The council conference of BNP will be held tomorrow to demonstrate how absolutely that has become a mother-and-son party. They had to obtain permission from the government for holding council conference and there is much to fear how orderly the conference will be concluded.
The leaders and workers of BNP must be praised for enduring endless persecution, harassment and also imprisonment. Hundreds of them are still in jail not to be seen at the conference.
The sad part is that BNP is losing its relevance as an opposition party despite so much oppression they went through.
The family politics ran its course when in January 5, 2014 election Awami League had ended whatever was left of election politics by which one party came to power after another automatically.
Both Awami League and BNP used their family names for politics in a political vacuum. They inherited not just family connections but also the reputation of the leaders tragically assassinated.
Awami League and BNP practised the same politics. None of them truely cared for democracy and pursued mere power politics. The politics of politicisation of all the professions and institutions that the parties followed was the politics of one party government to end democracy.
Awami League grabbed the opportunity and now consolidating its position for its one party rule. The problem it is facing now is its incapacity to run the government. The government is hampered by inefficiency and massive corruption of the leader’s chosen sychophants.
Such is the fate of family politics everywhere in contrast to the accountability of democratic politics. Even without effective opposition, the family politics ultimately sink in the sea of corruption and inefficiency.
Sycophancy is not the way of efficient and honest people. There is mismanagement in every sector of public life. Still the sycophants of the government are singing the songs of success never seen before.
Now a law has been passed to stifle the independence of the judiciary. But it has to be admitted that uptill now some independence exists for the judiciary though trial by police is preferred by the government.
Under a democracy also the people’s strength and courage come from the opposition. Without a strong opposition party democracy does not work. The people remain helpless.
The family politics is no politics. But to have and save democracy the leader has to have political knowledge and experience and this is the reason why in family politics flatterers and liars dominate to misguide the party politics and the government also.
In the present political momentum, an effective democratic opposition is needed most to save democracy. For family politics, there is no need for choosing BNP. Awami League exists in full swing. Otherwise, the nation will have to suffer the consequences of a faltering one party rule — anarchy. As mother-and-son BNP is a dying force not a democracy. It must change to be political party. Those in BNP must think seriously.
It is a known characteristic of family party politics to take it for granted that foreign influence will help one or the other to come to power. Foreign embassies had to play an active role to resolve disputes over elections. The political leaders welcomed such interference. Yet the leaders did not try themselves to solve the political problems politically. They initiated politics making their own people helpless and now voterless.
The foreign influence for running our politics is undeniable. Our leaders have proved weak to show their political inexperience to guide their politics.
India has no hesitation to tell its preference for Awami League. BNP prefers to depend on Western countries. But in the process, both Awami League and BNP have neglected the democratic values and principles. Their power base is not democracy or people.
But the present challenge for any opposition should be how to save democracy. For that to happen, it is vitally important to seek the people’s support as a democratic party. But it has to be agreed, however disappointingly that BNP does not see the need of giving up family politics of inheritance. Awami League’s alternative cannot be undemocratic family politics of the past.
