A reply to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s appeal to young voters

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir – the general secretary of the BNP – through a very emotional message, laid out an appeal to first-time voters in the upcoming 11th National Election which is expected to take place on Dec 30. One of his core messages to this group of voters is that he believes their judgement matters and they should vote on Dec 30 to protect their democratic right. I agree with this observation. I too believe that first-time voters should go out in millions to vote for a Bangladesh they believe in. After all, the boy or girl who is 18 or more today carries the energy and imagination that will chart out our collective future. But while exercising this democratic right – every single one of them must also be cautious. Who they vote matters and that is why they must deeply think about the implications of their votes. Let us not forget, many people voted for Donald Trump or even Adolf Hitler.

So, what and how should first-time voters decide? It goes without saying that first-first time voters have mostly grew up watching the Awami League govern. And given all government are human enterprises – and the fact that human beings are prone to mistakes – it is quite understandable if they have witnessed issues that they did not like over the last 10 years. But can that be the sole basis for their decision? There is no doubt that first-time voters today were too young to see what Bangladesh was like during the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islam's tenure between 2001 and 2006. That is why before they exercise their democratic right – it becomes pertinent that they deeply study how the BNP-led coalition had governed.

As a student myself during those days – in 2006 – Bangladesh was viewed as an Afghanistan in the making. Fundamentalists and radical terrorists nearly held the nation at gunpoint – to an extent that they could detonate more than 500 across all 64 districts in one day. Not only the bombings happened, but thinkers and scholars were also butchered by armed radicals with absolute impunity, while opposition leaders were murdered without any remorse. The present prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, herself survived a grizzly grenade attack on Aug 21, 2004, which killed 24 party leaders and activists and injured more than 300 people. And while she wept in pain due to the loss of her party comrades, BNP and Jamaat leaders ridiculed her suffering suggesting that she herself tried to kill herself with "grenades for her vanity bag".

This story of the brutality is too lengthy and gruesome for anyone to articulate in one single article on the BNP-Jamaat government. But those who are capable of making a decision in the upcoming election have a moral duty to examine our collective journey. Bangladesh today stands as a beacon of hope in front of the world. Our success from exports to gender empowerment to lifting million out of poverty has allowed development pundits to coin the word – Bangladesh miracle. Yet, it was not a miracle. The success that some of us have taken for granted today has only happened because we are blessed with a leader who has served this nation with absolute devotion. Her commitment to the socio-economic emancipation remains unmatched in our contemporary history. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has dwarfed all her political competitors in her capacity to navigate the complex geo-political terrain of this region and she has articulated win-win partnerships with all competing international stakeholders. It is no accident that nowadays even Pakistani political and development commentators often frustratingly cry out – "humey Bangladesh banado" (Please make us Bangladesh).

This remarkable transformation needs recognition – especially by our first-time voters if we believe in charting out a better future. There is no doubt that every single youth today has no compulsion to like or admire what the Awami League has achieved. They surely have the right to suggest that they expected more. Yet, in exercising their democratic right, they are also duty-bound to this nation to not select an option that only leads to radicalisation and more terrorism.

So how should first-time voters react to the appeal of Mirza Fakhrul? Over the last 10 years, I have observed his political career with a lot of interest. As a political worker myself, I understand and appreciate his sincerity and devotion to his party. Yet, his story reminds me of the virtuous warrior – "Bhishma Pitamah" – in the epic Mahabharata – who remains loyal to a blind king whose love for his power-hungry eldest son leads to the destruction of his empire. Bhishma knew that the blind king is wrong to give into the destructive policies of his eldest son, but he was chained by his emotional loyalty, which made him fight for the unjust side. Mirza Fakhrul too, like Bhishma, is perhaps chained by his loyalty to Khaleda Zia and that is perhaps why he has chosen to stand for the wrong side of history. And that is exactly why the first-time voters must reject his appeal to abandon the Awami League.

Irrespective of what they promise and how they appeal, the BNP and the Jamaat cannot be a credible option for Bangladesh in the dawn of the 21st century. Youths and first-time voters must understand this truth if they love this nation and respect the martyrdom that millions have embraced to free this country through a painful Liberation War. That is why voting on Dec 30 is important for us all. And I hope the first-time voters will exercise their democratic right with prudence, because democracy delivers our desired outcome not only when we vote, but when we vote wisely.