It’s a party that bears the spirit of liberation war and secular institutions, a party that considers Bengali culture as the guiding element, supports the campaign for’71 war criminals’ trail and works towards bringing about change in the faulty system. Inspired by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s struggle for independence, the party considers BNP pro-Pakistan or a party with loose cultural-ideological features that do not reflect the wishes of an independent progressive Bangladesh.

BNP as a Political Party

It takes its inspiration from President Ziaur Rahman’s policies in the post ’75 political scenario. A pro-Islamist party, it believes that religion should be the basis of nationalism, sides with war criminals and the killers of Bangabandhu and other national leaders, and considers that the killing of the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was an army rebel operation backed by pro-Pakistan and leftist forces. BNP claims that Ziaur Rahman, as an army Major, had announced the declaration of Independence, and hence refuses to accept Bangabandhu as the Father of the Nation. It labels Awami League a pro-India party which seems quite unjustified in the sense that Awami League, as government power, have had the most fierce rows with Indian governments. But, ‘pro-India’ is somehow a stigma in the political conscience of Bangladesh.

BNP & Awami League: Similarities when in Power

a) Politicize civil and military administrations

b) Support the illegal activities of their student wings

c) Radically change names of organizations

d) Party workers go on the rampage of extortion, tender terrorism and human rights violations

e) Buy tax-free cars for their solvent members of parliament

f) MPs and Ministers purchase land through proxy means

g) Provide immunity to their cadres to grab plots and riverine areas

h) Want to rule Bangladesh for the rest of the country’s life

BNP & Awami League: Similarities when in Opposition

a) Boycott National Assembly sessions but take salaries without performing and/or delivering

b) Claim conspiracies against the pro-India / pro-Pakistan tendencies of the party in power

c) Look for an excuse to incite movements for change of government

d) Their non-co-operation in National Assembly and their wrath towards the government are not appeased till they win back power

Hence, the row between the government and the opposition remains repetitive and as time-wasting as Samuel Beckett’s stagnant stage of Waiting for Godot. Nothing changes. People don’t get security or health service from the state; education fails to accommodate a wider generation and police continues to humiliate civil citizens. No political party works towards establishing social welfare services in rural areas to discourage urban migration. Election success offers only the mandate to rule, not serve. Political mudslinging doesn’t abate and this wrestling is ceaselessly aired by our electronic media.

People who survive on hand- to-mouth incomes and those who work hard and are capable of entrepreneurship get zero support from the government. They are, on top of this, harassed and hindered by the prevalent political culture.

So unless Awami League and BNP start making and talking sense, curb the tendency of political coquetry and stop issuing misplaced rhetoric, nothing will ever change.

Ignoring education as the accelerator of the country has already impeded the growth of skilled workers, while nepotism & political favoritism in the employment process has weakened talent hunting.

In the absence of a genuine opposition party in the parliament, media in Bangladesh has taken on the role of a shadow government on behalf of the people. Interestingly, the very political leaders who fail to deliver show no qualms in enjoying media publicity. Access to information and social networking sites on the internet have played a key part in making the people of Bangladesh more politically aware and critical than ever before.

The voters, as well as the non-voters, expect the Awami League-led government to ensure affordable food, sound law & order, education without political violence and a society based on secular values. People naturally understand Awami League’s desire to carry out trials of war criminals, provided other mandated issues are pursued with equal passion. (In Germany even casting doubt on the Holocaust is a crime.)

As for BNP, it will have to take lessons in democratic practices. For starters: judicious handling of the whirl castle corruption scandal and taking steps to clear up its image of being pro-fundamentalism. Regional foreign policy needs to be reassessed. Anti-India or anti-Pakistan propaganda has started to sound boring, if nothing else. In an age of information super highway, political rumors or yellow comments don’t sell like before. BNP should rethink its manifesto and plan a constructive political campaign.

While Awami League should not appear arrogant, over confident or vindictive, BNP should not look conspiratory or destructive. Leaders must understand the meaning of ‘change’ before they use it so casually. We still carry hope that these parties and their leaders will respond to a changed info-socio-political reality and say ‘YES’ to good politics only.

On 24th July 2009, Awami League held the party’s National Council to elect new leadership and ratify provisional changes brought to its constitution to meet the criteria for registration with the Election Commission (EC).

