The basic principle of democracy, to put it in the simplest possible lay-men's language, is that "your right or liberty to do anything and everything ends where my nose begins." If any body, for example, takes a bamboo pole and runs amuck along the crowded side-walk to demonstrate his democratic right to whirl it over his head, no matter whether it breaks others' heads, then it becomes a criminal act for breach of a common civil law. There, your right to whirl the pole ends where others' nose begins. The bottomline, therefore, is to strike a balance.

The classic and most time-honoured definition of democracy is "the government of the people, by the people and for the people." Although here 'people' is the centre piece of democracy, but certainly it does not represent the 'mob' or 'mobocracy' as often we indulge in losing all our sense of proportion. Hence democracy should not be mixed with mobocracy by certain self seeking leaders to consolidate their position, if necessary, at the cost of the country's image at home and abroad. It is said that politicians are very skilful jugglers. They know how to perform feats and tricks to bemuse the people. As they say, "a politician is a person who can make waves and then make you (people) think that he is the only one who can save the (sinking) ship."

In this context, we may like to have a look at the recently washed out the big game of 'April 30' deadline. The AL leaders, particularly Mr Jalil, tried their best to implement their plan during the month of April with least corresponding success. The party's general secretary was so much enthusiastic about the impending fall of the government before the dead-line, as if he had obtained a magic-wand. But ultimately he couldn't prove that he was a successful magician, although he made a lot 'waves,' but all his efforts ended in smoke. He was although trumpeting his 'trump-card,' but to the bewildered people, the whole show appeared more as a 'trumpery' causing a big unnecessary damage to the image of the party.

The Daily Star Editor Mr Anam, in his signed front page commentary, titled "April's Fool: Jalil's dead-line fiasco..." (D.S. 3 May, 04), said, "Seldom has a party leader done so much damage to his party's credibility, with so few actions and in so short time." He also reminded the AL leaders the basic difference between a demand for early elections and a forecast "to topple" an elected government through undemocratic means. Unfortunately both the major parties take the same stance with the change of their position without caring for the public opinion. The summam bonum of our politics, or political culture, is to destroy, create hatred, disharmony, rivalry and violence, and nothing else.

The time has now come for the people for a thorough heart-searching and stock-taking of our ruinous political culture. This is more attributable to two of our major political parties, led, accidentally, by two ladies who, frankly speaking, were thrust upon leadership by circumstances. However, both of them had acquired much experience and practical knowledge after several years in politics. Credit must be given where credit is due. But as ill luck would have it, both the leaders are surrounded by some wrong elements, wrong advisers, sycophants who create more problems for them than solve. The latest '30 April' deadline programme of AL that ended in a fiasco, is a case in point.

So the big question is: Where do we, the people, stand now and where we go from here? Do we find any silver lining in the midst of the dark clouds gathering around us? Do we find any flicker of light at the end of the dark tunnel? Perhaps yes, perhaps not. It all depends on the people to prove that we are not all unfit for democracy for which we have fought for several decades since our language movement of the fifties. Now what the political parties, particularly the two major ones, need urgently is new leadership imbued with the spirit of sacrifice and service, to take the country forward, discarding altogether the worn-out and hackneyed policy of destructive violence, creating hatred and rivalry. They should learn to call a spade, a spade and accept a defeat in the elections in a graceful manner, instead of weaving a 'conspiracy theory'. They will have to give up the shameful policy of "cutting one's own nose to foil somebody else's' journey." No more monkey-business in our politics. Look at the mother of Parliamentary democracy, Great Britain, and take lesson from them how they behave in a situation when a party is defeated, by acknowledging the defeat in the Parliament and extending all cooperation to the winning party to run the government. Even our next-door neighbour, India, has shown a shining example of how democracy works, how defeat is accepted and how power is transferred peacefully.

Let us, therefore, stop mud-slinging at each other and let us not turn this country into killing field by digging each other's grave in the name of fighting for democratic rights. Enough is enough. Let us call it a day, rather gracefully. Let there be an end to the old game of exposing ourselves to the world as a laughing-stock.

AMM Shahabuddin is a retired UN official.