Eid, one of the most joyous times in the year for Bangladeshis, has come to a close and the nation is now forced to focus on much less pleasant affairs, such as the ongoing political turmoil that is only likely to heat up in the run up to the national election.
Jamaat has already called for 48 hour hartals on August 13-14, which will cause much grief to the people returning home after spending Eid with their families. Meanwhile, the standoff between BNP and Awami League continues with neither party showing any signs yet of conciliation to find a way forward. In fact, BNP has already threatened to escalate unrest if their demand for a caretaker government is not met.
The AL general secretary recently said that he is hopeful a “last minute” solution will be found on the poll-time government and claimed that this is an acceptable state of affairs because it is our “national characteristic.”
The climate of uncertainty and fear created by the ongoing political disputes has already caused grave economic damage to the country. Under these circumstances, callous remarks such as the above only demonstrate the total disregard our political leaders have for the wellbeing of the country.
The country deserves more than just three days of calm and respite from the political chaos that only serves the interests of the parties, at the cost of the nation.
We call on the government and the opposition parties to act responsibly and resolve these disputes around elections and other issues without harming the public interest.
