It was always tempting to think that we were tantalisingly close to the promised land (of course, no consensus definition for what would constitute arrival): if only we could tweak things a little here, and change the wiring a touch there, that all of a sudden the engine of state would begin to purr smoothly and the country would roll confidently towards its shining destiny.

Indeed, we had much to be proud of. Look at how many things were going right, and the progress that was being made, slowly but surely. GDP growth of roughly 6 per cent. Literacy up. Birth-rate down. There were success stories and these stories were by no means isolated instances.

If only we could eliminate corruption or have free and fair elections or institute the rule of law or [please supply your own one-size-fits-all solution], the thinking went, everything would miraculously fall into place.

But, of course, if one thing is certain in life it is that nothing is quick and easy and nothing goes according to plan. Eliminating (or at any rate, curbing) corruption continues to prove tricky, and it will take far longer than anyone had anticipated to fix the institutions or establish anything even remotely resembling the rule of law.

Since January 11, expectations and goals for what can be accomplished under the current administration have been dialed down dramatically, in line with the realities on the ground. But it should be noted that it is not enough for those who once dreamed of a brave new world to simply redefine success more modestly and declare victory.

In other words, perhaps comprehensive political reform as once envisioned is not possible, but, in that case, the apparent fall-back option of politics without the two main party leaders, is not going to be enough, either.

Many argue that Hasina and Khaleda's exit from the political stage is the sine qua non for meaningful reform. Perhaps. But no one can argue with the proposition that, even if such an exit is necessary, it is by no means a sufficient condition for political reform, and what might be planned for after they exit the arena remains to be seen.

What I am cautioning against here is the thinking that fixing the ailing politics of our country is as simple and straightforward as some apparently think.

Of course, the idea that what we need is a quick (or even extended) political fix to our problems is in itself part of the problem. It is this kind of hopeful, wanting-a-quick-fix, wishful thinking, that neatly avoids the real, and much more difficult to overcome, problems in our society, that has brought us to where we are today.

It should be remembered that politics does not exist in a vacuum. The reason that politics in Bangladesh is so problematic is that the shortcomings and dysfunctions of our polity reflect the shortcomings and dysfunctions of our greater society.

How often have we heard the lament: Our problem is leadership. If only we had a Mahathir. News-flash: Mahathir didn't all of a sudden appear one day in Kuala Lumpur from nowhere. He was a product of Malaysian society, and that a man of his abilities was able to rise to the top is a function of the health of the Malaysian polity and the society that it is a part of.

Hasina and Khaleda didn't land in Dhaka from the planet Mars. They were drafted in as party leaders because no one else could keep their parties together. They have reigned unchallenged at the top as no one else has been able to command the kind of mass support that they have.

Now, one can argue that this is an unhealthy state of affairs for any country, and one would be right. One can argue that their continuing hold over their party workers and the electorate is simply a reflection of the feudal mentality that still exists in too many minds, and that would also be correct.

Now, we are getting close to the heart of the problem. Hasina and Khaleda are mere symptoms of the ailment, and envisioning a future without them, indeed envisioning any kind of purely political fix, does nothing to treat the underlying illness, any more than banning coughing cures lung cancer.

The real problem is the one we have in our society.

Bangladesh remains a shockingly unequal and inegalitarian society that has no respect for simple human dignity, in which people at the bottom end are mistreated with impunity and have no rights to speak of, a society that remains hierarchical and elitist and feudal in its outlook, and in which there is scarcely any conception left of the common good.

If we want to fix the country, we need to look inward and start healing at the societal level. It will be a long and difficult and unpleasant process. Let us make no mistake about it. If we wish to create the good society in this green and verdant land of ours, then, ultimately, we need to change many aspects of how we think and of who we are.

So what should we do right now, at this crucial and tense moment in our nation's history. Right now is perhaps not the right time to be thinking and talking only politics. In the first place, it is forbidden (note to authorities: that's a joke). But, more pertinently, right now politics is out of the hands of the public and, in any event, is too upended for one to be able to predict confidently where things are going or will end up.

But in the meantime, instead of sitting idle and holding our tongues, we need to start a national conversation -- not necessarily focused on politics as it always is, and third parties, and registration requirements, and term limits, and age limits, etc.

Yes, we need those conversations, too. But we also, and much more importantly, need conversations about the country as a whole and Bangladeshis as a people. We really need to kick-start a national conversation on how to create meaningful and lasting change for the better at the societal level.

For too long in Bangladesh we have had political conversations to the exclusion of all else, as though politics is the only thing that matters. But now is the time for each one of us to enter into a national conversation on values and morals and what kind of a country we want to be.

One day, hopefully soon, we will have more functional politics. But it will mean nothing if we don't work simultaneously towards the goal of fixing our society.

Zafar Sobhan is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star.