Mainul Hosein : A new chapter of violence, strike and brutal power struggle is painfully unfolding itself again before the eyes of our helpless people. The government feels so safe with power that it thinks it has no political need to consider how to defuse the political crisis. So it is determined not to give up power. But everybody else, including our foreign friends, can see clearly how uncertain power is without the governance. Even when one is ready to forget democratic legitimacy of the government.
What is not being understood is that a government that does not govern and depends largely on police power cannot be a stable government even for its own survival. Our struggle against Pakistan should have made this lesson obvious. Communism type dictatorship appeals easily to remain life-long in power. But soil of Bangladesh is not fit for such dictatorship to last. To know that the time against such adventurism is long over one has only to look around the world.
Now a close ally of this government like China, a socialist country, also feels
disturbed and wants a solution of the present crisis in Bangladesh through discussions. The visiting Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi of China quoted to have said; if any problem emerges, China wants its peaceful solution through talks.
It should be clear that China is also worried for the awareness that any investment by it in Bangladesh is bound to prove risky if the country plunges into chaos and disorder. Like others it will have to collect its marbles and be gone.
The Chinese Foreign Minister must have found the situation in Bangladesh fatally fluid. Otherwise, he would not have spoken so bluntly on an issue very sensitive to the government. We have to see how angrily the government reacts for advising on Bangladesh’s internal matters.
The proposal of the Chinese Foreign Minister for dialogue or discussion with political parties will not be palatable to the government when the Awami League believes in solving the problem of election by not tolerating the opposition.
The opposition will have nothing more to justify street fighting if the government agrees to hold a free and fair election acceptable to all.
Although in our view, in the absence of democratization of party politics mere election will not help democracy to work. The same crisis will vitiate our lives again. There is no easy solution acceptable to both sides when political leaders cannot behave politically. That does not mean there is no sensible solution.
Peace and stability will not come through police power. It is not a good idea to put police pitted against the people. That will only mean many more innocent lives will be lost and properties destroyed. There will be more miseries and more lawlessness for the people to live with. The economy will not escape punishment. Such a ruinous situation is as inevitable as it could be foreseen.
Both sides have preparations for violent confrontations. Futile appeals to sanity cannot prevail in a senseless struggle for power and wealth. So the sensible way out has to come from our heroes at this time of grave crisis.
The hard fact is that the government cannot accept the option of election. They also think that for BNP to come to power is suicidal for them. So it should be clear to all including foreign friends that our present politics is not about dialogue and negotiation. It is a shame for Awami League to talk about democracy but has no faith in the people or in a democratic option.
But a solution has to be based on popular wish. An interim arrangement will be necessary for reorganization of party politics to make the election peaceful and purposeful for democracy. The political alliances have to be realigned. For a movement, a BNP alliance may be good enough. But BNP has to change for a positive democratic leadership.
A free country to remain free it needs genuine heroes. We had heroes when we were struggling for our rights and economic justice against autocracy of Pakistan days. Thousands made sacrifices, gave lives bravely without compromise and without yielding to greed in the hope that we shall all, not only the privileged ones, live under the protection of equality before law and tolerance for democratic politics in liberated Bangladesh.
The government should know that to live by the sword is not safe. A country belongs to its people and nothing will change it.
We cannot go back to the past days of oppressive rule, by any other name. China is in a best position to tell how important it is to discard obsolete ideas of the past and embrace democratic values. Revolutionary politics collapsed in Cuba paving way for friendly relationship with America.
Borrowed wisdom from unscrupulous ones is no wisdom for a political leader. Wisdom must come from the political history of the country. We have to live in the present accepting the present political wisdom to build a better future.
What is not being understood is that a government that does not govern and depends largely on police power cannot be a stable government even for its own survival. Our struggle against Pakistan should have made this lesson obvious. Communism type dictatorship appeals easily to remain life-long in power. But soil of Bangladesh is not fit for such dictatorship to last. To know that the time against such adventurism is long over one has only to look around the world.
Now a close ally of this government like China, a socialist country, also feels
disturbed and wants a solution of the present crisis in Bangladesh through discussions. The visiting Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi of China quoted to have said; if any problem emerges, China wants its peaceful solution through talks.
It should be clear that China is also worried for the awareness that any investment by it in Bangladesh is bound to prove risky if the country plunges into chaos and disorder. Like others it will have to collect its marbles and be gone.
The Chinese Foreign Minister must have found the situation in Bangladesh fatally fluid. Otherwise, he would not have spoken so bluntly on an issue very sensitive to the government. We have to see how angrily the government reacts for advising on Bangladesh’s internal matters.
The proposal of the Chinese Foreign Minister for dialogue or discussion with political parties will not be palatable to the government when the Awami League believes in solving the problem of election by not tolerating the opposition.
The opposition will have nothing more to justify street fighting if the government agrees to hold a free and fair election acceptable to all.
Although in our view, in the absence of democratization of party politics mere election will not help democracy to work. The same crisis will vitiate our lives again. There is no easy solution acceptable to both sides when political leaders cannot behave politically. That does not mean there is no sensible solution.
Peace and stability will not come through police power. It is not a good idea to put police pitted against the people. That will only mean many more innocent lives will be lost and properties destroyed. There will be more miseries and more lawlessness for the people to live with. The economy will not escape punishment. Such a ruinous situation is as inevitable as it could be foreseen.
Both sides have preparations for violent confrontations. Futile appeals to sanity cannot prevail in a senseless struggle for power and wealth. So the sensible way out has to come from our heroes at this time of grave crisis.
The hard fact is that the government cannot accept the option of election. They also think that for BNP to come to power is suicidal for them. So it should be clear to all including foreign friends that our present politics is not about dialogue and negotiation. It is a shame for Awami League to talk about democracy but has no faith in the people or in a democratic option.
But a solution has to be based on popular wish. An interim arrangement will be necessary for reorganization of party politics to make the election peaceful and purposeful for democracy. The political alliances have to be realigned. For a movement, a BNP alliance may be good enough. But BNP has to change for a positive democratic leadership.
A free country to remain free it needs genuine heroes. We had heroes when we were struggling for our rights and economic justice against autocracy of Pakistan days. Thousands made sacrifices, gave lives bravely without compromise and without yielding to greed in the hope that we shall all, not only the privileged ones, live under the protection of equality before law and tolerance for democratic politics in liberated Bangladesh.
The government should know that to live by the sword is not safe. A country belongs to its people and nothing will change it.
We cannot go back to the past days of oppressive rule, by any other name. China is in a best position to tell how important it is to discard obsolete ideas of the past and embrace democratic values. Revolutionary politics collapsed in Cuba paving way for friendly relationship with America.
Borrowed wisdom from unscrupulous ones is no wisdom for a political leader. Wisdom must come from the political history of the country. We have to live in the present accepting the present political wisdom to build a better future.
