[Assam] Thoughts about how well ones own Bangla is running

[SANDIP DUTTA]

The desi intelligentsia who you consider "clueless" and "apathetic" is actually mostly young, connected, concerned, eager to help in positive ways AND most importantly, more in sync with todays realities than dwelling in yesterdays prejudices....which are better than many "intelligent" NRa - non resident/non-relevant :-)

Rgds,
Sandip




----- Original Message ----
From: Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net>
To: Ram Sarangapani <assamrs at gmail.com>
Cc: assam at assamnet.org
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2007 1:03:18 AM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Thoughts about how well ones own Bangla is running


Ram:


>And you will also have noticed that many of us have also pointed this out numerous times >here.




*** To tell you the truth I have NOT  seen those being pointed out here, except by one or perhaps two persons :-), whose views are usually rejected by the defenders of desi-demokrasy.


You can contribute YOUR fair share by speaking out and pointing to the issues that YOU see as problems Ram :-). That will place you at a level much higher than the average desi-intelligentsia who is  either clueless or apathetic or defensive or a tossed-salad of all. The desi-intelligentsia's ABSENCE from their governance is one of its most glaring deficiencies as *I* see it.




> To them even malgoveranance, corruption etc in Assam are also traced back to India - its >India's damn fault.


*** WHOSE fault do you think it is Ram? Why don't YOU tell us who it is/they are
and tell us what share of the blame they carry as seen by a fair-and-balanced person such as yourself. And I am sure you will also give us a little explanation of WHY you believe who the responsible parties are.




>So, maybe it NOT because they want to "destroy" India, but when they showcase these problems >in India, they seem to think that these are justifications for Assam to be free from the >clutches of the evil empire. 




*** Well,YOU can tell us WHY it is NOT a reason to leave India's dysfunctional system. Go ahead and tell the 'India-haters' how Assam can do well  by itself , all on its own, still being controlled by Delhi's designs. I am sure you will cite here those OTHERS who are doing splendidly on their own and how Assam can emulate them, won't you?




>Oh! I knew you would bring that up. But you fail to realize that what Ahmad is >advocating for at the moment is all about Bangladesh. He is NOT advocating that >Bangladesh be broken up nor is he advocating the separation of say Khulna >district because Dhaka is incorrigible.


*** You avoided asking the question that I gave you as the clue to the answer . Try asking that question Ram. WHY did B'Desh break from THEIR 'original' COUNTRY, Pakistan? And why did Indians like you applauded when that happened?


I know it is one of those extremely unpalatable questions that tend to get stuck in the craws of desi-patriots. But if you try hard enough it will come out. And believe me, it would be a whole lot better than to present an explanation like you did above . It is unbecoming if you asked me :-).




>ah! but you are jumping the gun here. IF Assam were already independent, and >then I would have joined hands here in advocating a better, democratic, >corruption-free Assam :)




*** I know you would Ram. I remember that well. Isn't it the credo of the POOR
folks ( Probaxi Oxomiyas Opposed to Reforms)? Or was it of the Probaxi Oxomiyas Conditionally Opposed to Reforms :-)?




>I would rather advocate as Ahmad does for the betterment of the country that >exists at the moment - INDIA :).


*** Once again, show your credibility by explaining HOW. That would shut them 'anti-Indians' up.


>Bottom line C'd, one would be more amenable if criticisms against India's >system of governance etc,


*** But that is not a problem for those who are VICTIMS of Indian misgovernment.
That is a problem only for those who are in charge of perpetuating the make-believe, of holding that facade of desi-demokrasy up to the world.


c-da












At 1:27 PM -0600 3/23/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
C'da,
 
Sorry for not getting back earlier.
 
>Say NO to those who point it out, because it is anti-Indian, because it is merely a ploy to >DESTROY India ?
 
I wish it were as simple as that. I think almost everyone in this forum will agree that there are big problems with India's (and Assam's) governance, equitable justice, and the "system". And you will also have noticed that many of us have also pointed this out numerous times here.
 
The difference between the critics (if you will) is that some are hell-bent to find fault with India's governance as some sort of conduit for their aspirations of Assam's independence. To them even malgoveranance, corruption etc in Assam are also traced back to India - its India's damn fault.
 
