This lack of statesmanship manifests itself most obviously in the manner in which the government denies the main opposition the opportunity to even speak or raise questions in parliament and the main opposition retaliates by boycotting parliament and taking to the streets in protest.

I do not argue with the general point that we need to see more leadership and maturity from our elected representatives, both in government and the opposition. I do not argue with the fact that the nation is ill-served by the petty and small-minded machinations of our political leaders and that the lack of visionary leadership is one of the main problems in Bangladeshi politics today.

But the question that I would like to raise is what culpability the general public bears for this sorry state of affairs and whether as an electorate we are ready to put our money (or our votes) where our mouth is.

The point that I am trying to make is that I am unconvinced that a political party that does the right thing would be rewarded at the polls.

I am not necessarily persuaded that if the opposition forsook hartals that this would translate into more votes at the polling booth on election day.

I am not sure that if the government permitted the opposition more democratic space in parliament that this would redound to their credit in the public mind.

And therein lies the problem. The problem is not so much our political leaders -- though Lord knows they are problematic enough -- the problem is that we neither necessarily reward good leadership with carrots nor punish the bad with sticks. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

If we do not demand performance from our leaders then we will never get it. This is the crux of accountability. There has to exist some kind of mechanism whereby there is a connection between performance and popularity. In most countries this mechanism is called a general election, but in this country it remains unclear whether there is a direct connection between the statesmanship of our leaders and their ability to attract votes.

It is all very well to moan fashionably about poor leadership, but we each have to accept our own culpability for the current situation.

If the political parties are not responsive to our professed concerns -- and they have not been in the past -- then surely it is pertinent to consider whether it is appropriate to put the lion's share of the blame for this on anyone other than ourselves.

If we continue to vote for muscle and money power and continue to turn a blind eye to massive corruption and inefficiency, then who is to blame when it never comes to an end?

We do not like to think that the pathology in our political culture may reflect a deeper pathology in our society, but unfortunately this is precisely the case.

Let's see: what are the problems with our political culture?

The first problem is that the political parties have a winner-take-all mentality and prefer even unproductive confrontation and conflict to productive compromise and conciliation. Remind you of anything?

Next is that the political arena is dominated by all-powerful leaders surrounded by sycophants and that all ideas and policies flow from the top down not the bottom up. I think I am beginning to see a pattern here.

Then let us look at corruption. I don't want to absolve the politicians and bureaucrats for the shocking levels of corruption in government, specially not the current administration, which has taken corruption to a new level.

But this is a country where corruption is endemic. This is a country where you have to bribe hospital orderlies to ensure proper treatment and medication. This is a society where primary school teachers hit up parents to enroll their children in special tuition classes to ensure that they pass. The entire country operates like a vending machine. You have to put in money to make it go. So the fact that we top the charts in official corruption should hardly come as much of a surprise.

Let us look at poverty and development. The reason that roughly 50 percent of the population remains under the poverty line is that a small coterie profit handsomely from the current state of affairs.

Poverty in Bangladesh is not a problem of efficiency or resources. It is ultimately a problem of morality. The stubborn persistence of poverty in the country and our continuing inability to eradicate it reflects nothing so much as the lack of morality of the ruling classes.

Either they are actively part of the continuous exploitation of the poor (which mostly takes the form of siphoning of public money and resources for private gain or of using their power to protect their entrenched privilege) or they stand by quietly and permit this to happen. Nor do I necessarily exempt myself from this criticism.

There is a direct connection between the loan defaulter and the land-grabber and the tender-hijacker on one side and the under-nourished slum-dweller with no education and no prospects on the other. One is rich because the other is poor. It is because public resources for the many have been looted to line the pockets of the unscrupulous few that poverty persists at the shocking levels that it does.

But if all of us are culpable -- either by commission or omission -- in the state of the nation, and specially the state of the nation's polity, the good news is that by the same token we also have the power to change things for the better.

The High Court has now directed the Election Commission to collect information on parliamentary election candidates' academic qualifications, criminal records, source of income, and assets and liabilities.

This will permit the voters to make a truly informed choice and will hopefully enhance the quality of candidates running for office.

Let's use this new right that we have been granted by the courts.

In the elections, that might come as early as next year, the time has come to consider voting for the best candidate rather than the candidate of one's preferred party. The time has come to vote for the candidate who has a vision for the future and a realistic programme for political reform and economic development.

Let us think in terms of the type of person we would like to entrust the country to. Let us think about casting our votes for honest and competent men and women.

There is no shortage of such people who would make conscientious and capable leaders. The trouble is that typically we do not vote for them.

This must change. Let us start looking for people who will put the country first and who have the expertise and efficiency to perform.

The next election should be an election about ideas and morality. Nor do I mean mere empty promises. I mean a real agenda for economic development that is comprehensive, well thought out, and workable. I mean a substantive agenda for political reform that takes aim at the cancer at the heart of the nation's politics.

We have to reward our good candidates if we ever want to turn things around. If we do not, then we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Zafar Sobhan is Assistant Editor of The Daily Star.