CHAPTER II STUDY FRAMEWORK
5.1 Summary and Conclusion
62 CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
One interesting finding is that when Ershad was the CMLA and President, he ended his speech saying “Khoda Hafez. Bangladesh, Zindabad.” But he never used this phrase again during the rest of his political career. The reason behind this is that the same buzzword is used by another opposition party BNP and perhaps at the beginning of Ershad`s political career he was somehow influenced by former President Zia but later on he moved away from this.
The tone of Ershad within the speeches varied according to his political position.
Like when he was CMLA, he had a more directive tone, when he was the President his tone was amiable, when he was a Fallen dictator he had an emotional tone, as a Member of Parliament he had a democratic tone and as a Special envoy to PM; his tone is like a responsible leader. The contents of the speeches have also changed accordingly to the favorable time for Ershad which shows that he is a very tactful and skillful speaker.
When he was CMLA he dominated people`s choice by proudly announcing that people have greeted Martial Law whereas after Ershad’s autocratic regime; his language showed sympathy for the people for their loss and suffering.
When he was the CMLA, his language showed political dominance when he made mention of Martial Law courts for the trail of politicians. But now as a Special Envoy to PM, Ershad calls out to all political parties for discussion and reconciliation.
The language of Ershad always played a blame game throughout his political career. When he was CMLA, he blamed the immediate past government and politicians
64
for corruption. When he was a Fallen dictator, he blamed Awami League for their failure as opposition party in addition to being the main source of terrorism in the country. When he was the MP of 9th Parliament, he blamed all the government in the past for not having real democratic values and lastly when he is the Special Envoy to PM, Ershad blames the election defaulter which is BNP for their abominable protest. So it is clear that Ershad have this tendency to blame his opposition, during and after his dictatorship, for his own personal benefit and political agenda.
Ershad`s discourse also portrays him as a practicing, dedicated Muslim who takes credit for the development of Islam and Muslim community in Bangladesh. He talked about visiting Kabba, Mecca when he was CMLA and again when he was aFallen dictator he promised to work for the development of mosques, madrassa. This also helped to win over people`s heart as majority of the population in Bangladesh belong to that community.
His speech showed political domination over opposition as CMLA and President. Besides that, his speech also showed political dominance over his own Jatiya Party as well because it was he who had the authority to make a call in going for alliance before the 9th Parliament election.
When he was the President, he used the Parliament to pass the Seventh Amendment Bill but later on as a Fallen dictator it was Ershad who blamed the Parliament to be ineffective. This shows that whenever Parliament was in favor of his political agenda, he appreciated it or else he didn`t.
During his earlier periods, he talked about development, reformation to win people`s hearts. After he had been ousted from power, he talked about election, votes to take people on his side. Interestingly before the 9th Parliament election in 2006, Ershad pleaded for votes, asked for forgiveness and wanted to have another chance to come to power. Again right before the 10th Parliament election, in his statement on November 2013, he talked about democracy and democratic behavior. This shows that Ershad is a cunning, ingenious speaker who knows what to say and what will suit the best in which situation. Thus Ershad`s language is unpredictable and changes according to time.
Ershad always used the pronouns `I’, ‘We’ and ‘My’ to cater his objectives, agenda to the people which shows his resolute authoritarian nature. None of his pronouns reflected people`s opinion, choice and unity. Rather it always served his political and personal messages.
Hence in the end it can be concluded by looking at the verbal communication patterns and discourse of HM Ershad, that the claim made by Ershad of being transformed into a democratic leader is a gimmick as even though his language shows that there is a transformation of wording but it’s not sustainable. His speeches were delivered intentionally and he has manipulated his words for his own survival and existence. In other words Ershad actually evolved according to the traditional power politics where his interest, speech style changed according to different political phase and situation. Ershad`s language shows that he is very much aware of people`s sentiments so he uses it as a tool to win their hearts. His speeches decoded the fact that
66
Ershad is well aware of the political demand and know what to say and when to make his position more credible to the people. His language before and after his time have a dominant and self-righteous flavor which is further explained by the usage of personal pronouns. The utmost important finding in the study is that even though his speeches have a transition of wording according to the political environment and his position but it was his use of personal pronouns which clearly pictured him as a potentate individual.
Thus this study disapproves Ershad`s claim to be transformed into a democratic leader from an autocrat.