Sheikh Hasina was elected the Awami League (AL) President for the sixth time while Syed Ashraful Islam was elected the General Secretary for three years without any contest.

According to Article 21 of the AL constitution, however, the president, presidium members, general secretary, departmental secretaries, and the treasurer must be elected by the triennial council.

Party National Council, however, did not follow party charter properly in electing leadership. They only elected party president and secretary general and empowered newly elected AL chief Sheikh Hasina to choose leaders for 45 posts that include 13 members of the party Presidium, 31 departmental secretaries, and seven organizing secretaries, and a treasurer.

Immediately after Khaleda Zia’s release from the prison, clash between the reformist and the loyalist sections of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) hurt BNP as a political party and it cost Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan’s political career. But in the post-1/11 scenario, as a political party BNP had lost a lot, they failed to hold Upazilla and Zilla council.  Clashes over leadership in councils were the most common news feature about BNP Zilla Council.

Though BNP, after 16 years, also held its National Council, the most significant and yes, deplorable outcome of the Council was the creation of an all-powerful senior vice chairman post in the party and election of Tarique Rahman for that post.

Khaleda Zia was elected as chairperson of BNP without contest.

As regards to holding election for other posts in the party, the BNP National Council followed its arch-rival AL National Council’s all-in-one power-position. It empowered re-elected BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to nominate leaders for party’s national standing and executive committees, ignoring the party charter that clearly stipulates election for the posts.

The extended party meeting of ruling Awami League after 20 months breaks raised hope.

Syed Ashraful Islam, elected general secretary, had said “District and Upazila-level councils will be held after a countrywide drive for new member.” According to him, AL would bring in fresh leadership in every grass-root level committee. But the process could take up to three years to complete.

Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and also the president of Bangladesh Awami League was present there. In her presence Advocate Ajmat Ullah, general secretary of Gazipur zilla Awami league, in his speech, said that it should be decided whether the elected members will have the power to control the party or the party will control its elected members.

He had pointed out the fact that each and every one of the MPs has been elected not by their own popularity and public image but rather they were elected only because all the party members had worked for them in 2008 national election.

Advocate Akram Hossain, president of Pirojpur Awami League, said elected MPs should work in accord with the grass-root level activists. He accused the MPs of being aloof and this aloofness is making them drift further away form the mass.

Aolad Hossain Badol, general secretary of Awami League, Nilphamary, addressed Party President Sheikh Hasina and said the gap between the party and the government had widened as the elected MPs think they are the only fundamental parts of the party.

In the presence of the MPs and of course in the presence of Party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, exhibition of such gallant accusations and finger-pointing is quite unthinkable, but that shows the hard fact that at least Awami League has learned something important. To hear and be heard is the only way of good governance.

Grass-root party activists and party leaders have said they did not even feel that their party is in power, and the only fraction that is feeling that power and abysmally misusing the power is BCL.

But the saga of abusing power continues:

The Representation of the People Order (RPO) clearly prohibits a registered political party from forming any affiliated or associated organization of professionals, students, teachers, employees, or laborers.

Complying with RPO, AL in its amended constitution ratified by its National Council severed its ties with Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jatiya Sramik League, two previously associated organizations of the party for students and laborers respectively. These organizations, many a time, were the driving forces of the party.

It is reported that Awami League has severed its ties with Bangladesh Chatra League[ BCL], and Sheikh Hasina on 4th April 2009 quit the post of organizational chief because of the ongoing power abuse of BCL. This manifests a legal reality that organizationally BCL is not a part of the ruling party anymore but the party and political reality is most of the student leaders are loyal to the MPs anyways and these MPs are the ones protecting these unruly thugs and miscreants. Needless to say, these MPs are also the governing force of the party against whom the resentment is strong at grass-root level too.

Editorial of The Daily Star on 2nd February wrote a congenial academic atmosphere is now absent even in many reputable institutions due, largely, to the activities of the ruling party’s student wing fanning out in different money-making directions which often involve high-scale abuse of power and physical force. In addition to indulging in Tender business, the BCL cadres are reportedly thriving on booming admission business in the colleges.

Bangladesh Chhatra League men halted interview of the first year (Hons.) admission at Sathkhira City College for about half an hour demanding a “political quota” and kept hindering the holding of interview at Dhaka College.

Because of their internal feud, at least 25 people were injured as the two Chhatra League fractions fought over control of Sir AF Rahman Residential Hall at Dhaka University.