So, maybe it NOT because they want to "destroy" India, but when they showcase these problems in India, they seem to think that these are justifications for Assam to be free from the clutches of the evil empire. 
 
>Remember Ahmad's COUNTRY used to be Pakistan? What happened to it? And WHY? Ever >asked that question?
 
Oh! I knew you would bring that up. But you fail to realize that what Ahmad is advocating for at the moment is all about Bangladesh. He is NOT advocating that Bangladesh be broken up nor is he advocating the separation of say Khulna district because Dhaka is incorrigible.
 
>*** And those of Assam who look out for its interests are FOR a "--united and truly >democratic Assam--" unlike those who are dedicated to see it NOT happen :-).
 
ah! but you are jumping the gun here. IF Assam were already independent, and then I would have joined hands here in advocating a better, democratic, corruption-free Assam :).
Since, Assam is not an independent country, and nor does it seem likely it will be for at least another 50 to 100 years (if not never), I would rather advocate as Ahmad does for the betterment of the country that exists at the moment - INDIA :).
 
Bottom line C'd, one would be more amenable if criticisms against India's system of governance etc, if the "INTENT" was to create a better, improved India, where its a win-win situation for all. :):)
 
---Ram
 
 


 
On 3/22/07, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net > wrote:

Ram:

 
>And C'da, you hit the nail right on the head. Having read the article (several >times over), I completely agree with you. I too can see the "misgovernment" in >the Indian context.

 

 
**** And----???????

 
Say NO to those who point it out, because it is anti-Indian, because it is merely a ploy to DESTROY India ?

 
Isn't this the best the Indian intelligentsia has been doing for decades: AGREE something is wrong, but what CAN THEY DO about it? Sorry to see YOU in the ranks of the clueless Ram :-). What is your excuse?

 
>It is intriguing, that Ahmad has NOT followed some in the subcontinent who seek to >divide their country.

 
*** HMMM! Glad you found something tasty to bite into :-). But aren't we missing something here? Remember Ahmad's COUNTRY used to be Pakistan? What happened to it? And WHY? Ever asked that question?

 
Ask it. And ye shall find the answer staring at you.

 
>Ahmad is for a united, and a truely democratic Bangaldesh.

 
*** And those of Assam who look out for its interests are FOR a "--united and truly democratic Assam--" unlike those who are dedicated to see it NOT happen :-).

 
c-da

 

 

 

 

 

 
At 6:14 PM -0500 3/21/07, Ram Sarangapani wrote:

Thank you Mukul da for forwarding this article by Ahmad.

 

And C'da, you hit the nail right on the head. Having read the article (several times over), I completely agree with you. I too can see the "misgovernment" in the Indian context.

 

I am quoting some of the sentences that Ahmad writes. They intrigue me. (Highlights mine)

 

>I have spent hours debating, discussing and arguing about the developments in > my country, often told 'why you bother when none of this affects you, when your >opinions would make little difference if at all'.

>I wondered on the comments yet my brain continues to think, the >love for my motherland is on the rise and is showing no sign of >abating.

And, quite a few more lines like the above. Ahmad, obviously has a lot of love and respect for his country. In spite of his take that his country has given him precious little, he still has a great interest and is seeking ways to improve the lot of his country.

 

It is intriguing, that Ahmad has NOT followed some in the subcontinent who seek to divide their country. Nor does he seek independence for one portion or the other because he feels his country's leaders  are useless. Nor does he take up arms because the system is broken, and there is malgovernance.


 

He is able to visualize all the problems, but is able to think positively on ways to rebuild his country.

 

There is a big difference between what Ahmad is advocating and what some netters may be thinking. Ahmad is for a united, and a truely democratic Bangaldesh. This in definitely NOT what some of our esteemed netters have in store for India :):)

 

--Ram

 


 

On 3/20/07, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:

This is a thinking man! Those Netters who read the article carefully, will see the image of their own Indian misgovernment reflected here, accurately. He has his fingers exactly on the problems, even though the solution proposed, while being one of the elements of a series of measures, is not entirely adequate.


