Can the student movement free us from dynastic politics?

Plato, in his magnum opus The Republic, portrays his ideal state as one that ensures justice, harmony, and the well-being of its citizens. From this, we can infer that the aim of politics is to increase the well-being of people. In Plato's ideal state theory, a philosopher-king must be an enlightened ruler with a deep understanding of state affairs and the ability to discern absolute truth and justice.

Today, one might question the use of terms like "king" and "ruler." Regardless of the terminology, the underlying meaning remains the same. However, when politics is dominated by family dynasties or if the state suffers from crony capitalism, the well-being of the people tends to diminish.

The historical events that have most shaped the modern world are the European Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, the Magna Carta, the Glorious Revolution of England, the French Revolution, the Bill of Rights enacted in the US, and the Russian Revolution. The essence of these events is the empowerment of people and, in some cases, a transition from monarchy (centralised power within one family) to democracy (government of the people, by the people, for the people). This transition aimed to uphold people's interests and maximise their well-being.
When power is concentrated within a single family, people's well-being is rarely maximised. This is why people revolted against monarchies—to ensure that state opportunities were open to all, regardless of caste and creed, so that people could enjoy freedom of choice, freedom of enterprise, and thus maximise their well-being.

In the states in which these revolutions took place, people's well-being significantly improved after the transitions. Amartya Sen's capability approach to development explains that the development of individuals' capacities is key to the overall human development. "Enhancement of capacities" means utilising the inherent potential in humans. When individuals' capacities are enhanced, they can achieve great things. To enhance these capacities, the state must play a crucial role by addressing needs such as alleviating poverty, providing schooling, etc. But in the states in which power is concentrated to one family or where crony capitalism exists, individuals' capacities cannot be enhanced, that is, human potentials remain unutilised.

A critical aspect here is that people do not enjoy receiving alms from others, be it from individuals or the state. They prefer to stand on their own feet, exert their own efforts, build their own enterprises, and earn their own bread. They do not wish to be objects of pity from "royal families." This inherent aspect of human nature underscores the necessity for the "enhancement of capacities," as proposed in Sen's capability approach.
Family dynasties depend on a psychological phenomenon called "person worship" or a personality cult, often visible in developing countries where people who are not very educated view the family members or descendants of a "hero" as superior. Once people start to "worship" a certain individual, they continue to worship their descendants across generations.

In Bangladesh, the families of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Gen Ziaur Rahman are examples of such dynasties. As mentioned previously, states plagued by family dynasties generally experience lower levels of well-being, and moral issues are even more critical. Every individual, be it someone from a poor family or someone from a rich family, should be able to get to the top of the state ladder. But family dynasties create barriers in every individual's path to such a rise—leading to the creation of a discriminatory, unfair, and unjust society. Since the recent student movement in Bangladesh is called the anti-discrimination student movement, we would expect these young individuals with modern values to advocate for the abolition of family dynasties.

This movement is a boon for Bangladesh, which should help us with a tremendous transition. Now, the students can help establish a new political party and free the country from the burden of family dynasties. Those who have already completed their studies may become members of this new political party, while others may join later. They may also invite others with knowledge, integrity, and patriotism to join them. If they pursue this path, I would issue two warnings.

First, I would advise them to consider Plato's idea on forming ​​a new political party and building a new state. Plato advocated for a meritocratic society where individuals are assigned roles and responsibilities based on their own abilities, rather than inherited or acquired status. Education plays a leading role in shaping citizens in an ideal state, with a system focused on rigorous philosophical training, mathematics, ethics, and physical fitness to nurture intellect and moral character.

Second, I would insist that the principle of equality be the core spirit of the proposed political party. We must remember that human emancipation is not possible without social ownership of wealth, for which we must cultivate the spirit of collective life within society and also develop an education system that teaches this spirit of collective life.

Dr NN Tarun Chakravorty is visiting professor of economics at Siberian Federal University, Russia, and editor-at-large at South Asia Journal.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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