The attack on BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s motorcade at Feni on the way to Chittagong to visit Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar was the work of ruffians aimed at creating fear of oppression for the opposition politics. It was no doubt an outrageous act against maintaining peaceful situation in the country when politics is so charged.
Her visit to the camps of distressed Rohingya refugees was to see for herself the condition of the suffering of the victims of atrocities by Myanmar. She also took some relief material for them and as is the arrangement left it with the army for distribution.
The government should have welcomed that some help was coming to refugees. Begum Khaleda Zia is not an ordinary person, as leader of the largest opposition and a former prime minister her opinion would have some influence among the international community for getting aid and cooperation.
We do not say her party men did not plan to use the occasion for a political show. They arranged crowd locally all along the way to show the public support the local leaders got when the general election is very much talked about. But Begum Khaleda Zia was well-advised not to make it an election affair by addressing the crowds anywhere on the way.
So the situation did not call for any violent response from the government even if they thought she was campaigning for the election unless the government was anxious to convey the message that no peaceful election campaign by the opposition will be tolerated.
It is known to all how intolerant and criminalised the politics has become for the raw struggle for power. There is no democratic politics where government does sit or talk with the opposition. The government has made it clear that politics is one sided affair of the government. Their claim is they liberated the country and it is their right to rule the country as long as they want. Someone has in fact claimed to be in power for some twenty years like in Malaysia with the party under which the country became independent. He was talking like Muslim League of Pakistan days.
They do not accept that Bangabandhu himself recognised in the Constitution of the country that through the struggle of the people for establishing democratic Bangladesh the country was born. This is an attitude of extreme intolerance on the part of the government to continue in power.
The politics of intolerance and violence has spread violence and cruelty in every part of the country. We have the gangs of unemployed youth who thrive on violence and they are known as youth wings of political parties. The political leaders cannot move without the ruffians around them. The government has police also to depend on.
We have political parties without thoughtful politics. The government will not try to realise that the politics of violence has become the main political preparation to survive.
Big political parties will not listen to us or anybody that politics is not violence but the ability to govern with public support. Rigged election is not public support.
Politics is decent for decent people to serve the people. Unless the country is totally a police state people’s support is necessary to govern peacefully.
The whole media and country condemned the acts of violence against peaceful crowds. The journalist were not spared. Those who felt encouraged to use their muscle power on behalf of the government have done the government an awful damage to its image as well as faith in peaceful election.
Denial by the government of the activities of their party’s violent elements will not make the government look serious for its intention to make politics free from violence. Every body knows the musclemen would not be found anywhere near their leaders if the backing of the state machinery ceases. The government is making mass movement and chaos unavoidable.