Among the injured, Abu Bakar Siddique, a third year Islamic History student, died in the hospital.

As news of the death reached the DU campus, students of the Islamic History department brought out a procession protesting the death.

On the eve of the opening ceremony of Omar Ekushe Gronthomela, student activists of BCL beat the female student activists of BNP but the ever partisan policemen took the victim in custody instead of the aggressive miscreants.

It needed to end at some point.

Police, MPs and all other local and national leaders should not turn a blind eye to this continuous and horrific power abuse of BCL student activists. The laymen are dismayed and deeply enraged in this regard. And, we know from our experience, irrespective of the political part that governs the executive, the government always turns deaf when it comes to public voice and outrage.

This time, they rather should not.

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Rasel Pervez, prominent blogger in Bangla blogsphere who is famous for his political analysis. Mr, Rasel Pervez completed his MS on Physics from the US and awaiting PHD.

• The Water sharing issues were left to the mercy of India.
• Excitements about Import of 250 MW Power from India is laughable
• Ignorance about Tipai Mukh Dam is inexcusable.
• Neglect of Poet Nazrul has frustrated the people.
• Opposition has no way but to go for movement.

It must be mentioned upfront here that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed visited India from the 14th to the 17th January, 2010. During her visit some historic groundbreaking agreements were signed and two Minutes of Understanding were initialled. After the epic summit meeting between the heads of the governments of the two countries a 50-point joint communiqué was published which stated that all issues of bilateral importance came up for discussion and meeting of minds were reached to resolve all these through mutual discussions based on good friendly neighbourly relations. PM Hasina already invited opposition to return to parliament and voice their approvals or disapprovals on anything on the floor of the parliament. Soon after returning from the trip, she already has explained to our people the salient features of agreements and MOUs, as well as issues included in the communiqué.

In 2008 December election, Bangladeshi people have provided land slide majority to PM Hasina-led Mahajote government to serve the nation for five years. Our people have also elected some 30 opposition MPs to represent some sections of the people in the parliament. Unfortunately, under some silly pretexts, the opposition has abstained from attending the parliament after few days of the first session, although they don’t mind enjoying all the facilities and benefits of being parliamentarians at tax payer’s money. This is really sickening! It’s a shameful display of abusing people’s trust for which they were elected.

Mrs. Khaleda Zia stated that people of Bangladesh do not accept the communiqué which in her opinion has compromised our national interest. According to her, the PM has given everything generously to India through this communiqué; the PM has sold the country to India according to Khaleda. We like to ask Mrs. Khaleda: what percentage of people does she represent? What is her locus standee in the present parliament?

While various political parties, traders, business leaders, economic analysts and columnists have welcomed the significant achievement of PM Hasina from this recently concluded trip, seemingly only madam Khaleda and her associates are complaining. As a minority leader, representing only 10% of elected reps in the parliament, she has no right to say that our nation has not accepted the communiqué. She also failed to explain her reason for abstaining from the parliament. She also perhaps does not understand the difference between communiqué, agreement and MOU. A country is not a tradable commodity. She made herself a laughing stock with such silly accusations time and again that our country has been sold to India. She must be asked to explain clearly what she really means by this. She must produce credible evidence of selling of Bangladesh to India.

When she was honourable guest of the Pakistan occupation force in 1971 her husband joined Awami League-led Bangladesh liberation war to liberate our country and took shelter in India, which gave generous and spontaneous support in the liberation war. How can PM Hasina ever think of compromising with country’s interest when her own father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the very dreamer, architect and the father of this nation? PM Hasina lost most of her near and dear ones on the fateful hours of the 15th August, 1975 when conspirators carried out gruesome murders. It was madam Khaleda and her husband who sheltered those self-confessed killers and rewarded them in many ways. She also enjoys parleys with noted war criminals and hobnobs with them. Her only asset in politics is drum-beating of anti Indian slogans. Did not she state earlier after CHT treaty that a part of Bangladesh extending from Chittagong to Feni will go to India after that treaty? Has that allegation ever happened? What is the ground reality? Today, peace prevails in Chittagong Hill Tracts. We can expect that after the present agreement with India on cross-border terrorism, i.e., commitment not to entertain insurgency of any country in other’s soil, peace will prevail further strengthening the entire region. Mrs. Khaleda’s statement is not only out of context it is outrageous and makes her a laughing stock to world communities.

