“The boat rocks, the waves swell; Helmsman Attention!”

Tomorrow is the holy Eid-ul-Azha. After the inauguration of the Padma Bridge, I hoped that this time Eid would be in a very festive mood. But for several reasons the festive atmosphere is grimy and colorless. Bangladesh has suddenly entered the era of load shedding. In the last 10 years, people have forgotten about load shedding. During the BNP-Jamaat alliance, electricity was a rare thing to find. Most of the time the country was plunged into darkness. There was load shedding for 12 to 20 hours all over the country. When the Awami League came to power in 2009, it gave priority to the power sector. One of the biggest achievements of the Awami League in the last 13 years is the increase in power generation. The Awami League has not only increased power generation, it has ensured power for all. During the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, where only 40 percent of the people in the country had access to electricity, now about 100 percent of the people are covered by electricity. Fridges, TVs, air conditioners are no longer a luxury due to the economic development of the people. It has become an essential part of every human life. People have become accustomed to uninterrupted electricity. At this time people just cannot accept the hassle of new load shedding. The government is explaining the reasons for load shedding. The Prime Minister herself has requested for acceptance of load shedding, citing rising prices of fuel, especially gas, in the world market. But all the achievements of the last 13 years in the power sector seem to have vanished in a few days. No one is interested in discussing what happened before. People are worried, anxious and dissatisfied with the current crisis. The power outage has created problems not only in the homes but also in the industries and agriculture. Industrialists are not getting enough gas and as a result, their production is being disrupted. If there is no uninterrupted irrigation system in agriculture, there will be serious problems in food production. A sense of fear seems to be accumulating.

The crisis in the economy of Bangladesh has been emerging since the Russia-Ukraine war. People's lives have become miserable due to the unbridled rise in commodity prices. Meanwhile, the power crisis is complicating the situation. Expatriate income is one of the major pillars of our economy. As seen in the last financial year, the expatriate income has decreased by about 15 percent. However, the flow of remittances before Eid has increased. Expatriates have sent more than Tk 5,000 crore in five days before Eid. But that’s not enough. Before every Eid, the expatriates send extra money to their relatives. If it does not come consistently, the pressure on our reserves will increase. The government has started the new financial year through austerity policy. Earlier, government officials and employees were banned from traveling abroad. In the new financial year, various expenses like car purchase, training etc. have been cut. It is no secret that the pressure of the government is increasing in the field of economy. The question is, how long will this pressure last? How deep will the economic crisis be? How deep will the economic crisis be? After Corona, low-income people have already reached the brink of crisis. Now the economic crisis has plunged the middle class into darkness. The main reason why the Awami League government has been in charge of running the country for 13 consecutive years is the economy. Despite various limitations in the political field, various debates about the election, the common people have trust in this government. The main reason for this is that the Awami League government has taken the economy forward continuously for 13 years. Employment has increased in the country. People's income has increased. Awami League has made people dream without limit. As a result, the current crisis has made the people restless. The man who used to earn Tk 10,000 a month 10 years ago now has a monthly income of Tk 1 lakh. But no matter what the crisis is, if his income drops to Tk 50,000 or Tk 60,000 he will surely be upset. With the economic development, greed and corruption have increased in the society. An awful horrible addiction to getting rich by any means has crept into some people. They are making the society sicker by engaging in various deceptions. Corruption in online shopping, arbitrariness, stories of PK Haldar's looting of crores of rupees, money laundering abroad, the mountain of Bangladeshis' money in Swiss banks - the image of the dirty economy of the sick society. The morality of the society is being ruined due to corrupt ambitions. That is why there are horrible images in the academies. Putting a shoelace around the teacher's neck, killing the teacher - has exposed the unfortunate look of the campus. People are terrified, anxious. The Awami League government has not come under such totalitarian pressure in 13 years. Situation has become hostile for this government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been running the country for 13 years. In fact, she is handling everything alone. Stopping corruption from tackling floods. She has to take care of everything from agricultural production to workers' wages. The situation in the country today is such that the Prime Minister has to intervene in the smallest issues like eviction of children's playgrounds. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is there so people are still a bit optimistic. Again, people cannot trust most of the ministers and MPs of the Awami League government. People are tired of trying to find the answer to the question why they are in charge.

There is no reason to deny that the world is in turmoil. The Russia-Ukraine war after the Corona epidemic has plunged the world into a state of uncertainty. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been forced to step down in the face of an economic crisis. The United States has probably become one of the most insecure countries in the world. Innocent lives are being shot there almost every day. Even the children are not left out. Joe Biden's popularity is at an all-time low. When the United States last got such a non-appealing president can be a great topic of research. India is also facing many crises. The rupee has hit a record low against the dollar. Extremist Hindutva has tarnished the image of secular India. Nupur Sharma alone has cracked India's longstanding relationship with the Middle East. There is a fear of famine all over Europe. Economists say Europe is in the worst situation in the Russia-Ukraine war. Many are fearing that the situation will surpass Great Depression of the 1970s. Political instability is growing in the country due to the economic crisis. Bangladesh is also not out of this heated global unrest. But ordinary people don’t care about all this. They don’t want to understand the situation. They want to live in happiness and peace. They want their income to increase, affordable commodity prices, comfortable social environment, safe education of the child, accident-free travel etc. People can't be reassured for long about the Russia-Ukraine war. This Awami League government under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina has handled the global recession of 2008. Even in the global Covid crisis the economy of the country has moved forward. Why can't they do it now? This is because of the limitless incompetence and corruption of the ministers and those in charge. Reliance on bureaucracy. The failure of the Awami League as a party and some more realities. If we talk a little about the power crisis, we will find the source of failure. It is true that the Awami League government has increased power generation but has not emphasized on energy security. They were more focused on solving immediate problem but not on becoming self-sufficient. In the field of power and energy, the government has deviated from the thoughts and ideals of Bangabandhu.

