In recent times, people have witnessed certain developments in several political parties and in the politics of Bangladesh in general -- if there is any politics at all left by the opposition camps. The changes took place in Ershad’s Jatiya Party and Dr Kamal Hossain’s Gano Forum. There is also an indication of policy shift by BNP.
The policy shift was first noticed when four MPs of BNP took oath on the last day of the deadline and made it public that it was an instruction from their exiled leader Tarique Rahman. Soon, the BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir came up with a similar stance although earlier the party had expelled one of the six MPs elected from the BNP soon after he took oath, and later Mirza himself stayed away from the parliament.
According to him, it was a party strategy that their MPs would take oath, but he himself would not. Still, many believe that the BNP took this “sarcastic” stance as it failed to check the defiance by the MPs elected except Mirza Fakhrul.
Whatever the reason was behind the BNP’s stand and explanation, the party’s secretary general has now come up with a clearer policy shift.
Lately, he has said that their party’s decision not to join parliament soon after the December 30 elections was wrong, although they don’t want to recognize it as elections at all. “I don’t have any hesitation to say that our earlier decision of not going to parliament was not right at that moment. We must carry on our fight on all the fronts,” he was quoted by media at a discussion meeting marking the death anniversary of party leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu.
Fakhrul told the meeting that they should keep it in mind that nothing can be achieved through cheap slogans. He described their acting chairman’s decision to join the parliament as a right one as they have to fight both in and outside the parliament.
It is clear that BNP’s latest stance was not welcomed by all of their top leaders. That’s why at the same time Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that their party was fully united and there was no rift, and urged all to talk about party problems in party forums only.
Unlike BNP, the Jatiya Party (Ershad) did not experience any policy shift, but it had a major change at the top of the party’s hierarchy. After some recent ups and downs both in the party and in his health condition, HM Ershad suddenly appointed his brother GM Quader as the acting chairman with a clear indication that Quader will lead the party in his absence.
Ershad had similar directives earlier, but he had to change his own decisions following pressures from different quarters especially from the loyalists to Begum Rawshan Ershad. GM Quader claimed that this time the decision will not be reversed by Ershad who is famous for turning down his own decisions since his time as chief martial law administrator to now.
Quader told the press that 89-year-old HM Ershad, who has been suffering from various old-age complications, is having difficulty to run the party’s daily activities. According to him, the party’s regular activities became stagnant off late -- that’s why he (Ershad) has appointed him (Quader) as acting chairman of the party.
He, however, made it clear that as long as Ershad is alive, the party will run under his (Ershad) leadership.
The night after Quader was made JP’s acting chairman, another political party got new leadership -- Gano Forum. Once again, Dr Kamal Hossain, president of the party since its inception in mid-90s, was named its president.
For politics in Bangladesh, where a leader of a party is the leader for a lifetime, it is not an unusual precedence.
However, surprising was the naming of Dr Reza Kibria, son of the late SAMS Kibria (who was finance minister of AL government in 1996-2001 and later slain in a grenade attack during successive BNP government) as general secretary replacing Mostafa Mohsin Montu (an aide to Dr Kamal since he split from the AL and formed the Gano Forum).
Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, also a former Awami League leader, and elected with party symbol of BNP, who took oath defying party order, was not in the committee. Mokabbir Khan, another MP, elected with Gano Forum’s symbol and show-caused for the oath, however, found a place in the presidium.
His inclusion in the committee indicates that BNP and Gano Forum are walking on the same way in regards to parliamentary affairs. It means the Jatiya Oikya Front, launched ahead of December 30 elections, has something in mind against the backdrop of opposition camp’s planned bid to “restore” democracy.
In a latest development, BJP President Andaleeve Rahman Partho left BNP-led 20-party alliance. We may see more such developments in the near future.
In fact, all these developments in the parties and politics are taking place in the name of democracy despite it being clear to people that each and every bid is linked to personal interests.
Thus none of the country’s political activities is linked to the people’s best interests. That is why people are less interested in all this hullaballoo.
Zahid Newaz Khan is Chief News Editor (CNE) of Channel i and Editor of Channel i Online.
