic politics truly been uprooted, or is it merely surviving in our society under a new guise?
First, on the question of accountability and the rule of law, we are passing through a transitional period. The trials and arrests for past crimes are ongoing. However, the biggest challenge in a democratic society is to keep the judicial process completely free from influence, transparent, and universal. If there is even the slightest opportunity to use the legal system as a tool to suppress political opponents much like the previous regime it will create a renewed crisis of confidence among the people. Regardless of an offender’s political identity, justice must be based on concrete evidence, not on vengeance or harassment. Without establishing the true rule of law, the ghost of toxic politics will never leave our society.
Second, the deeply ingrained culture of amassing wealth and establishing dominance by capitalizing on politics seems to have experienced a change of faces, but not of character. Right after the transition of power, we witnessed how extortion and illegal occupation simply ‘changed hands’. As the beneficiaries of the past regime fled, new or previously dormant groups attempted to take control of footpaths, the transport sector, markets, and various public and private institutions. The naked display of criminalized politics, such as manipulating public tenders and grabbing lands from minorities or vulnerable citizens, has not yet been completely eradicated. To the common person, an extortionist or a land grabber has no party affiliation; an oppressor is always an oppressor.
The scenario in educational institutions is not entirely hopeful either. The toxic fumes of partisan student politics and the mentality of forcefully capturing residential halls remain major obstacles to the independent thinking of ordinary students. A merit-based politics of healthy coexistence has yet to be fully established on campuses, breaking free from the old culture of dominance. Student politics, which has historically been the vanguard of every democratic movement in the country, must be freed from the defilement of occupation and supremacy.
Furthermore, another major area of concern in contemporary society and politics is the madness of ‘mob justice’ and extreme intolerance. While people have indeed been liberated from the severe crackdown on freedom of expression during the fascist Hasina regime, we are now witnessing a culture where constructive criticism or dissenting opinions are often met with collective attacks or malicious labeling. The growing tendency to take the law into one’s own hands on the streets is an ominous sign for a civilized and democratic state.
In conclusion, a country’s long-distorted political culture does not change overnight. We have been freed from the terrifying darkness of enforced disappearances, but the poisonous roots of the massive tree of toxic politics have yet to be uprooted. Substituting the extortion of one party with the extortion of another can in no way be the desired reform of the blood-stained revolution of the students and the masses. The only way out of this situation is the decentralization of power, the impartial application of the law, and a radical change in the mindset of political parties. The state must prove that the law is no one’s ancestral property and that political identity cannot be a shield for crime or corruption. Only through genuine political will and institutional reform can we break free from this politics of disguise and build a humane, democratic, and equitable new Bangladesh.
Md. Habibullah Bahar,Executive Member, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall Sangsad, RUCSU (Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union).
