Protection of human rights, in other words, security is a fundamental question in politics. Criminalization of politics, on the other hand, is an utter political violation of this basic right. It is a sad commentary that criminalization of politics has taken deep roots in Bangladesh. As it involves a process of degeneration of the worst kind, nowhere does it happen overnight. The same is true in the case of Bangladesh. Before examining the state and the process of criminalization of politics in Bangladesh, let us see what politics, crime and criminalization of politics mean.

Politics is an all-pervasive public activity involving man and society. It relates to the process of authoritative decision-making. The core of politics is power. It is indeed a power relationship. In other words, it is a struggle for power. Politics involves conflicts and conflict resolutions. Thus, Alan R. Ball defines politics as " an activity concerned with conflict, compromise, decision-making, power and authority". (Modern Politics and Government , London 1977, p. 30 ). There must have issues, actors, actions, incompatibilities and the ways and means of making peace and accommodation in politics. Again, every political system is founded upon certain core values, beliefs and behaviors what may be called political culture.

According to Oxford Dictionary, crime is 'an offence punishable by law.' It is an evil act of doing harm or injury to others.

Criminalisation of politics may be termed as a systematic act of subversion of the usual course of politics by illicit means intended to attain private gain or coterie end. It gives rise to a kind of situation where there are a great deal of erosion of values, organized violations of norms, rules and principles, dearth of security of life, liberty and property, lack of transparency and accountability, dominance of muscle power and black money, plunder of resources, rampant corruption, denial of justice and rule of law, contraction of popular sovereignty leading the underworld and unconventional forces to establish substantial control over the political process.

Crimnalization of politics can take place in an environment of state patronage and absence of democracy. Initially Bangladesh faced a new kind of challenge at its birth. Application of violence for political end seemed to receive credence in the aftermath of the Bangladesh War of Liberation. The situation was further aggravated by the wide scale presence of illegal firearms.

However, the first government of independent Bangladesh headed by the Father of the Nation, Bangabandu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made strenuous attempts to prevail upon the situation. Several measures were adopted to lay the political system of the new republic on a solid foundation. These included, among other things, the making of a constitution (1972), introduction of parliamentary system of government and the holding of general elections in 1973. As against bureaucratic dominance over the government and the state machinery during the British and the Pakistani rule, the government of Bangabandu had been successful in establishing full political control over civil-military bureaucracies. One may differ in the estimation of the performances of the Mujib government during 1972-1975, yet it must be agreed that there was nothing like organized state patronage for criminalization of politics from the ruler which one would find to take place subsequently.

The proclamation of Indemnity Ordinance by the then government on 26 September 1975 in an attempt to protect the self-confessed killers of the Father of the Nation from trial and the cold-blooded murder of the four heroes of the War of Liberation who had been the most trusted political lieutenants of Bangabandu, namely, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain M. Mansur Ali and A.H.M. Qamaruzzaman inside the Dhaka Central Jail in captivity on 3 November 1975 were the two heinous acts of barbarity in behest of the state.

Indeed the brutal killing of Bangabandu and the fall of his government in August 1975 marked the beginning of an era of wholesale political criminalization under state patronage, first, under General Ziaur Rahman and , later, H.M. Ershad which continued for a period of 15 years till 1990.Seizure of power by military coups, denial of voting right to people, systematic destruction of political institutions including splits of parties, setting up of pro-regime political parties (BNP, JP) with the aid and assistance of the army intelligence and other state agencies, patronage to mastands, occupation of key civilian posts including ministerial positions by top civil-military bureaucracies, holding of farcical elections with prefabricated results, abuse of powers and rampant corruption were the general features of this rule. The need for civilianizing military rule and the quest for a political constituency as a countervailing measure against the main power contender, Awami League, led the regimes to muster strong every kind of support available devoid of value or scrutiny. This was a boon to anti-social but politically useful elements in the society.

The fall of the Ershad regime in December 1990 as a result of countrywide mass demonstrations and the subsequent restoration of civilian rule under popularly elected party government raised high hope among the people for gradual recovery from the situation. Though civilian rule has been persisting in the country since then, much of the hope is remaining unfulfilled.

Following the coming of the Awami League into power after a long relentless struggle of 21 years through a free and fair election held under a non-party caretaker government in June 1996, there was a renewed hope. True that the Awami League government under Sheikh Hasina adopted several measures to consolidate the nascent democracy, yet the success of the government in curbing political crimes and bringing the goons to book was not in commensurate with people's expectation. This was by no means an easy task either.

In any event, the prospect of combating against crimnalization seemed receding further with the BNP-Jamaat Alliance coming into power through the October 1, 2001 general elections. A reign of terror as been unleashed throughout the country by the supporters of the alliance against their political adversaries (mostly Awami Leaguers or Awami League sympathesiers) and Hindu minority. Pages of newspapers are full of atrocious events and stories as a regular feature which include, among other things, physical tortures, ransoms, killings, kidnappings, burning of houses , rape of women, driving out of minority community members to neighboring India and forced occupation of huts, bazaars, terminals, public toilets, even graveyards for illegal collections, etc. The amount of coverage made by the media is considered the least of what is really happening. Hardly any of the alleged criminals have so far been rounded up. The incident of illegal occupation of parliament suits by some of the newly elected ruling party MPs and their involvement in the hijacking of tender schedule bear a further testimony to the most deplorable state of thing in the country. Instead of taking stern action the government chose to slur over the whole matter.

Criminalization of politics is largely the end result of deliberate policies pursued by the military rulers in the country. It has spread like a cancer permeating the entire body polity. The restoration of civilian rule has not yet been able to suggest remedy. The non-communal basis of the Bangladesh nation-state stands shattered. The police force of the state is being used by the party in power as their privates. The view of politics as supreme sacrifice and service to the community has been grossly eroded. Politics is now seen as a profit-making activity. Political parties are increasingly becoming dependent on evil forces and ill mechanisms. They even sell nominations like a commodity.

In a condition of scarce resources and limited opportunity as in Bangladesh, people in general and younger generation in particular get easily propelled to this kind of unfair politics in a bid to make ready fortune. Absence of political idealism of whatever persuasion coupled with thorough moral degradation have been further accelerating the process. The short term objective of gaining power by the parties at any cost is causing long-term harm to the growth of political professionalism, institution building and democratization. In short, in the emerging situation normal functioning of the state is becoming most difficult. Unless the process is reversed soon, the prospect of democracy and, for that matter, human rights and the future of the nation would be at stake.

* The paper is presented at the two-day convention held at the Engineers Institution, Dhaka on 27-28 January 2002 under the auspices of the Bangladesh civil society.