THE newly appointed US Ambassador to Dhaka on Sunday assured the government of helping to protect democracy in Bangladesh from derailing. Envoy Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat made the assurance during her first call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter’s Jatiya Sangsad office. The promise comes out from the oldest democracy when our country is bleeding and burning on the demand for a fair and inclusive election as promised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself. This is important to be familiar with the crux of miseries, the people are going through. The problem of an unelected parliament forming an unelected government is to be derived from the Prime Minister’s own promise for an all inclusive election.
We expect the Ambassador to understand the Prime Minister’s dilemma. The people who got themselves elected through the faulty election are not ready to face a popular election. Most of them will face public rejection outright. That is the reason why the government, that claims to enjoy public support, is ready to take the risk of civil war but not to face election
We are hopeful that the US Ambassador came here being fully briefed about the nature of democratic practice now prevailing in Bangladesh and when the Prime Minister has also expressed good intentions about helping democracy to survive then that is a hopeful sign for taking the election urgently so that the tragic situation in Bangladesh comes to an end sooner than later.
The issue appears simple and straight forward. But there are others determined to establish one party rule though they have no existence in public eye. Not a single of them got ever elected on their own platform.
The core basis of good relationship between the people of Bangladesh and the people of America is the common faith in democracy and democratic values. There is no Islamic or any other kind of terrorists in our peace-loving moderate Muslim country.
We have to be saved from the conspiracy of anti-democratic and anti-people elements. All that is necessary is a free election for protecting democratic institutions and values. We need a free election for changing the politics of dynastic arrogance for the benefit of corrupt ones. Democracy needs friends for its survival. We cannot have do or die crisis every time, the threat must be removed once for all.
