A GROUP of foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka on Monday urged the government to hold constructive dialogue with the opposition parties to find a peaceful solution to the current political crisis. The ongoing political crisis was initiated as the government obstructed the BNP-led alliance from holding the scheduled rally on January 5. On the contrary, as a counter measure the government severed Dhaka from rest of the country. The Foreign Minister, as per media reports, gave two preconditions —behave responsibly and sever ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami — for dialogue with BNP. It is obvious that the January 5’s “so-called election” is the root of the ongoing political turmoil, which paralyzed the economy, and none but Awami League is responsible for the resultant situation.
The cooked election, where 154 out of 300 legislatures were elected unopposed, did not get approval from any state except India,which is known as a mentor of the ruling party. Before and after the January 5 mockery, diplomats along with civil society activists urged the ruling party to initiate effective dialogue with BNP aiming at reaching a solution on election-time government and subsequent inclusive polls. No effective dialogue was made and hence this political impasse exists. Pressing for an end of the impasse, ambassadors and representatives of the US, UN, China, Japan, Brazil, Australia, North Korea and South Korea also condemned the violence, responsible for killing at least 26 people, injuring more than 2000 people, damaging of 500 vehicles resulting in an economic losses worth Tk 50,000 crore or more.
The diplomats said democracy cannot be strengthened through destructive activities, and hoped violence would end making way for democracy to flourish in Bangladesh soon. But the ideals of democracy — freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly — are in stake as the ruling party put an embargo on peaceful political activities of the opposition by confining BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, arresting opposition men and killing dozens of unarmed civilians.
The diplomats urged the government to ensure that people can freely exercise their right to peaceful political expression. They said that the international community wants to see a political solution to the current political crisis. Interestingly, a joint secretary general of the ruling party declined to call the political impasse “a crisis”.
The crisis started from the very moment when Awami League binned the caretaker government provision from the Constitution in 2011 as the party was empowered by an absolute majority. The curse of absolute majority had emboldened the AL to walk on the wrong path. Time is running out quickly as men are dying, the economy is sinking, freedom and rights are being stampeded on, good governance is evaporating and the solution is on the hand of the ruling party. And it is dialogue, as demanded by the foreign governments’ representatives, which is the best way to break the impasse.