Mrs. Khaleda talked about Teesta Water sharing agreement. She told that our nation was expecting a resolution of Teesta water issue during PM’s visit. According to her, the PM Hasina left it completely at the mercy of India. We wonder what makes her say that! India and Bangladesh in recent senior official-level meetings have made significant progress on reaching an agreement. Not only Teesta talks are ongoing to resolve water sharing issues of all common rivers flowing from India into Bangladesh, the JRC meeting will be held in February 2010. May we ask: how many JRC meetings were held over the last 5 years of BNP-Jamat rule? Did Khaleda ever raise water sharing issues with India at all? What prevented her to do so? She forgot to raise this issue with India when she was on a state visist to India. So our nation may like to ask her: why she surrenders to India completely when in power and only becomes noisy about issues with India when thrown out of power? Is not it: doing politics for the sake of politics?

Mrs. Khaleda said that our nation must not be elated about trading of 250MW power from India which according to her will be available after 3 years. According to her, this power will not be enough to meet even the demand of a major district. Can we ask ex-PM how much power her government added during her 5-year rule from 2001 to 2006? Her only achievement was an 80MW under-performing Tongi Power plant, while during her time the power demand increased to about 2000MW. When her government took over in 2001 there was no power or energy crisis in Bangladesh. Several power plant-contract processing were in advanced stages. And yet, her government cancelled all those and could not ink even a single new contract during her tenure in office. Can Mrs. Khaleda explain why a contract for 450MW PDB- Summit JV plant at Sirajgonj could not get final approval after it was approved by the purchase committee? There are allegations of ill-gotten money laundering from the developer of the lone power plant of her time against her son and BNP senior Vice Chairman Tareq and his friend Mamun. Will Mrs. Khaleda explain why people talk so much ill about the Khamba scandal? Talk about fleecing of national wealth! She should be ashamed before opening her big mouth!

The current MOU to import 250MW power is the stepping stone to set up regional power grid. Once the grids are connected it will create opportunity of trading any amount of power amongst India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Madam Khaleda must tell her dumb advisors to shut up for putting those illogical statements — about power trading in North and South America, East and West Europe, and in South East Asia — into her mouth. Through such ill-informed and ill-intended comments she has made a fool of herself.

We appreciate Mrs. Khleda’s anxiousness about the Tipai Mukh Dam (TMD)? But does she know what it is? Did she do anything about it during her tenure? It’s not PM Hasina, but it is madam Khaleda who appears to be ignorant about it. In contrast, during her first year in office, PM Hasina has taken significant initiatives about resolving this vital matter. She discussed with Indian PM several times about it whenever they met in international engagements.

Why did madam Khaleda stop the opposition MPs from joining the parliamentary team when they visited India in connection with TMD? That committee discussed the issue elaborately with Indian counterpart and acquired important documents. The Indian government has made categorical commitment that nothing that harms Bangladesh will be done at the TMD.We have reports that TMD may be abandoned altogether, if it turns out that this is really harmful to environment.
Kobiguru Tagore and Rebel poet Nazrul are integral parts of Bangla culture. It is really laughable that Mrs. Khaleda wants to make an issue of it. The PM Hasina recited poems of both when speaking to Indian elites after receiving the Indira Gandhi peace award. How did Mrs. Khaleda find that our PM had neglected Rebel Poet? To most Bangladeshis, the Kobiguru and the Rebel poet are like the confluence of Padma-Meghna-Jamuna; they are inseparable. Hasina government has done enough and doing enough for both such towering cultural icons.

From 2001 to 2006 the BNP-Jamat alliance government made Bangladesh safe heaven of Indian and Bangladeshi terrorists. There are allegations that state sponsored terrorists carried out killings of ex-Finance Minister SAMS Kibria, and Ahsanullah Master MP. The terrorists even tried to kill present PM at the heart of capital city during broad day light killing Ivy Rahman (wife of current President of Bangladesh Government) and many other innocent people. Why the Khaleda government could not nab those killers? What happened at CUFL Jetty during her time? What about the allegation of massive Arms Haulage for ULFA? Can madam Khaleda rightfully claim that they were committed to strengthening the sovereignty of Bangladesh while aiding terrorism?

