There is, however, a background to this. After restoration of democracy in 1991, our democratic politics got increasingly criminalized. Like the military dictators, the democratic rulers, too, started behaving like feudal kings. In the process, they lost moral strength. In a desperate bid to cling to power, they resorted to all types of machinations. Arguably, by-election riggings in Magura during the first BNP government opened the Pandora's Box.

The farcical February 1996 election was the culmination of foolhardy politics of that government, outcome of which is still vibrant in everybody's memory. During the next AL government, there was phenomenal rise of terrorist activities, especially by the godfathers. Though that AL government counted success on some counts, fear of terrorism was so great that people were praying for sort of salvation. However, the role of the then opposition party was meagre.

There was thus an urgent need for articulating public grievances. And it was then, I do believe, that the civil society people, spearheaded by a group of media activists, rose to the occasion. Tales of tyranny of local godfathers were brought to the eyes of the public so vividly that the AL had to pay through the nose in the 2001 general elections. During the current regime, too, politicians, especially ruling party stalwarts, have committed many mistakes.

This government has a tendency to claim success in checking terrorism through deployment of Rab. But, does the Rab concept go well with the very objectives of democracy and justice or does it just stifle them? Whatever might have been the consequences of formation of Rab, with no stretch of the imagination can its justification be established in a civilized society. However, Rab was used sparingly in reining in militancy before it exploded.

The ruling party supremos Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman are now busy campaigning for the next general elections with the promise of uprooting corruption. This promise is, to my mind, significant in either of two ways: it either betrays their subconscious guilt -- although it is quite unnecessary as the mint piled up through insatiable corruption is supposed to win them the next general elections come what may (!) -- or the hunger for money has just subsided.

Will it, however, be an exaggeration if it is said that the current government has very successfully championed the cause of corruption in the last five years? Admittedly, the stories of graft by the operational head of BNP surrounded by Young Turks have become notoriously popular among cross-sections of people ranging from well-educated urban people to illiterate yet spirited farmers in remote villages.

Interestingly enough, the gang leader of the misdirected young bloc has now decided to teach the civil society a lesson very much in line with Mahmudur Rahman. Mind you, Mahmudur filed a defamation case which was premised on a non-specific allegation. However, he did not respond to ridiculous cartoons which really defamed him.

More interestingly, corruption has shown its charisma during the current regime epitomised by criminal syndicates, which, like the militancy, were just a "media creation" previously. Now, however, the powerful ministers are more than happy to admit their prevalence. It's indeed a nice ploy to gather sort of cheap popularity at the fag end of the tenure. Yes, syndicates are out to throttle the nation. But none is there to cheek it as the country has to go by the rules of free market economy.

However, the commoners, that too ranging from urban to rural, will tell you a totally different story behind the indomitable and uncontrollable syndicates. Yes, it refers -- in a hush-hush manner, though -- to the very visibly invisible hand of Hawa Bhavan and its landlord in this ruthless business of countrywide syndication. Some tend to add the age-old epithet -- (Sowdagor or Businessman) to the landlord's name as well.

Yes, he has now decided to make the civil society people pay for their endeavour to create consciousness among the people for pressing home the demand for electing honest candidates and rejecting crooked politicians in the next general elections. Here, again, it betrays a sort of tentativeness. Why should the civil society move be disconcerting to him if he is honest? It's indeed an irony that our myopic politicians get trapped in their own words while trying to make mincemeat of others.

Kazi SM Khasrul Alam Quddusi is Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, University of Chittagong.