Natural law, when it connotes a set of commonly adhered-to principles, is supra-natural, if not unnatural, literally. For one thing, the codes are man-made and their consequentiality hinges upon the convenience of a human society; for another, nature itself is a great catalyst for change as it is manifest in the evolutionary history of life on earth. So while establishing order, as well as a system as a corollary to it, is an essential prerequisite for one life to continue up to its natural end, sustaining it in its unchanged form for generations with the same evangelical zeal is anti-natural.

The old order in Bangladesh had long outlived its utility and, naturally, gave in to a kind of chaos in the days preceding 1/11 that paradoxically characterizes the prelude to a new era of peace and prosperity. But revolution did not take place in Bangladesh or perhaps revolution was hijacked before it could reach the streets. If nature proposes but man disposes the course of events takes a weird turn, which explains why people's power in Bangladesh is now in a state of coma and for a longer than necessary period of time has been undergoing treatment in the emergency unit.

Not all's well that ends well. The end in sight may after all be a Christmas gift in the sense that it is not going to be a return to familial dynasty, at least, but the transition will rankle if it is too bitter. With the prices of essentials, especially of food stuff, at their cruel peaks, hunger is yawning in many households; corruption is grinning at the vaunted drive against corruption; fear is germinating even in the fearless mind. Failure to stem the tide would mean irrevocable erosion of any reputation that the transition government may have earned by virtue of each player's personal integrity.

The foreign dimension to our national events has become a major concern as it retards, rather than helps, the natural process of change. While extraterritorial interference in economic matters is plausibly linked to the predicament of a poor country, dictating politics by economic power houses is a phenomenon characteristic of neocolonialism and therefore a national anathema.

The redeeming feature of the present situation in Bangladesh is the government has not lost its patriotic image completely. In managing the economy it has remained clean so far, its policies failing in default of a mechanism for finding agreeable alternatives. With regard to establishing political stability, the government has yet to demonstrate its ability to act independently.

When it comes to winning public approval it is action and not intention that matters more. This is why good people sometimes become irrelevant politically. For Bangladesh nothing can be sadder than a situation if it makes the masses regard the interim government with disdain after having welcomed it enthusiastically. We believe there is still time to make amends and not let that accursed situation ever occur.