She also alleged that people did not vote Mahajote to power; they came through vote rigging. Why it is only Khaleda and her party who could detect this? Why not rest of the world? Her government set all those senior Army Officers and others who later formed the Care Taker Government in 2007. Army Chief General Moin U Ahmed was preferred by Khaleda Government over few other seniors and more deserving candidates. General Masud Uddin likewise also was their choice because he was Said Iskandar’s (Khaleda’s young brother) bhayra bhai (relative through marriage of common sisters). It was our Army that worked hard for creating the voter ID. Few million false voters who were included in the voter list during Khaleda time as part of her election engineering were pruned. Our people executed their voting right in free and fair manner, a fact which was confirmed by international election monitoring agencies. So her allegations about vote rigging in 29008 elections are not tenable. They appear sour grapes!

About connectivity, madam Khaleda claimed that the current usage to be about 60% capacity at Chittagong port and about 40% capacity at the Mongla port. This is a highly debatable figure. The past Care Taker Government and the present government have done much to increase activities of those two ports after the fall of the Khaleda government. For the sake of argument, if we take her figures to be correct, what is the harm if port connectivity would ensure 100% capacity utilization? Madam Khaleda must explain how offering port connectivity to neighbouring countries jeopardise the sovereignty of Bangladesh? When the proposed port facility expansion, envisioned by Singapore investors for Mongla, is implemented, the facilities will be quadrupled. Instead of fooling our masses, madam Khaleda should tell those cock and bull stories to her grand children. That would be fair and square!

Before the PM’s trip to India, Madam Khaleda vowed to either lay thorn on the ways of PM Hasina or garland her. The people of Bangladesh have overwhelmingly accepted what Hasina has achieved in India. The world community acclaimed the trip in a chorus. The choice is obvious; madam Khaleda must now garland Hasina and join politics of amity and peaceful co-existence. She must join the parliament and keep our government honest so that it does not stray away or deviate from fulfilling its election promises. That is what our nation expects and not empty rhetoric from the leader of opposition.

What is actually happening with opposition politics is rather disturbing. It is in a conspiracy mode since the election victory of the Mahajote Alliance. It is irate that Bangabandhu-killers, which it protected all these years, will soon be executed. There are speculations that the trials of the BDR killings will expose its conspiratorial hand behind the tragic event, which intended also to kill the PM Hasina on that fateful day of February 25 if she had appeared in the Darbar Hall. The Opposition is also uneasy about the trial of the War criminals, which will start soon. The current government is carrying out detail probes of the 21st August carnage, killing of S.AMS Kibria, Ahsanullah Master, and journalists in Khulna (Humayun Kabir and Manik Shaha). None of these developments are desirable for the BNP-Jamat alliance that ruled the country when such acts of violence took place. Many of the killers are now hiding in India. The extradition of such terrorists and killers and the ensuing trial that would surely follow may actually expose their links with the BNP- Jamat government of the past. So the BNP- Jamat opposition is genuinely concerned and are trying to create issues out of non-issues, making moles out of mountains, to somehow take people’s attention elsewhere. And that is what the opposition is up to these days.

But such ploys should not discourage the Mahajote government from boldly facing each of those issues coolly. Per people’s wishes, all acts of crime, corruption, money-laundering and land-grabbing must be probed and all criminals must be brought to justice. That is why people voted for the Mahajote. They want change – a paradigm shift from old, evil days of politics and governance to one of law, order, transparency and justice.

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Kh. A. Saleque (Saleque Sufi) is the ex-Director (Operation) GTCL and writes from Australia.

Photo: Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, in her first public speech after her party’s landslide victory in the 29th December 2008 Parliamentary Election, urged all parties to work together for the betterment of Bangladesh stressing on the importance of the opposition in the country’s future as a democratic state. Dhaka, Bangladesh. December 31 2008. by: Khandakar Anisur Rahman, Japan,DrikNEWS.

BNP beneficiaries would say ‘Paradise Lost’; Awami Leaguers would claim ‘Paradise Regained’, while the apolitical ones would assess the situation as ‘So Far So Good’.

Just when the Awami League-led grand alliance stepped out of the pavilion to start governance, Pilkhana tragedy took place, forcing the government into a tight spot. The prime minister handled the conspiracy with the care it demanded, and even though the trial of the perpetrators has been delayed, hopefully justice will not be denied.

The initial cabinet was full of freshmen; AL subsequently got rid of the stereotyped political faces but purging veterans from the playing field has not been an easy task; they are after all a burden of the Awami League legacy. And freshmen, who are trying to prove better replacements, clearly lack the efficiency and political subtlety required to keep up with modern day politics. To be fair, it deserves to be mentioned that the veterans, too, have had serious shortcoming in areas of diplomacy and constructive efficiency.

The new government controlled price hike well during the first six months of attaining power, but syndicate horses are at best wild, and conformity proves less profitable. We well know the mantra of third world laissez faire: pure profit without social responsibility.

Brownouts continue to make life miserable in Bangladesh, yet some credit is owed to the AI-led government’s attempts at stabilizing power supply.

Shaikh Hasina promised to change the old ways; a few sons of old MPs understand this ‘change’ to be a coinage good enough only to lure people. Genetic propensity to grab lands of the retreating parties (post ’47 and again post ’71) cannot be curbed with an up to date election manifesto alone. It needs more than cosmetic ideals. Ironically, in a changed global reality threatening journalists the old fashioned way didn’t work to their benefit either. For seven years tender terrorists and un-studently student leaders had to sit on the sidelines and watch their BNP counterparts succeed through loot, plunder and torture. When their time came, the media didn’t let them enjoy their honeymoon. Central leaders of the Awami League also signaled to the notorious party cadres to behave.

For the first time in 38 years, the Education Minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, has come out with a meaningful policy; overcoming all hurdles he lived up to his promise of providing free books to young learners.

Finance minister, Abdul Mal Muhit, active with economic reforms, has taken peasants’ rights into consideration, urged reforms in the banking sector and offered revised pay scales to public servants. Matia Chowdhury, a legend of political honesty, continues with her success in the agricultural sector, but unfortunately even she hasn’t been able to come out of the political blame game culture. It’s really quite unnecessary to speak ill of the opposition while sitting with a brute majority.

The law and order situation has improved. However, ongoing extrajudicial killings question the credibility of a democratic government. Manpower diplomacy has been average; there are still many needs to be taken care of. The looming threat of recession alone may send more workers back home. Environmental diplomacy, too, has failed to be come through as extraordinary; perhaps because our Prime Minister didn’t voice enough concern over carbon emissions, yet forcefully demanded financial compensation. This could be ignored as a mere reflection of an overall mindset of a poor nation perpetually occupied with making ends meet.

The government’s initiative towards improving relations with India is timely, while our opposition is still trying to sell its anti-India propaganda not realizing that New Delhi and Beijing are emerging realities in the current world order.

Verdict in the Father of the Nation killing case has come as a relief for the conscience of Bangladesh. Now the war criminal trial should be activated to uphold human rights as promised in the election manifesto. Diplomacy with the Muslim world must be strengthened for many reasons, not less of which is that war criminals should be stopped from seeking sympathy in the name of their Islamic outfit.

Militants tried to Talibanize Bangladesh during the BNP-Jamaat rule, but as the people of Bangladesh are generally secular and the media played a constructive role, we got a clean slate from the western world. The AL-led government shares the credit in allowing people to practice Islam peacefully.

Shaikh Hasina claims that her government this time round is truly green and free from corruption. But she should not forget that the British and Pakistani colonial rules successfully cultivated political criminalization in Bangladesh; a process continued by the military rulers. That’s why it’s generally understood that people enroll into politics to earn or to loot. No one can change this mindset overnight. Nevertheless, things are moving towards the better; realizing the end result and having paid the price of political corruption BNP has promised to transform its whirl palace into a light house.

BNP ought to keep its promise or risk losing more votes. One must, however, say that being in the opposition has been an advantage in Bangladesh since 1991: when the party in power fails to deliver people opt for the opposition. So Awami League will have to work hard to maintain popularity, at least till the next elections. By then almost 70 per cent voters will emerge from a generation that holds information in a cell phone. Political coquetry will have become old fashioned by that time. So either you deliver or No Thanks – that’s going to be the political reality in Bangladesh.

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Maskawaith Ahsan is a broadcaster, journalist, author, blogger and the editor of  The-Editor.net.

Read all posts by Maskawaith Ahsan

Why BNP must survive?

For proper practice of democracy in the near future in Bangladesh, it is absolutely important that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) survives and becomes a strong opponent of Awami League (AL). The question of AL’s extinction doesn’t arise because AL has proved time and again that it can undergo harsh times and can strike back. If AL represents the leftists and central-leftists, then BNP can be assumed to represent the rightists and central-rightists (It is not black and white, I know, but the overlap is not that significant here). If BNP becomes extinct, Allah forbids, the rightists will not vote for AL. Rather they will vote for Jamaat, not because they share same ideologies with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, but because their hatred for AL often surpasses that for Jamaat. Agreed, BNP has major support from people with modern outlook and they strongly hate Jamaat but they also dislike AL.

They may vote for AL, given BNP’s extinction, or may opt to stay at home, i.e., vote for none! But if BNP becomes non-existent or very weak, then Jamaat is the prime beneficiary, as their share of votes will keep jumping upward. In fact, if BNP remains strong, Jamaat can never hope to clinch power on its own. Traditionally, Bangladesh has always seen a very few ultra-rightists who are die-hard fans of Jamaat. Thus, for the sake of our country’s future, it is mandatory that BNP survives. Granted, the very birth of BNP is tainted and Major Zia’s rehabilitation of the collaborators is very clear. Still, it can’t be denied that BNP enjoys a great support in Bangladesh, matched only by AL. These voters must not fall in the hands of Jamaat. If that happens, all hopes and expectations about the future of Bangladesh will be over. If BNP led four- party alliance (referred to as “Alliance” henceforth) wins the election this time, then Jamaat is sure to swallow up BNP in its entirety in next five years. In five years, BNP-Jamaat alliance will become Jamaat-BNP alliance and BNP will have to ask for mercy from Jamaat, not the other way round. The sympathizers of BNP and those who wish to see a prosperous democracy in near future in Bangladesh must align and voice against Jamaat’s gradual but steady swallowing-up of BNP. The winning of Alliance this time will define a characteristic moment in the history of Bangladesh, the death of BNP and the ascendancy of Jamaat in its place.

If Jamaat clinches power once again:

If the Alliance wins election this time, Jamaati sympathizers will prevail in all over the administration, from the lowest level to the highest level. The Army will systematically be Jamaatized, all public universities and colleges will be Jamaat majority institutions. Mass changes will be brought to the syllabi of Alia Madrassas and their brain-washing will be completed. Judiciary will completely belong to Jamaat. The history of independence will be rewritten in its entirety, giving complete immunity to the Rajakars and the war of freedom will just be a war between India and Pakistan. “The freedom fighters will be conspirators against Bangladesh and Islam, the Rajakars will be the true patriots. Some unknown attackers (Hanadars) attacked Bangladesh and 26000 Bangladeshis died in fighting the Hanadars.” It is worth mentioning here that students in Bangladesh learn about the history of independence only in school. Majority never goes to the universities and even if they do, they don’t study anything about the history of independence in universities and colleges. So, if Jamaat can change the history of independence in school texts, the project of brainwashing the next generation will be complete. The new generation will be completely ignorant of the actual history of independence war. Moreover, since the colleges and universities will be the fertile ground for Jamaat, students will just have the distorted history ingrained in their brain forever.

Before 2001, Jamaat didn’t have significant presence in mainstream media. But between 2001 and 2006, they vehemently made their presence felt in the media. If they go to power this time, they will make sure that the media is completely under their control. So, in sum, if Jamaat clinches power this time:

• i) the history of the school and college texts will be completely rewritten so as to erase the killings, rapes and genocide of Rajakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams.
• ii) Administration-Army-Judiciary and Colleges-Universities will be completely Jamaatized.
• iii) They will make sure that all Alia Madrassa students graduate after becoming devoted Shibir workers.
• iv) Jamaat will take full control of mainstream media so that no-one can ever know the true history of our independence war and the involvement of Jamaat in the genocide.

If AL goes to power:
If AL-led grand alliance goes to power, what will change? Will people get anything better? May be or May be not. Those who expect some radical changes in Bangladeshi politics and the mentality of our politicians are living in fool’s paradise. Nothing is going to change much. The same old story will be repeated again. Will they try the war criminals? The answer is a big “NO”. They won’t. But the godfather culture will not prevail anymore. AL had to pay its price for its godfather culture. So, they will not repeat the same mistake again. The list of nominations shows some promise in this regard. Moreover, since the leftists are with AL this time, they will keep pressure on AL as to not give in to World Bank or IMF and create policies that go against the very interest of Bangladesh.

