We have been here before.
Political deadlock is daily bringing deadly violence and causing senseless damage to the economy, while proposals for compromise and mediation are being rejected.
The most urgent priority for the country is to end the deadlock so violence can be stopped and normal life restored. This has happened in the past. What is unknown is how and when this will occur again.
Looking ahead, we should also be asking how we can make democracy function better in the interests of all the people of Bangladesh. The nation deserves a better vision of normality.
Political leaders have to learn to rise above the recurring cycle of intransigence and confrontation that gives rise to this form of deadly conflict. This needs the AL and BNP in particular, as recipients of the overwhelming majority of votes cast in contested elections, to put the concerns and needs of ordinary people ahead of their own vested interests.
To help this happen and make democracy function properly, we need to see both internal reforms within political parties and careful consideration of how well the constitution protects and upholds fundamental rights.
Although some facets of the constitution such as the mechanism for elections are objects of endless debate, other questions are completely overlooked.
Both major parties seem content, for instance, to view elections as the means to enable a “winner takes all” form of governance and are unwilling to debate provisions which concentrate powers excessively.
The public needs to see more debate about how the political system can be reformed to function more democratically and effectively. Without long-term agreement on such matters, resolving the present dispute alone may not be enough to prevent politics from slipping back into this destructive cycle.
