The social media was inundated on the second day of the new year with the news that a certain film actor got the allocation of an expensive piece of land worth around 100 million takas. The actor, who is not widely known, came to limelight when he was casted at the main role of the biopic of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

With a stunning PR campaign that actor announced that he was working in the mega-budget movie just for one taka to show his respect for Mujib. However, when the news leaked that he was bestowed with a lucrative piece of land many raised eyebrows and confirmed their suspicion of the actor’s PR was the part of a big scheme that would ensure his position in the tribe of the ruling party. The 100 million may be just the beginning of serving the power party who claims the country literally their ‘’father’s property.”

The news is yet clear whether the above-mentioned actor will get the land without paying money or how he got the allocation, but this is just another example of the country where you will be treated as the ‘super citizen’ if you are loyal and serve the ruling party.

As a matter of fact, Awami League, the ruling party, often mentions that people owe them eternal gratitude as they led the liberation war as political party. Its politics is based on this exact philosophy of they being the liberator notwithstanding the liberation war was a massive people’s resistance.

As the party is on reign for over last one and a half decade this mindset is spread like a giant tree that has engulfed the whole nation. Ironically, that is the diametric opposite of the spirit that drove people for liberation war and saw millions being martyred. People wanted to get rid of the hegemony of a certain class, namely West Pakistanis, and envisaged a state that would be based upon justice and equal rights.

But now, even a goon of Chaatra League, the student wing of the power party, enjoys extreme privilege, extort unlimited money and almost unaccountable for all their crimes. The same rule applies to police, government officials, journalist leaders, sportsmen and you name it. All the institutions of the country are dilapidated and a new cult is formed. Only the Awami loyal are members to that cult. Because, deep in mind they believe, only they have the eternal right and no one else. A quintessential mindset of the tyrannic people.  

They siphoned the hard-earned money of the taxpayers; they extort wealth from people by force and smuggle them to foreign lands for their own enjoyment. By now, everyone knows about Begum Para, a heaven for the thieves of this country.

One-taka investment may not be the most outrageous crimes but it exactly shows what the one-party mindset is how it ruins a country that was built on the dream and blood of millions. 

The Boxer: The author is one of the indefatigable working-class Bangladeshis who have been trying to change the fate of the nation but were betrayed by the ruling elites and autocrats. The name is inspired by a character in George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm.