Editorial Desk :
Political parties of the country, both from the ruling and opposition camps appear to have failed to meet people’s expectations in 2017 over issues of political and public interests. Peoples’ sufferings on many fronts had increased with the political parties taking hardly any initiative to deal with the crucial issues.
People had a common expectation for a political consensus among the political parties over holding a free, fair and all-inclusive general election to restore normalcy and institutionalise democracy in the country, and less than a year to go, it now seems like the country is quickly heading towards another no-election victory.
For instance, the very manner in which the ruling party celebrated its 4th year in power last Friday clearly indicated – its hell-bent to remain in power unless it’s toppled. Speeches, processions, to the countrywide programme it arranged – not even for once mentioned what was the government’s plan about holding a credible and all-inclusive election. On the contrary rampant wild celebrations and hooligans took the streets hostage by creating easily avoidable traffic jams.
However, in the wake of Dhaka being the most expensive city to live in South Asia, manmade price-hikes of commodity and utility services,
plundering of the banking sector, enforced disappearance, abduction and spreading question paper leaks in academic and recruitment exams – neither the ruling Awami League nor any of the opposition parties, particularly the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) played any visible effective role in addressing public sufferings.
It became evident as the present parliament held no effective discussion or debate on public issues like price hike, gas and power tariff increase, enforced disappearance, and abduction and question leaks. Some lawmakers, however, strongly criticised the imposition of uniform 15 per cent VAT on everything and increase of excise duty on bank deposits. That’s all.
BNP, once more proved inept as a political force because of its proven organisational weakness and fighting cases in the courts. In fact, if the ruling party had succeeded on any front – it was to have effectively isolated BNP from the people. The left-leaning political parties had enforced general strikes against gas and electricity tariff increase and tried to lay siege to Bangladesh Bank against looting of banks but with little impact while BNP only staged a sit-in demonstration for price hike of gas, power and essentials.
On the whole, people did not find opposition amid prevailing limited scope for carrying out any significant programme on issues of public importance like price hikes and anarchy in banking and academic sectors. Overall political activities in the country were limited. Most significantly, The Prime Minister’s rejection at a news conference in December 2017 of any chance of dialogue with BNP over poll-time government pushed the political situation into uncertainty to a greater extent.
We do not see any hope for change in the bitterness for selfish power struggle.
Political parties of the country, both from the ruling and opposition camps appear to have failed to meet people’s expectations in 2017 over issues of political and public interests. Peoples’ sufferings on many fronts had increased with the political parties taking hardly any initiative to deal with the crucial issues.
People had a common expectation for a political consensus among the political parties over holding a free, fair and all-inclusive general election to restore normalcy and institutionalise democracy in the country, and less than a year to go, it now seems like the country is quickly heading towards another no-election victory.
For instance, the very manner in which the ruling party celebrated its 4th year in power last Friday clearly indicated – its hell-bent to remain in power unless it’s toppled. Speeches, processions, to the countrywide programme it arranged – not even for once mentioned what was the government’s plan about holding a credible and all-inclusive election. On the contrary rampant wild celebrations and hooligans took the streets hostage by creating easily avoidable traffic jams.
However, in the wake of Dhaka being the most expensive city to live in South Asia, manmade price-hikes of commodity and utility services,
plundering of the banking sector, enforced disappearance, abduction and spreading question paper leaks in academic and recruitment exams – neither the ruling Awami League nor any of the opposition parties, particularly the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) played any visible effective role in addressing public sufferings.
It became evident as the present parliament held no effective discussion or debate on public issues like price hike, gas and power tariff increase, enforced disappearance, and abduction and question leaks. Some lawmakers, however, strongly criticised the imposition of uniform 15 per cent VAT on everything and increase of excise duty on bank deposits. That’s all.
BNP, once more proved inept as a political force because of its proven organisational weakness and fighting cases in the courts. In fact, if the ruling party had succeeded on any front – it was to have effectively isolated BNP from the people. The left-leaning political parties had enforced general strikes against gas and electricity tariff increase and tried to lay siege to Bangladesh Bank against looting of banks but with little impact while BNP only staged a sit-in demonstration for price hike of gas, power and essentials.
On the whole, people did not find opposition amid prevailing limited scope for carrying out any significant programme on issues of public importance like price hikes and anarchy in banking and academic sectors. Overall political activities in the country were limited. Most significantly, The Prime Minister’s rejection at a news conference in December 2017 of any chance of dialogue with BNP over poll-time government pushed the political situation into uncertainty to a greater extent.
We do not see any hope for change in the bitterness for selfish power struggle.