One thing is sure to happen. If AL goes to power, Joy will be brought in to the Bangladeshi politics. Personally I don’t have anything against politicians’ children coming to politics. If doctors’ kids can become doctors and CAs’ kids can become CAs, then why can’t politicians’ kids become politicians? But doctors’ kids will have to become doctors by virtue of their own hard work and talents, which is apparently not the case when politicians’ kids become politicians. But the fault is ours. I can vouch that if the people of AL and BNP are allowed to vote to choose who their leader should be, they will choose Joy and Tareq.

Why still vote for AL?

Let me repeat it that those who expect that AL will do some miracles if they go to power are dreaming too much. Very little, if at all, will change. With or without AL, the economy will show good signs starting from June 2009, mainly due to the overall recovery of the world economy from recession. AL will try to capitalize on this, even though they won’t have anything to do whatsoever with the good performance of economy! But still you must vote for AL because we must save the country from the claws of Jamaat. You must vote for AL because we need BNP to survive. If the Alliance goes to power, we will see the skeleton of BNP in five years. Even though AL may not try the war criminals, Jamaat will lose its power in many fronts if AL goes to power. This will also give BNP an incentive to look into the mirror and see what they are doing to their own party by aligning with the Jamaat. If we can keep Jamaat away from power, the history of independence will be protected from distortion. Countrywide anti-Jamaat sentiment will form and anti-fundamentalism will prevail. Jamaatization of colleges, universities, Army, Judiciary and Administration will stop. Jamaat’s gradual control of the media will cease to increase.

Imagine living in a country where Jamaat has the final say in everything. Imagine sending your kids to the universities where they will be brainwashed by Shibir. Imagine not being able to participate in the Victory day procession. Stop and think for a moment that you are not allowed to share the joys of Pahela Boishak. Contemplate deeply what happens if you are forced to listen to Ghulam Azam’s speeches on 21st February. Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself in a position when you will not be able to show your utmost respect for the martyrs on 26th March. Imagine being forced not to listen to Rabindrashangeet. I don’t claim that all these things will happen if Alliance goes to power this year, but these things will gradually happen over time. Keep in mind that if you vote Jamaat to power this time, you will be responsible for creating a crippled generation that will forget all the things that we hold dear. You will be part of the reason for Jamaatization of the country and the death of free thinking if you intend to vote for Jamaat. If you love Islam, then know that Jamaat is the biggest enemy of Islam in Bangladesh. Please verify the basic anti-Islamic tenets of Jamaat from any knowledgeable Islamic scholar. In the name of Islamic bank, they have been violating the sanctity of Islam by way of offering interest and re-branding it as just profit.

This is our moment to define history:

This is the moment that will define our history for the next generation. In this month of victory you will have to decide whether you want to betray the blood of three million martyrs and the chastity of half-a- million sisters who gave their own lives and chastity so that we can live in a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. This may well be the most important cross-road in your life to decide your country’s fate. You may have to regret all your life for a wrong decision that will put Jamaat in power. Close your eyes for a moment and ask yourself whether you want to see the flag of Bangladesh shining high on the cars of war criminals. Decide for yourself whether you would like your children to live in a Jamaatized country. If you are a BNP supporter, think for yourself whether you want BNP to be in power this time and be extinct for ever or you would like your party to survive and be saved from the claws of Jamaat.

As Shakespeare’s saying goes “sometimes you have to be cruel only to be kind”. Be kind to your party BNP by being cruel enough not to vote for them. Save your party and save Bangladesh. The ball is in your court and you have to make the right decision, for your chance may never again come in life to choose who and what you want to be if Jamaat is in power. Wake up, brothers and sisters, at this defining moment of history, in these turbulent times and in this month of the greatest accomplishment of our beloved country, let’s unite for once and for all, irrespective of party affiliations, region, religion and gender, to make our voices heard that we want a country where the war criminals will not go unpunished, where true history will be taught and practiced and where the greatest sacrifices of our martyrs come before our allegiance to petty politics. Let’s take the course of history in our hands and let’s stop Jamaat. Let’s vote for AL not because we like AL but because we hate Jamaat. Let’s shout high above the clouds of the sky that we want justice for the martyrs. Let’s rise once again and say a big “NO” to Jamaat and war criminals. This is our time and we must make sure that we get it right this time.

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Mahfuz Chy, a prominent blogger in Bengali blogsphere lives in USA for higher study. He loves to analyse politics in Bangladesh.