bdnews24.com :Ganaforum chief Kamal Hossain has asserted that “effective democracy” cannot be established by merely organising elections regularly.The ruling Awami League (AL) claims the Jan 5 polls were ‘necessary to maintain the spirit of democracy’.AL leader Suranjit Sengupta claimed there was a chance of another takeover like that of Jan 11, 2007.The BNP boycotted the elections and has since been demanding a snap poll under a ‘neutral body’.Hossain on Saturday said: “Democratic institutions are a must for institutional democracy.”BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury alleged there was “no room for democracy to flourish in Bangladesh “. Hossain advocated AL-BNP talks but Suranjit Sengupta snubbed it. “There can be no dialogue between anti-liberation and pro-liberation forces,” he said.BNP’s key ally Jamaat-e-Islami is accused of war crimes.BIDS Research Director Binayak Sen urged the AL to sit for talks and BNP to disassociate from Jamaat and war criminals. He pointed out that “social imbalance” rose when economic development surpassed the political development.”The middle class keeps silent during national crisis as they are beneficiaries, thus harming democracy,” Sen said.Dhaka University teacher Imtiaz Ahmed said definitions of both political language and democracy had changed.”Misgovernance has become political culture in most of the countries as it is profitable.”Kamal Hossain called for a broader national dialogue.”Talks between the Awami League and BNP alone won’t suffice. Dialogue must be held among all parties.”However, such dialogues must be held maintaining the principles of constitution,” he said.
