All the hoopla is about an interim election. The two arch rivals are at odds over the exact process of the elections, but to us, the question of utmost poignancy is: Do we need an interim election?
The answer is a resounding “no” if further elections are to be held within the current political framework. However, it is a definite “yes” if it can be held after reforming our politics, the introduction of an intra-party democracy, and after enacting laws which empower the Election Commission (EC) sufficiently to be able to conduct a credible election.
Begum Zia remains the head of her party despite a disastrous debacle in the 2007 election and her wrong (one may definitely beg to differ) judgment regarding the blighted election of January 5, 2014. In any political party with a working democracy, this would be unthinkable. The heir-apparent Tareque Zia is a tainted man who had allegedly committed significant corruption during the reign of Hawa Bhaban.
Even if he is a “fuler moto pobitro” person as claimed by his loving mother, his tainted public image has already robbed him his logical legitimacy to run a democratic party. Thus, BNP, in its existing construct, is not ready to call for a credible election.
Why should we, the people of Bangladesh, vote to replace one hegemony with yet another of the same trained history?
So, before calling for an interim election, the BNP should introduce some order to itself by exercising intra-mural democracy – that is the only way they can look at the complete picture and not get embroiled in the petty personal matters of the leader and her family.
The BNP's policy now is clearly geared towards claiming power and that’s it – there is no agenda in their manifesto that will, or can, serve the public interest.
They need to spell out exactly how they plan to execute the job of running the country for the people and not for themselves. They must tell us exactly what it is that differentiates them from the juggernaut that is the Awami League.
From a pragmatic standpoint, both AL and BNP share, with some inflection, a common vision of secularism and social and/or foreign policy. Their oft stated “Joy Bangla/Bangladesh Zindabad” paradigm does not inspire the common masses.
For AL, giving an interim election and losing it will be suicidal. The reason is simple: The Awami kings/queens and their millions of minions have engaged in so many bad deeds over the past few years, that a chance of being hounded by their suddenly empowered nemesis is very real. Their lives will be inundated with a plethora of law suits.
It is quite possible that even the top leaders of the AL may not be exempt from such hounding.
Well, the bigger leaders will most likely flee to their second homes in Europe, America, or Malaysia – and the brunt will be borne by the mid and lower-level minions.
I do not see any chance of the BNP being able to force AL into holding another election unless the police and armed forces are on board, and that is extremely unlikely because the AL government is giving law enforcement outfits and the military all they want – in fact, they are virtually running the country, albeit with the help of big-money-businesses (taking a good look at the composition of the parliament would be enough).
So, what is all the hoopla for? I believe it is time for both the AL and BNP hierarchies to take a leave from active politics. They should let the lower-ranking individuals engage in some real politik, get their houses into democratic order, and forge a path forward without having too much ill will against one another.
I'll bet that, by practicing intra-mural democracy, every rotten element will be weeded out and our politics will once again be in the favour of the people.
Once we get rid of the politics of personal and family hegemony, the virtual rivalry between the two Rahman families would end. The senior Rahman can continue to be the great leader of our Independence War, where the younger Rahman played a very important part by publicly announcing that the country is at war with its occupying forces.
Until that, an election shall remain an election only in name, and the poor citizens of Bangladesh cannot afford to spend thousands of crores for nothing.
