Rationale and identity of civil society
Under a situation as above, it is only natural that well-meaning individuals and groups activated by a sense of altruism will volunteer to initiate actions on nationally important and urgent matters and play, perhaps temporarily, on a turf that is not originally theirs. Actions and activities of some civil society groups in the Bangladesh scenario, as of now, are a classic illustration of the above assessment. The quest of such civil society activists for seeking honest candidates to contest the next parliamentary elections merits our considered attention. However, reactions have not been salutary, particularly from the major political parties whose failure to ensure a tolerant democratic culture and a properly sensitised administrative behaviour is no longer a debatable subject. Before dilating on the matter any further let us briefly make an effort to see what civil society organisations are really expected to do in a democratic society.

It may be appropriate to say that civil society groups generally are non-political organisations which intend to restore the sense of values and the love of basic human freedoms which inspired the framers of our constitution. The objectives are no doubt lofty but now our people are unfortunately witnessing a situation where the voice of a small minority is mistaken to be the voice of the majority, simply because it is loud and vociferous. The small voice of reason is not heard. In such a situation, the thinking men will have to take the trouble of making public expression of their views if the lives of their countrymen are not to be placed at the mercy of insensitive guardians. Such men have to sell their ideas and spread the values they cherish. This is so because our people would be able to face any crisis provided they have the benefit of the correct facts.

The accusations
The principal accusation against our civil society activists is that they are a bunch of fair weather birds who have mostly remained somnolent if not in slumber when crisis after crisis befell the nation and have found time and energy only now when national elections are around the corner. It is further alleged that some of them having support of extra-territorial patrons have taken to the field to implement their own selfish agenda. Some accusations have it that material considerations have played a major part in the so-called high profile postures and deliberations of the civil society groups.

A section of the media which does not see anything worthy in praising the internationally acclaimed Professor Muhammad Yunus, has commented that the uni-dimensional quest for finding honest candidates without the holistic strategy of cleaning the body-politic itself is a futile venture and as such draining away our valuable time and resources. They are also of the view that the so-called quest for finding honest candidates will inexorably render the civil society into a political party whose functions they are ill-suited to perform.

Whether there is any grain of truth in the above accusations, allegations, innuendoes or suspicion, the reality is that the Bangladeshi society does not immediately benefit from the efforts to enquire into such complaints. In fact, the country stands to gain from a study of the deficiencies and inadequacies of our political system as highlighted by the civil society groups and the taking of immediate corrective actions suggested by them. The politicians have to realise that due to their failure to perform, for circumstances within and without their control, the nation now finds itself into an unbearably painful situation where public-spiritedness has taken leave of us and we are all determined to fend for ourselves only.

Politics and civil society's stance
That politics is all-pervasive and all-encompassing and politicians across the divide, in our parlance, are overbearing have to be admitted by any discerning observer. Therefore, it would appear that many vital public functions have not been attended to in the yesteryears and the resultant appearance of civil society groups on the socio-political horizon of Bangladesh to dwell on substantive matters of state functions need not be viewed adversely. Such groups are not overstepping their limit when it says that a democracy must do stocktaking at the time of elections when a new batch of lawmakers is to be put in power. There is no harm in their commenting that the party system takes grievous toll of a member's independence, individual judgment and freedom of action because they are not denying that the party system does bring about coherence and unity of purpose in the actual working of democracy.

Civil society and politicians
The civil society does not do any wrong when it says that the duty of every citizen is not merely to vote but to vote wisely. That he must be guided by reason and by reason alone, vote for the best man, irrespective of any other consideration and irrespective of the party label. The civil society is perhaps right when it says that the right man in the wrong party is preferable to the wrong man in the right party.

The civil society does a service when it points to fatalism as our besetting national foible that has to be conquered. They cannot be taken to task or subjected to vituperative for venturing to ensure that falsehood in our political arena does not have too long an innings before the ultimate moment of truth arrives.

The civil society cannot be faulted when it points our attention to the grim irony of the situation where the job for which one needs no training or qualification whatsoever is the job of legislating for and governing a sizable democracy. Similarly, no adverse note need be taken of the civil society's pointing to the anomalous situation wherein there is insistence upon high qualifications for those who administer or help in administering the law but none for those who make it except that they are elected. Shall we stand ready to admit that the law maker does not need the capacity to take a balanced view of things, to act independently and above all to be true to the fundamental values in life -- in one word, to have character?

Civil society and propriety
The civil society does not do a disservice when it is of the considered view that the nation cannot leave the governance of the country entirely to the professional politicians for whom politics is often bread and butter -- a means of livelihood or worse, a means of personal enrichment. Similarly, there is no harm in saying that the tremendous problems of the country can never be solved by professional politicians, few of whom are equipped for the task; and that our bureaucracy without purposeful leadership at the ministerial level operates only as a guarantee of social inertia.

The civil society cannot be blamed for reminding our citizens that their apathy, particularly of the elite who have almost opted out of the democratic process, have been responsible for the corruption, incompetence and ever-increasing inefficiency. The activists of civil society have the good of the nation in their thoughts when they say that having regard to the lack of character and calibre in the overwhelming majority of our politicians, we should think of making some badly needed changes in our constitutional law. In fact, civil society may initiate discussion and discourses on desired changes in this regard. They should not be criticised for warning that the country must not be allowed to roll into authoritarianism and that our varied intelligence and creativity must not disappear into conformist darkness.

We have to understand that the civil society has no pretensions to infallibility and does not have the honour of being a political party and as such it is not under any promise never to become wiser. We must be watchful regarding those elements who hunger for political profit or profit in the form of power because they are no less dangerous than those who seek monetary profit. Years of continuous mass enlightenment programme will be necessary if the standards of rationality and fair dealing, of social justice and individual freedom, which are enshrined in our constitution, are to be bred in the bones of our young men and women to whom the future belongs.

Civilisation presupposes the supremacy of civil authority and therefore, if we do not want our constitution to be shorn of its strength and become an idle mockery and perish before the grave has closed upon the last of its illustrious founders, the civil society's voice of reason shall be heard with respect and the desired circumspection.

Muhammad Nurul Huda is a former Secretary and IGP.