On 9 August 1975, the Father of the Nation bought five gas fields owned by the world-renowned Shale Oil Company and shares of Titas Gas Company for 4.50 million pounds. This was a milestone in the energy security of Bangladesh. The Awami League government has taken a stand on the opposite pole of Bangabandhu's strategy in the field of energy. In the last 10 years, the government has not focused on exploring new gas fields and modernizing existing wells. They were totally dependent on LNG imports. This is a purely bureaucratic persuasion. The bureaucrats have persuaded the government to take this risky decision in the lure of the commission trade in gas imports. The father of the nation realized that a country like Bangladesh will not be able to fulfil the demand for gas by importing. But the bureaucrats ignored it. One of the tendencies of the bureaucracy is not to go deep into any problem. They only seek for immediate solution to a crisis. The same has happened with power generation. In this case, the Prime Minister's order was not obeyed. Now that the unbridled rise of LNG in the world market, imports have gone beyond affordability. The government is being questioned by the people before the election.

Not only the electricity, the incompetence and failure of the Commerce Ministry behind the rise in commodity prices has tarnished the achievements of the government. If he had heard what he said, he might have felt ashamed of himself. In very few cases, the ministers are showing efficiency in running the ministry. Instead, they have left all the decision to the Prime Minister. The work of the ministers is confined to speeches and cutting ribbons. The Awami League is in power for three consecutive terms. The Awami League has never formed such a dull cabinet like this time. Ministers are taking turns making controversial statements. The government has no political appearance. The Awami League leaders think that the country is being run by bureaucrats. Bureaucrats don't think about the future. They don’t care about popularity. Heavyweight popular leaders are sitting on the sidelines watching the drama. Elections don’t have a place in their plans. They only think about today and the present. Their only goal is their own interests. Leaving the country in the hands of bureaucrats, the Awami League is fighting among itself. Many are now at a safe distance, having secured their financial future. Due to being in power for 13 years, many Awami League leaders, pseudo have started thinking people as servants. When you grow up, you have to be generous. You have to be humble. Some Awami League leaders have forgotten this. Common people are upset and frustrated of their arrogant behavior. The Awami League has distanced itself from other political parties, especially the like-minded parties. There is a growing tendency to disregard and ignore various political parties. As a result, the Awami League is alone as a political party. Those who are dedicated to the team are cornered. Some have moved away in despair. In this situation, the most popular party of the country is gradually becoming depopulated. The Awami League is now largely dependent on the administration to deal with political opponents. Will the workers of bad times come on the field again in time of crisis? If yes, then why? These questions are among the leaders and workers of Awami League.

In the international arena too, Bangladesh's successful diplomacy has come to a standstill in the last three years. Instead of the language of diplomacy, a foreign minister is constantly making statements in the informal colloquial language of the neighborhood. When did Bangladesh get such an 'undiplomatic' foreign minister? Western countries, including the United States, are vocal about the upcoming elections. Diplomats from 14 countries went to the Election Commission simultaneously. They made it very clear that they want the next election to be participatory. They want free, fair and neutral elections. The United States recently said in a report, "The next election is very important for Bangladesh. This election will determine whether Bangladesh will move towards greater democracy or an authoritarian system of government.'' In contrast, Bangladesh's policies and strategies are vague and unclear.

All in all, just a year and a half before the election, the Awami League is in a very rough situation. And it is becoming worse gradually. The power sector is the biggest proof that 13 years of achievements have been lost in an instant. The Awami League was proud of their contribution in power sector. Now this electricity seems to be the thorn in the neck. We are going back to the situation of 2001-2008. It is pointless talking about the condition of the power sector during the BNP-Jamaat alliance government. People will not find solace in the pillar story either. People want a solution to today's crisis. This country has achieved a lot in 13 years. Padma Bridge, Karnafuli Tunnel, Metro Rail development have become big advertisements. Per capita income has increased. The average life expectancy has increased. Literacy rate has increased. But people will not be overwhelmed by these achievements, if the load shedding does not stop. If the commodity prices are not controlled. If the teenage gangs are not suppressed. The arrogance, corruption, money laundering and social degradation of those in power are making people restless. The people of Bangladesh have goldfish memory. They forget past very easily, very quickly. The pain of being without electricity for 10 hours is forgotten. Tareq Zia's Hawa Bhaban has been forgotten. The August 21 grenade attack is forgotten. Banglar Bhai is forgotten. 10 truckloads of weapons are forgotten. Purnima-Fahima's rape is forgotten. Entering the mosque and killing is not remembered either. They forgot the BNP-Jamaat violence across the country. People live with the present, not the past. People make decisions in the current reality. So the Awami League government has to solve the ongoing crises. And this crisis has now become a challenge for this government. Seeing the current state of the third term Awami League government, the song of the rebellious poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, “Helmsman Attention!” comes to mind. A verse of this song is, “The boat rocks, the waves swell; Helmsman Attention!”

But there is only one place for our hope. Sheikh Hasina. She solves all crises with her talent and foresight. Where there is darkness of utter uncertainty, she shines the light of possibility. The countrymen still believe that she will overcome all the current difficulties. That is why people are waiting for another magic of Sheikh Hasina in spite of anger, sorrow and frustration. Sheikh Hasina is the only Helmsman of Bangladesh. Surely she will cross the surging waves of this crisis and take us safely to the golden port.