 

Ahmad is right about the party loyalty as a source of the problem. It is the same thing as electioneering on party lines and NOT on ISSUES. But it is only one of the problems. Another big issue is the effectiveness of the INSTITUTIONS of democracy. Yet another is the ability to make the able and the willing to participate in their governance.


 

I highlight some of the points below, because we discussed these too. Unfortunately our netters were unwilling to see what stares at them. Perhaps this article will sink in a tad bit better :-).


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

At 11:02 PM +0530 3/20/07, mc mahant wrote:

By Talha J Ahmad, UK

 

I have written extensively on the current crisis engulfing my country. I have spent many nights and day, many hours of my busy life far away from my homeland, I have spent hours debating, discussing and arguing about the developments in my country, often told 'why you bother when none of this affects you, when your opinions would make little difference if at all'. I wondered on the comments yet my brain continues to think, the love for my motherland is on the rise and is showing no sign of abating.


I wondered about the past of my country, present and the future. I wondered of the patriotism of my leaders, political and otherwise, I wonder even now of the patriotism and the genuine motives of the current government, I wonder of the extraordinary remarks of our head of Armed forces. My wondering comes to no end, it continues without an end on the horizon. But why do I wonder? I pondered on possible answers to my paradox, but found none credible. However, I guess I can confidently say all these wondering of my mind is a process instigated by my feeling and concerns for my country, a country that has not given me much, but I still feel indebted to. It is my love and affection for my country, my genuine desire to see her flourish with all her children, my firm belief on her potential that keeps telling me to wonder further and as part of that process I seek to speculate on some ideas.

The turn of 20th century has been marked by freedom movement, wanting to be free from repressions, colonization. People wanted to be free to speak, to earn and to work. Freedom movement led us to have new states with new political culture.

The triumph of the last century however was the end of love for dictatorship and the rising of a new era for democracy. Democracy seemed to have offered hope to bring about social justice and economic freedom. Democracy has shown us sign of empowering people and giving all citizens a way of being their own master, the master of owns destiny.

But what has democracy really earned us? Or have we got the right kind of democracy? Our nation for instance paid heavily for democracy, from the days of East Pakistan to present, many hundreds of thousands of people marched at different times to ensure democracy prospers in our land. People were made hopeful; every one expected a better life. It was the prospect of democracy that leads us to the bitter struggle for freedom, the war of independence; we earned independence only to march again to slay the leaders of that independence. We hoped of economic development, the betterment of education, life standard, justice and equality, we have achieved some progress but we cannot certainly say that we would have not achieved these prosperity without all the bloods that we had to spare.




We marched, we fought, and we sacrificed to achieve economic freedom, social justice and equality in a country where we all would be equal participants. We hoped that in our country we would have no masters; people in power would be accountable. We rebelled against dictators because we thought they were not accountable to us. But democracy does not seem to have offered us accountability either.

Our current government for example, they are said to be good, but how do we hold them accountable? How would people seek to redress any wrongdoing committed by current government? We have no true accountability. Only might and might alone seem to have its way in terms of accountability, but not people. Ordinary man and women do not seem to have the power to hold social elites accountable. But this presents us with a dilemma.

We have to have government, we have to have some kind of people's participation in the governance of our country, and we must have some means to hold our governments accountable. But how? In lands of England, the Birth place of modern parliamentary democracy, there are disaffections, the parliament elections are at times attended by as low as only 37% of the population. Famous names with huge reputation in politics raising their concern regarding accountability.

A former cabinet minister went as far as saying the current parliamentary system is not capable of holding the executive accountable, and she has decided to stand down as an MP from her party in order to campaign for a change, for a better, more representative and accountable system. If that is the condition of democracy in the land of where it was born, I think we can get a pretty good idea as to where we stand. Our MPs are like our lords, they are the king, queen, whatever one may wish to think. Our ministers are the most powerful of people so much so that they can get away with whatever they wish, so it seems. But how we change such situation?



