When the election season comes, the political parties and leaders should present policy issues to the public so that they can debate topics and policies in a democratic manner. The main goal of the regularly scheduled electoral process is to facilitate this kind of activity and assist voters in selecting a government that they believe will meet their aspirations. Regretfully, what should have been a beneficial procedure has become a curse. Instead of an election festival, a monstrous competition is being born, where not the public interest, but the lust for power of individuals and parties is gaining dominance. We are in the midst of an election-related frenzy. Everything that has gotten worse in our political system is on show because of some disgusting politicians.

Pandit Madhavan K. Palat, the editor of Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, writes about Nehru’s takes on the elections held during his period: “in 1951, Nehru complained that political parties were busy peddling lies and deceit; in 1957, he felt that fundamental issues are seldom mentioned.” And in 1962, Nehru observed, “people seem to go mad the moment elections are announced.” In today’s context, these comments seem more real, more relevant.

In our current political arena, the scourge of turn coat has increased, for whom sharing power is more important than principles or ideals. They join parties in the blink of an eye and they have the temerity to explain his political somersaults on the skewed notion: “There is no alternative to winning for public service.” Let the ideology and morality be damned!

In this case, it is seen that ordinary citizens are also expressing anger against this political hypocrisy. The trend of 'anger votes' is increasing. People no longer want to see the face of the old party or politics. Instead, they are accepting new faces, new platforms, and even purely individualistic politics, not policy choices that often position themselves at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Although there may be a democratic revival in this, the fear is that these platforms are often bringing extremist or divisive agendas.

In the context of Bangladesh, nationalist emotions and the influence of international politics are also deepening. A kind of new cold war atmosphere has been created, where the China-US and China-India disputes are creating strong competition around Bangladesh. The geo-economy of the region is rapidly transforming. China, ASEAN and India—three major powers—are emerging. The Asian economy could grow to $100 trillion in the next 25 years. Bangladesh will either have to keep up with this trend or risk falling behind.

Diplomatic foresight and timely action are essential in such a situation. As former Bangladeshi diplomat Humayun Kabir said, we must adopt preventive diplomacy. Maintaining democracy, building an open economic system, and trusting the young generation have now become essential. Jahangirnagar University Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan added here, competent leadership is needed to protect the country’s interests. They may lack some skills, but they should think about the country’s well-being.

But unfortunately, in this decline in political values, instead of competence, we see fatwas and cult of personality. On the one hand, there is the rise of so-called saviours, who are being treated like pirs and murshids by their thousands of supporters. They are issuing fatwas and followers jump the gun to implement those. Some say that this mob is a disorderly crowd. They must be stopped. On the other hand, freedom of expression in society is also under threat. If you disagree, you may be attacked as a “fascist accomplice”, an “imperialist agent”, an “atheist”, or even a “heretic”. A difference of opinion means an enemy. Therefore, it is permissible to catch him and beat him. This mentality of “disagreement” is giving rise to terrible social unrest.

Here one may recall the words of the Serbian philosopher Slavoj Zizek who said, “In politics, the greatest act of courage is to think.” That is, the bravest act in politics is to think. But sadly, our politics today is becoming thoughtless and lacking alternatives. Thoughtlessness and ideallessness, these two diseases are damaging our body politic. People are afraid to ask questions and leaders avoid answers. Yet, democracy cannot survive in a society without questions. Where politics becomes just a game of victory, the defeat of the people is inevitable.

In this situation, there is no choice but to worry about our future. Elections are not just a means of choosing a government; they determine the direction of our politics and our future. What is needed today is free debate, truth-based political practice, and an inclusive, humane state ideology. Otherwise, we will simply jump from one election to another but lose the core spirit of democracy.

If politics does not serve the people, it is a betrayal of democracy. So, it is time for us to question, to think and to choose the right leadership, not just in the name of slogans or division but based on practicality and humanity. If we can build the politics of the future with this spirit, then only today's crisis will be a lesson for us.

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The writer is an Editorial Assistant at Daily Sun