Staff Reporter :
“Bangladesh is on the edge of political chaos, and the intransigence of both the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP is to blame,” according to the New York Times in its February 12 issue.
The internationally-reputed US-based daily said in its editorial: “Unless both parties take immediate steps to pull back from entrenched positions, restrain the violent elements of their activist bases and embark on a genuine dialogue to restore legitimacy to Bangladesh’s troubled democracy, the wave of violence engulfing the country risks spinning out of control.”
It said: “The latest crisis began just before the Jan 5 anniversary of last year’s elections – the most troubled in Bangladesh’s history. The BNP boycotted the 2014 elections to protest the AL’s refusal to allow a caretaker government to oversee the voting, as had been the case since 1996. As a result, pro-government candidates ran unopposed in more than half of parliamentary districts.”
“The result is that the BNP has been effectively excluded from mainstream politics, causing a sharp rise in fierce protests by activists in the party and its political ally, the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party. Rather than seek a political compromise. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seems bent on neutralising her opponents.”
“On Jan. 3, Mrs. Hasina’s government confined the BNP’s leader, Khaleda Zia, herself a former prime minister, to her party’s headquarters in Dhaka. Mrs. Zia and her party responded by calling for a transportation blockade and a general strike. Party goons have tried to enforce the blockade with violent attacks that have claimed 63 lives as of Feb. 7.”
“Mrs. Hasina’s government has responded with a tough crackdown on protesters. While perpetrators of violence need to be arrested and punished, Mrs. Hasina’s hard line is only adding fuel to the fire. The BNP must rein in its violent base and sever ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami party and its street-power tactics.
But Mrs. Hasina’s government must also hold accountable security forces guilty of abuses. The government must invite the opposition to negotiate electoral reform and a return to the democratic process. The future of democracy in Bangladesh is in the balance.”
“Bangladesh is on the edge of political chaos, and the intransigence of both the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP is to blame,” according to the New York Times in its February 12 issue.
The internationally-reputed US-based daily said in its editorial: “Unless both parties take immediate steps to pull back from entrenched positions, restrain the violent elements of their activist bases and embark on a genuine dialogue to restore legitimacy to Bangladesh’s troubled democracy, the wave of violence engulfing the country risks spinning out of control.”
It said: “The latest crisis began just before the Jan 5 anniversary of last year’s elections – the most troubled in Bangladesh’s history. The BNP boycotted the 2014 elections to protest the AL’s refusal to allow a caretaker government to oversee the voting, as had been the case since 1996. As a result, pro-government candidates ran unopposed in more than half of parliamentary districts.”
“The result is that the BNP has been effectively excluded from mainstream politics, causing a sharp rise in fierce protests by activists in the party and its political ally, the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party. Rather than seek a political compromise. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seems bent on neutralising her opponents.”
“On Jan. 3, Mrs. Hasina’s government confined the BNP’s leader, Khaleda Zia, herself a former prime minister, to her party’s headquarters in Dhaka. Mrs. Zia and her party responded by calling for a transportation blockade and a general strike. Party goons have tried to enforce the blockade with violent attacks that have claimed 63 lives as of Feb. 7.”
“Mrs. Hasina’s government has responded with a tough crackdown on protesters. While perpetrators of violence need to be arrested and punished, Mrs. Hasina’s hard line is only adding fuel to the fire. The BNP must rein in its violent base and sever ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami party and its street-power tactics.
But Mrs. Hasina’s government must also hold accountable security forces guilty of abuses. The government must invite the opposition to negotiate electoral reform and a return to the democratic process. The future of democracy in Bangladesh is in the balance.”
