Never undermine people’s power
Sheikh Hasina's sudden downfall is a burning example for the leaders who try to undermine the power of the people. Governance must be inclusive, transparent, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the population. The dramatic political uprising in Bangladesh should be a reminder to the leaders everywhere that possessing a parliamentary majority alone is not sufficient for long-term political survival. The downfall of leaders, who tend to undermine the people’s voices and fail to respect their aspirations, seems inevitable. Despite Hasina’s contributions to Bangladesh's economic revival, her inability to address growing discontent and demands of the people for reform led to her downfall.
This is exactly what had happened to Sri Lanka's president, who had to flee the country amidst widespread protests over his failure to deliver good governance and economic stability earlier last year. Fast-moving political and social unrest in Bangladesh on Monday should be a lesson for our political leaders also who are running the country with poor governance, lack of accountability and big corruption scams. The lessons from the Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are clear: leaders can use force to suppress demonstrators, hide their wrong doings, shield themselves prosecuting from corruption and protect their powers by hook and by crook, but not for long. When people’s frustration boils over in the streets, use of tear gas and live bullets cannot stop their revolt against the misuse of state power.
Some political analysts opine that bad governance, impunity, massive corruption, unequal distribution of state resources, unemployment and self-centered leadership can lead to people’s frustrations and dissatisfaction. There seems to be an immense level of frustration and dissatisfaction among the general people with the last one and half decades of political uncertainty in the nation, sky rocketing market prices of consumer goods, lack of employment opportunities, inaccessibility to affordable health services, rampant corruption and irresponsible political acts of the senior leaders. Let us hope that our leaders correct their political blunders in time, make political reconciliation for the sake of the nation and start addressing the hardships of the people to avoid similar political turmoil in the nation.
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