A rare opportunity
Md. Umran Bin Kamran, Student of class Eleven, Scholastica School
Living under an emergency is certainly not a pleasant thing. But unusual circumstances have to be accepted when the future of the country totally depends on them. Thus the majority of Bangladeshis welcomed the declaration of the state of emergency on January 11. The pre-emergency period had pushed Bangladesh's democracy to the brink of collapse. The streets and the cars were burning while the economy came to a standstill. The institutions of democracy had been weakened to an unimaginable extent, while corruption plagued the political elite. But with much relief came the emergency and the present situation gives us the rare opportunity of a historical transition. Perhaps now there is the greatest unity among countrymen since independence. The challenge to Bangladesh's democracy is corruption. It defies almost every principle which defines democracy. The caretaker government has taken a tough stand against corruption. It is working to hold a free and fair election by carrying out the necessary reforms to the political and electoral systems. Although there are some dilemmas such as rising prices of essentials and the power crisis, we have to remain untied and make this transition successful. Democracy will have to be sustainable and reflective of the people's aspirations. The national leadership should have a clear vision of the future of Bangladesh.
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