Dreams of expatriates
Koyas Uddin, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
I was born in Bangladesh a year before it gained independence at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives, including those of many of the most talented people of the country at the time. In the very year of independence, my father arranged for my mother, me and two siblings to join him in Britain. I have lived here ever since, returning to Bangladesh only for short holidays which have become more frequent during the last three years. I am young, educated (I have two degrees, including an MA in international relations from a highly regarded British university) and could contribute in a small but important way to my country and its future. I have friends of a similar background who, like me, have been seriously considering uprooting themselves from their secure lives in Britain and settling in Bangladesh. Of course, we each have our selfish reasons for wanting to live and work in Bangladesh stemming from a love of the country and its culture, which we share. However, we also share a common desire to contribute at least as much as we take. Unfortunately, and to my dismay, my friends and I are increasingly of the opinion that the country we pine for is not ready for us or we for it. With each day that passes the country is descending deeper and deeper into the most appalling lawlessness, corruption and anarchy. We have spent almost our entire lives in the UK, one of the richest and most advanced post-industrial societies in the world, but have never looked at Bangladesh through the proverbial rose tinted glasses. We are well aware of the comparative disadvantages that would face us living and working in one of the least developed countries in the world, made worse by rampant corruption and archaic bureaucracy. Those things we could live with, and hopefully in our own small ways, help to change. However, staking our futures and those of our families in today's Bangladesh as it spirals towards lawlessness would be irresponsible. This is devastating to many educated and successful British and American Bangladeshis who want to contribute to and have a stake in Bangladesh's future. I despair at the state of politics and 'democracy' in Bangladesh which is at the root of the current lawlessness and economic under-performance of the country. But for a short period during its independence Bangladesh has been ruled by a succession of corrupt, incompetent, self-aggrandising and power hungry cliques. The demise of democracy is foreshadowed by the rise of personality cults. The two most prominent political figures in the country, who have been a feature of Bangladeshi politics for far too long, and the historical legacies that they carry with them have reduced politics in Bangladesh to something akin to a soap opera. Unfortunately, this soap opera is real and its consequences are severe. The ordinary people of the country are forced to play the part of mere extras in the background, anonymous and voiceless. Our Prophet (pbuh) said that the ink of a scholar's pen is holier than the blood of a martyr. Bangladesh can turn the road towards peace and hope for all its inhabitants. But the evil that currently plagues our country must be fought from a position of moral superiority and through democratic means. All over the world we have witnessed the power of civil society in achieving momentous change through collective will and moral strength. It is never easy when there are pervasive and powerful vested interests committed to maintaining the status quo. However difficult, change is possible and necessary. It is necessary whether you are an uneducated landless labourer or the MD of a large business. Both suffer in a society ridden with corruption at every level, where thugs are allowed to reign, and coercion and compulsion suppress democratic freedoms. All sections of civil society including the poor, rich, intellectuals, the free media, honest politicians, lawmakers and law enforcers need to organise democratic resistance against the forces that have denied hope and freedom to the majority of Bangladeshis for far too long.The people of Bangladesh need to shout with one voice until they are heard.
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