Politics of Confrontation: An Unwanted Reality in Bangladesh - Essay Sample

Introduction

An effective and sound democracy calls for responsible behavior from both oppositional and ruling political parties. That means that the ruling party should respect the suggestions and criticism of the opposition while the opposition should make constructive criticism of the activities of the government. However, in Bangladesh, the country has for a long time been experiencing the politics of confrontation. One way that political parties try to cause confrontation is by almost always trying to remain in power even after losing an election.

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While it is normal for parties to want to vie for power always, refusing to accept losing an election and moving into opposition always puts the country on edge. Often, the losing party raises different allegations as to why it cannot accept the results of the election even when the results are said to be free and fair by communities and local and international observers. The latest confrontation by the opposing party took the form of boycotting parliament during the budget session.

The history of party confrontation dates back to the divisive policies that were pursued by the British during the division of the Indian subcontinent. The Awami League rejected the non-secular and unitary ideology of the Muslim League and they have been at logger's heads since inception. For example, under the Awami League government, secularism was recognized as a key tenet of the constitution. However, that recognition has acted as a major divisive issue by the intelligentsia and the two parties. Consequently, the National Party perceived the recognition of secularism as being anti-Islamic and the confrontational nature of both parties led to violence and bloodshed, a manifestation of the regular violence that characterizes the politics of Bangladesh (Balaji, 2015).

In almost all cases of political difference, the parties take combative stances against each other unless there is an issue of personal enrichment. For example, when an issue of self-preservation emerges, a consensus among the political parties takes place. When the amendment on the Upazila Parishad Ordinance was proposed in the ninth parliament, the consensus was speedily reached. This ordinance was intended to strengthen the power of the members of parliament in the Upazila Parishad (Panday, 2009). The cooperation and consensus were only reached because it involved an issue of personal interest to the members. What emerges, therefore, is that when an issue concerns national interest, the parties will almost always lead the country to a path of bloodshed but if it involves something of individual interest, consensus will be reached.

Healthy differences are expected to enrich democracy but are this country, differences in ideology lead to violence, thereby diminishing the possibility of cooperation and discussion on matters of national importance. One of the effects of this kind of interaction on democracy and development in Bangladesh is that the development of the democratic institutions of the country has stagnated. For example, the parliament and the Election Commission should be important institutions of democracy in the country (Biswas, 2017).

However, the institution is all too weak to deal with the cycle of violence and bloodshed because they seem to exist at the mercy of the political parties. For example, without enjoying the confidence of both parties, it is unlikely that any future local and parliamentary elections held by the entity will be interpreted to be free and fair. Without strong democratic institutions, the country will remain at the mercy of the politicians whose reliance on mob-mobilization and boycotts have created an atmosphere of uncertainty regarding the nation's democratic future.

British Legacy in India

The British imposed direct rule on India in 1857 until the county gained its independence in 1947 (Agrawal, 2017). The British made a host of technological and policy innovations during this period that has had a lasting influence on the economy and politics of the subcontinent, especially on India's infrastructure, administration and policies on the two largest religious communities that still influence the country's politics. One of the British legacies in India was the establishment and transformation of important social and economic institutions.

One of these institutions is the universities that were established by the Raj. The universities opened new horizons for intellectuals and the transformation of a former conservative society to open and secular ideas. In particular, the presence of major universities significantly contributed to the challenging of historical conservative social hierarchies especially those touching on caste and gender. These transformations came up when the British took certain decisions on matters of the English language, education, and law. It was based on such transformations that liberalism came about because it was already institutionalized through newspapers, colleges, colonial law courts, and schools.

These liberalist ideas, later on, are manifested in the democratic policies of a country that is characterized by a multitude of different ethnic and religious groups. For example, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a great leader of the Indian National Congress had been liberalized due to his education at Elphinstone College in Bombay just like Jawaharlal Nehru who practiced secular democracy who had attended Harrow School and Cambridge (Rajesh, 2007).

These types of leaders guided India towards a nationalism path of liberalism in the Indian style when most other countries in the continent were experimenting with communism, military rule, and fascism. As a result, India is the world's largest democracy, a major achievement for the second-most populous country in the world. The ability to transfer power peacefully every five years since the first election in 1951is an achievement for a country with a population of 1.3 billion people and 800million being eligible to vote (Agrawal, 2017).

