A ‘concession speech’ that inspires

An upshot of the NCC election is that all sides showed impeccable manners all along. When Dr Selina Hayat Ivy, the winner, paid a courtesy visit to Shakhawat Hossain, the defeated candidate, the latter said that he would assist her in every way to realise the promises she made during her campaign.

Also read: Ivy at Shakhawat’s home with sweets after win

This is unprecedented and seemed like a concession speech, a practice unheard of in the Bangladeshi electoral tradition. The concession speech has become an important public act integral to the political culture in many advanced democracies around the world. It is a formulaic gesture where the speaker says that he or she has congratulated the winner; calls for unity; summons supporters to both accept the result and to continue to fight for their cause in the future. The media demands the speech; the loser speaks of a heroic sacrifice, not to the fate but to the popular will, and the winner responds by speaking of how gracious the loser was.

What’s the point of the concession speech—something that is the product of the 20th-century media environment rather than any law or election policy? Does victory not stand with or without it? Do rivals in politics become buddies once it is delivered? Why do journalists demand it? I would argue that the role of journalists as the people waiting for a public concession and then broadcasting it to the country makes them a sort of a Greek chorus in the drama of the election, speaking for the people and urging the dramatis personae to fulfill their narrative functions, bringing the story to its correct conclusion.

Read more: What led to Ivy’s win

What the concession speech accomplishes is not really about whether the loser accepts his or her loss. It’s about the loser’s supporters being encouraged to do so. It is hard but it is the right thing to do.

The two candidates in the NCC election not only presented us with a good photo-op but they were aware of the feelings of others.

That’s what manners are all about.

The writer is a member of the Editorial Team.