Our leaders of the 1960s were committed and pledged before us that they would fetch autonomy and freedom for the nation and establish democracy and social justice by ending oppression and injustice. We were convinced and joined them in a body (except a very few misguided people). We were able to have an independent nation through a bloody war. The victory was more due to the general people's striving, less for leaders; so the leaders were bound to keep the first two pledges. But the next ones were not materialised in these 36 years after independence. The governments in succession, pledged several times of establishing justice through ending oppression, injustice and corruption, but in several years they breached the pledge and some of them established 'first class' records of corruption, making us first, second or third in the world for some years consecutively.

Once in the 1990s our politicians could realise that they were not worthy enough to help the Election Commission (EC) conduct an impartial and fair election to the next parliament. So they improvised a novel (though undemocratic) provision of the Caretaker Government (CG) and incorporated that in the Constitution. The system worked well for three consecutive terms resulting in a type of 'democracy'.

This 'a type of democracy' gave us the right to vote but the resulting governments divided and fragmented the nation by claiming themselves to be the only custodians of liberation or by distorting history and using religion for political goal. Besides, they destroyed our national institutions through undue politicisation.

The last such government (the four party alliance one) hatched conspiracy of so many layers that the nation was, virtually, losing even the voting right! The international communities were trying for something positive, but in vain. Lastly, the imposition of emergency rescued the falling statecraft.

The present CG is very sound functionally. With the effective and sound functioning of the incumbent government structured as CG, we have a chance after 36 years to pledge (i.e., to take some fresh vows) again on our parts to unite and rebuild the nation.

Some functional groups
The politicians constitute the governing group in our democracy. The various professionals (including judges, journalists, teachers, engineers, doctors, economists, scientists etc.) would be working as the vital organs (just like heart, lung, liver etc.) and the students and workers would be supplying blood to or collecting from the body parts like arteries and veins. The general public can be taken as blood itself in the national body, and that should also be pure.

Now I like to suggest each of the groups -- politicians, professionals, students, workers -- and general public to take fresh vows for their group and individually for rebuilding the nation.

Provided the changed socio-political atmosphere, the politicians should take fresh vow that they will abandon the idea of doing business with politics, investing during election and toll collecting while in 'power'. They must abandon even doing business with goods, because such business allures manipulating tenders and make scope for black marketing. They can have the 'business' (since everybody must have a means of living) with legal matters remembering that most of our widely acclaimed leaders were legal practitioners. They can pledge that they shall establish democratic norms in their party so that no 'king' family may have suffer any ill fate. The prospective honest and capable politicians, who did not dare to join politics before because of the volatile situation, now can gather courage and pledge that they must serve the nation in a way they are capable of.

The professionals have been found to act as pawns to the party politics unnecessarily. The academicians and professionals in the constitutional bodies and elsewhere should take the fresh vow that they shall not bow down to politicians' intimidation.

The students are found to rally for party politics. Many march the streets chanting slogans shaking heads to the right and to the left. The guardians send their wards to the educational institutions to study and to prepare themselves for the future life, not for chanting slogans that most of them don't even believe in. If no general student joins such illogical rallies, then there will be no 'student leaders'! So the young students with very prospective future should take the vow that they will no more follow certain parties unquestionably and naively, rather form groups only for establishing and maintenance of their due rights in the campuses.

The workers are found becoming unruly, sometimes even not knowing something well. Once a rumour was spread that one garment worker was killed in a factory, most of the workers of some nearby (or even distant) garments factories destroyed the assets of their own factory that provide them the source of food, clothing and other essentials of life. Surely, they must have sympathy for the fellow workers, but that should not be devoid of empathy for the whole community! So they must take the vow that they will never take up such destructive path.

In most cases the students and the workers set fire to vehicles during strikes or some type of demonstration. Who possess the vehicles? The person or organisation they are protesting against may have no connection with those at all; the vehicles and other assets belong ultimately to the state or others! So please take the pledge on this grand occasion that you will abandon this burning culture.

Lastly, I am coming to the general people -- the rather silent majority. We do our duties sincerely as farmers, businessmen, housewives, workers, learners etc. If we are adults, we do exercise our voting rights during election. Apart from the active party supporters, we almost always vote for the most 'prospective' party very realistically. But how come we don't vote for the politicians who could establish rule of law in the country? If we don't take risk, how can the gentlemen take risk of entering the political arena? Shouldn't we remember, "A nation gets the government it deserves"? We blame the politicians, but don't try to "know thyself" (ourselves) (that Socrates asked us over two thousand years ago). Now is the prime time to take vow that we will take some risk to realise the dream of establishing good governance in our beloved motherland.

M A S Molla is a freelance contributor on social issues.