EDITORIAL COMMENT: Where is Bangladesh Headed?

Bangladesh’s politics has again entered into turbulent waters with BNP’s 4 point demand for participating in the elections. It seems unlikely that the Government will be able to provide satisfactory answers to the demands that cast dark shadows over the proposed 18^th December elections.

The nature of the demands notwithstanding, this Government just cannot have elections without the BNP. It came to office as it did not want then Caretaker Government to go ahead with the January 22^nd election without the AL as that would have not made the elections credible and used that excuse to extend their tenure now close to 2 years. The same argument should apply now that credible elections cannot be held without the BNP; else by logic it would lose legitimacy and expose itself to legal questions being raised about its tenure once emergency is lifted.

One understands that a group in this government would feel more comfortable with AL forming the next government as under it, the BNP has suffered much more by comparison. It is now up to Dr. Fakhruddin to hold charge and give both the parties a level playing ground for the election by listening to the BNP’s grievances. It is unfortunate that he did not pay much attention to political issues that have come up now for if he had, the problems facing the nation now would have been known to him long ago and he could have spent his time in office more for resolving these and the nation would have not faced its current uncertain predicament. Governance for which he came to office is not just cutting tapes, giving speeches in meetings or touring abroad. He has said many times that he heads a caretaker government and if that be so, his one and only task should have been to see that elections would be held in a manner acceptable to all for which BNP’s participation is a must.

As for our guests, the diplomats in the country, they have made it their affair interfering in our politics as if it is their main occupation. In doing so, it was interesting and unbelievable that both the mainstream parties were visited by a group of Arab Ambassadors to be given their views on our elections given the fact that in most of their countries, democratic election is unknown!

Unfortunate as it is that we keep on being humiliated by these foreign diplomats, it is time to see if they could do something positive for Bangladesh by their interest in our politics. Let them talk to the parties concerned, the caretaker government most of all, and make them see that holding an election without a major political party will only push the country to conflict and confrontation that could be disastrous for Bangladesh at a time when we need to have peace in the political process to save the country from failing.