AT a time when national unity is all the more important to fight militancy and remove its menace now threatening people’s life and state security, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s abhorrence to include major opposition BNP in unity process appears to be a policy not based on well justified ground. At a press conference on Sunday at her official residence in the city, the Prime Minister claimed that a national unity has already been built against terrorism and militancy after the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks that killed so many people. She said the matter is totally different when it comes to those who are involved in terrorism and militancy meaning BNP and Jamaat who killed people through arson attacks and are involved in war crimes.
We know that the Prime Minister and her 14-party alliance have strong political reservations to bring the major opposition within the fold of national unity. They want to move alone. But when some BNP leaders have indicated that they are ready to abandon their long time political ally Jamaat to forge the much-needed national unity against militancy, it is definitely indicative of a far-reaching change that may slowly reestablish the country’s politics on a new footing. Unless there is a political change, nothing will change for better and things may only worsen. IS and similar militant groups from abroad will continue to take advantage of the deep political division within the country.
If the Prime Minister believes that the unity of her ruling coalition is what means the unity of the nation, she is seriously mistaken. Nobody can accept that the unity of government coalition parties is unity of the whole nation. We do not see how mere unity of political parties will help solve the problem of anarchy being created by threats of terrorism. Because unity has to invariably involve change of politics. But it is so wrong to claim that for unity others are not necessary.
Unity with other parties including civil society bodies would have been good for the government to show the world that both the government and the opposition are working together.