Dr. Yunus and many others seem to think that corruption is the culprit and good people entering politics may be the answer. Dr. Yunus himself decided to put his reputation and hard earned celebrity status on the line. He will form a new political party that will raise the hopes and aspiration of our nation. But he will be joining a system that has failed us, there is nothing to suggest that it was not systems fault too that we ended up with 'bad' politicians. So I wonder why a Yunus factor should make me feel good. I do not want to think that one man can change my country, I do not believe in super human. I would like to think it is not just a few people who are the problem; I would like to think that there is something with system too.


We have a very large number of educated people now, working in good jobs. Yet many struggling to find an appropriate job. We now have a new generation of middle class and affluent people. We no longer see the generation of trade unionists, nor do we see the peculiar scenes of student politics. The politics of fighting to take control of universities seem to have lessened to some extent. The trend among the youths no longer is as strong towards joining politics as it used to be. And that in some way is a bad sign. And I think therein lies the first problem.

Increasing economic sophistication made our societies complex. The advancement in technology made our world a global village. But that means our affairs now have more factors in it, our affairs now involve a much wider ecosystem and not just us. Bangladesh is part of the global community, and our problems needs to be thought from global perspective too, which obviously means our affairs are now more complex and requires much sophisticated solutions. Our thinking however has not sophisticated; politically we are now less mature and less sophisticated. Our politics remain the same in terms of its norms and fundamental roles.

A complex society requires extraordinary citizens who have intellectual sophistication, citizens need to be more aware and better knowledgeable of situations, but that has not happened to our new generation that has grown into the mainstream society now. So what we need is a social class who command the society with understanding and clear vision. We need a new kind of social movement that seek to re-energize our citizens by making them intellectually sharper, more demanding and sophisticate. We need social movement to instill in our citizens patriotism and give them a common vision of our future.




Of course it is not enough to have a new social movement that will create a new class of citizens who will be intellectually rich, politically aware and sophisticated in their thinking. We need political forces and platforms that will make good use of this new class.

We need political platform and political leaderships who understand and conform to the desire of the people and rise to the challenge of building a new society. But it is probably now fair to say that the current parliamentary, party political system has failed. It is not so evident because the failure is covered by other issues such as corruption and the style of governance.

But why do we have corruption? Corruption is merely the symptom of a bigger, much wider failure. An effective government which is accountable to its citizens cannot be corrupt, it is not possible. So if government or people within government become corrupt and the system cannot stop it, it is the systems fault and not those who actually are corrupt. The accountability issues is not just a big issue in our country, it is an issue all over the world now. UK, USA and most western countries have the problem too.

Current prevailing system of governance is that of the cabinet who are elected along the party political line. Political arguments are presented along the party identity. Loyalty lies to the party. Because of the party system which has strong disciplinary force that seeks to suppress certain views and promote certain others it is difficult to have true accountability. Largest party in government occupies the position of power, when the other parties attack the government, the whole party behind the government stand in defense.


As long as the party remains largest, there is no way we can hold the government accountable. Some times, even all the major parties have no significant difference between them, who should people choose in those circumstances? Due to the existence of political parties, once again new initiatives and thinking cannot take root. It is not a level playing field, yet the whole essence of democracy is that all citizens should have equal opportunities. I therefore intend to resolve that we need to fight to break the party system; we need a new kind of politics in which citizens participate freely without party loyalty.

We should have one broad vision to unite us that is our patriotism and our desire to form a better society. Apart from that we should all come to play with ideas to tackle our social issues. If we can truly demolish the party controls we can have an energize population where people will make their case, articulate their ideas and in the end passionate people with articulated ideas will be charged with responsibility to govern. We will have true democracy, we will have genuine accountability.

Of course, some would say that this is an unworkable system; I would argue we cannot be so sure. Of course we need some kind of organization. But that organization does not have to be along the party lines. Our local meeting places, auditoriums, libraries and social clubs could be the place to debate. A new consensus will emerge. We can have our civil society to guide the nation in its argument. We could have our academics, entrepreneurs and others to influence and inform debates through their participation. But that will mark a new kind of politics which will have no place for dynasty, no room for one man dominance and no room for corruption. No one will be strong enough to have it all, and no body will be too weak to have a say. Such society would be a genuinely democratic society where social justice and equality will thrive, human dignity shall flourish

 






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