Today, India is home to up to 400 million English speakers, perhaps the largest population of English speakers in the world (Agrawal, 2017). The inheritance of this liberalist university system and the inheritance of the English language have helped the country economically. For example, India has produced millions of English-speaking back-office workers and engineers who are now pushing the IT industry in India to the global front and in return earning billions of dollars annually for the country's economy.

In regards to administration, Historians credit the British for establishing the rule of law, an organized civil service, a legal system, a constitutional government, a parliamentary democracy, and a military and police force. These are essential institutions in the functioning of a country. Most, if not all these systems have functioned well to date. While the police force is known to be corrupt, and sometimes brutal, the country has remained steady since all other essential institutions of administration are strong.

One of the lasting influences of the British in India was the growth of the means of communication and transport. By the time the country gained independence, it has about 42,000 miles of railway track and 65,000 miles of paved road (Rajesh, 2007). Roads and railway are essential for the movement of goods, services, and people. In India, these made for the rapid transit of persons and goods across the vast country. After independence, the government added a modern telegraph and postal system alongside this system. The infrastructure has helped in the development of an Indian-owned industrial base that consists of consumer industries such as sugar, matches, soap, paper, and cotton textiles.

India's Experience With Democracy

Since its independence in 1947, India has had a long experience with democracy. Different leaders have brought in different leadership styles, all of which have significantly influenced the functioning of democracy in India. To a large extent, the country's experience with democracy has been smooth up to the present date in contrast to the experiences of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, countries that share some of her political, cultural and historical legacies. Except for only 18 months between 1975 and 1977, the country has maintained its democratic institutions vibrant since 1947 (Varshney, 2012).

India's smooth experience with democracy is evidenced by the country's ability to hold elections and the smooth transitioning of power from one government to another since independence. For example, since gaining self-rule from the British in 1947, the country has held 12 parliamentary elections and many more local elections including the state assembly elections (Mitra, 2008 page 10). At the federal level, there have been seven instances of peaceful transfer of power between rival political parties. Parties have lost power and governments have been voted out of office repeatedly with the press remaining unafraid and vigorous in challenging these governments.

On the other hand, despite periodic pressure from the executive has maintained institutional autonomy throughout these years. As evidence that democracy is alive and well in the biggest democracy in the world, election turnouts have consistently been rising, most of the time exceeding the levels typical of advanced western democracies. For instance, during the first general election, voter turnout was at 45.7%. The most recent turnout during the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood at over 60% (Boot, 2019).

Perhaps, the best demonstration of how democracy has thrived in India came in the period starting from 1975. In that year, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi effectively suspended democracy and declared a state of emergency. Yet, after 18 months, democracy returned to the country and rather than emergency rule emerging as a structural trend in India, it proved to be a conjectural aberration. Also, succession movements have existed in India, with the worst period coming in 1989-1990. However, only 3.5% of the population was under the pro-secession areas (Varshney, 2012).

However, India's successful experience with democracy is a theoretical surprise because of three things. First, the country has a stable democracy despite a low-income economy. The traditional theory of democracy links democratic systems with high-income levels. Put simply, democracies have not lasted long in societies characterized by low income. India's average per capita income remains at 1,200 dollars per year (Boot, 2019). Secondly, the country's democracy operates within a radical religious and ethnic diversity.

Traditional theories of democracy would suggest that in such an environment, diversity would hinder consensus policy-making and inhibit the democratic process. However, despite this curious case, a coherent national identity has been emerging creating a level of nationalism that has been sustaining this large democracy. This is because Indian's have grown the ability to hold up to three identities at the same time. Hence, people can hold national, regional, and sub-national identities simultaneously.

Lastly, democracy survives under an environment of entrenched inequality in terms of gender and caste (Varshney, 1998 page 39). However, despite these challenges, democracy has thrived to date. Hence, the leadership of the various leaders has strengthened democracy in India and despite posing a surprise to democratic theorists, the country has enjoyed a smooth democratic experience.

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