Civil Society in Bangladesh: Resilience and Retreat By Muntassir Mamoon

This research study aims at an assessment of how the civil society of Bangladesh has responded to formidable challenges posed by a variety of antagonistic forces successfully or unsuccessfully, actively or passively. A thorough probe into these responses has strengthened the faith of the authors of this book in the uncommon abilities of the common people in Bangladesh. As also in the deathless resilience of the civil society in Bangladesh This book, moreover, provides fascinating glimpses into the role of internal colonialism, the civil-military bureaucracy, and the lumpenbourgeoisie, in the political evolution of an underdeveloped ex- colonial country.

Dr Muntassir Mamoon, Professor, Department of History, University of Dhaka, is the author of a number of important books on the history, society and politics of Dhaka.

Dr Jayanta Kumar Ray, Centenary Professor of International Relations, Department of History, University of Calcutta, has published authoritative studies on the economy, politics and foreign policy of some south and south-east Asian countries.

This is the second book jointly written by Professors Mamoon and Ray. The first was: Inside Bureaucracy: Bangladesh.

The principal aim of this book is to analyse how, from August 1947 to December 1990, the civil society of Bangladesh coped with diverse challenges. This book may appropriately be regarded as a history of the struggle, during 1947-1990, for the establishment of a vibrant civil society in Bangladesh. Inevitably, therefore, it is also pertinent to characterise this book as a concise political history of Bangladesh during the aforesaid period.

The term, civil society', used in this book, calls for an explanation, even though the meaning of this term is quite clear to the people of Bangladesh, who derive this meaning from their history (as noted below) rather than from academic debates not quite germane to their vital experiences. The origin of this term, 'civil society', can be traced to the writings of the seventeenth century political philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. Despite the evolution of this term through various debates, definitions and interpretations in the succeeding centuries, the essential message has become more and more transparent. There are many who use 'civil society' and 'civilised society' synonymously. Some readers of this book, who may justifiably lack a deep awareness of the subtleties of Bangladesh politics, and an empathy for the sufferings of the people of this country, may occasionally detect an oversimplification in the use of this term. Authors of this book, consequently, have to remind readers that they cannot but respect the special significance of 'civil society' in the minds of the people of Bangladesh, which, again, is attune to some crucial features of the history of Bangladesh. It may be plausible to observe that 'civil society' tends to acquire nuances varying with the history of a country.

For most of the time in the brief history of Bangladesh, the dominant experience of its people has been that of oppression, physical and mental, by military rulers, or, the military society. Members of the military society have often captured power in Bangladesh by sheer force of arms, and tried to reshape everything in the state and the society in conformity with the military model. At the other pole is the 'civil society, the society of men without arms. The status and the sophistication of the civil society vary with the nature of civilian supremacy with the dominance of unarmed men over the state and the society.

In a similar vein. Justice K. M. Sobhan wrote an incisive article on the civil society and the rule of law (published in the Dainik Banglabazar. 23 March 1399, Bengali Era). According to Justice Sobhan, the meaning of 'civil society' becomes the first issue in any discussion of 'civil society in the socio-political context of Bangladesh. He recommends that, from the standpoint of a social scientist, the most meaningful Bengali translation of 'civil society' should equate it with 'democratic society. After all, only a democratic system or a democratic society can ensure the predominance of the unarmed people.

The 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh, too, can be cited for the endorsement of such a view of the civil society. For, Article 11 says "The Republic shall be a democracy in which fundamental human rights and freedoms and respect for the dignity and worth of the human person shall be guaranteed, and in which effective participation by the people through their elected representatives in administration at all levels shall be ensured. Moreover. Article 19 says: "(1) The State shall endeavour to ensure equality of opportunity to all citizens. (2). The State shall adopt effective measures to remove social and economic inequality between man and man and to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth among citizens, and of opportunities in order to attain a uniform level of economic development throughout the Republic."