It is good to see the Awami League agree to a request from the newly-formed Jatiya Oikya Front for dialogue over the impending general election.
This is how a democracy should function and resolve issues -- by coming to the table, and reaching common ground.
In the past, we have seen violence and vandalism on the streets over disagreements, and when that happens, the nation and the economy suffer, and all sides lose.
The upcoming meeting between the AL and the Jatiya Oikya Front shows that dialogue and civility are returning to politics, and this is exactly the type of conduct we expect in our political process.
Back in 2013, in the run-up to the general election, the ruling party had tried to hold talks, but unfortunately, the opposition BNP at that time did not show a willingness to engage in discussion, choosing instead a path of destructive confrontation.
That is not what civilized behaviour on part of an opposition party should look like, and what happened five years ago should serve as an example for precisely what nobody wishes to see this time around.
To that end, the Jatiya Oikya Front has done the right thing by asking for a sit-down, and the ruling party has done well by responding in kind for talks to be held at Ganabhaban.
For too long, violence and a winner-take-all mentality has marred our political process, and this meeting signals a welcome move in the right direction.
