Bangladesh elections in the context of global economic meltdown
Monday, 29 December 2008
Fazle Rashid in New York
BANGLADESH goes to polls on Monday to revert to a democratic order after remaining under a government for over 23 months which neither had the mandate of the people nor any constitutional legality to govern. The polls to constitute the ninth Jatiya Sangsad have generated as much public awareness and expectations here in the US as in Bangladesh.
Truth must be told that the interim government did produce some measures that heartened the people. The reconstitution of the quasi judicial bodies like the election commission, public service commission, anti-corruption commission, separation of judiciary from executive, creation of the human rights commission, the right to information and such other reformative measures are indeed epoch-making events with far reaching consequences that would help herald a transparent administration The Bangladeshi diasporas here in New York and in other areas of the US and Canada were glued to their TV sets to hear Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina addressing the nation. It being a holiday in the US, people remained at home and heard the two ladies with rapt attention. For the viewers, the difference between the two speeches was not difficult to gauge. One was combative and employed harsh and even indecorous language in berating the government led by the other. The other was more reconciliatory, sought rapprochement and indirectly urged her arch political rival to subordinate petty party interest and join hand to take the country to the common goal of a prosperous, harmonious and peaceful Bangladesh.
One leader made her promise to upgrade the status of the leader of opposition next to the prime minister, the speaker and the deputy speaker to be from two political parties and both renouncing their party affiliation and opposition given crucial role in the parliamentary bodies and forswearing hartal, blockade and such other disruptive activities and opposition views given due weightage on all national issues. No such promises were made by the other political leader.
This scribe humbly suggest that the chairman of the Finance and Home ministry parliamentary bodies should be from the opposition. There should be a law that would make officials to clear all files within 72 hours thus largely eliminating the possibility of corruption.
Both the parties are making pledges to bring down the price of essentials and accelerate farm produce by offering farmers with cheap seed, fertiliser, access to bank loans. This will be well-nigh impossible to translate into reality. The pledges by one major political party are more pompous and bereft of the stark reality. Its leader has not said where would she get money from to implements her pledges including reaching power to the door step of the people.
Both the leaders must recognise the grim fact that there would no external assistance either bilateral or multilateral for at least next four years. Mere survival will be a hard choice because the predictions are that the present global economic meltdown will linger well past 2009.
In this context, Bangladesh leaders are demonstrating a complete disregard for facts and are understandably antagonistic towards each other. The contentions of one particular leader are largely imaginary and not based that on facts. There has been no reversal of this inexorable trend Bangladesh will have to fend for itself. Whatever it will do will have to be from its own resources.
The regional integration has already proved complicated. One leader has, of course, reneged from her stand of combating Islamic insurgency by creation of a regional task force. She now says that she would deflect them by cajoling them to renounce violence and return to normal life.
Even such innocuous issues like trade and combating the impact of global warming have made little headway.
BANGLADESH goes to polls on Monday to revert to a democratic order after remaining under a government for over 23 months which neither had the mandate of the people nor any constitutional legality to govern. The polls to constitute the ninth Jatiya Sangsad have generated as much public awareness and expectations here in the US as in Bangladesh.
Truth must be told that the interim government did produce some measures that heartened the people. The reconstitution of the quasi judicial bodies like the election commission, public service commission, anti-corruption commission, separation of judiciary from executive, creation of the human rights commission, the right to information and such other reformative measures are indeed epoch-making events with far reaching consequences that would help herald a transparent administration The Bangladeshi diasporas here in New York and in other areas of the US and Canada were glued to their TV sets to hear Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina addressing the nation. It being a holiday in the US, people remained at home and heard the two ladies with rapt attention. For the viewers, the difference between the two speeches was not difficult to gauge. One was combative and employed harsh and even indecorous language in berating the government led by the other. The other was more reconciliatory, sought rapprochement and indirectly urged her arch political rival to subordinate petty party interest and join hand to take the country to the common goal of a prosperous, harmonious and peaceful Bangladesh.
One leader made her promise to upgrade the status of the leader of opposition next to the prime minister, the speaker and the deputy speaker to be from two political parties and both renouncing their party affiliation and opposition given crucial role in the parliamentary bodies and forswearing hartal, blockade and such other disruptive activities and opposition views given due weightage on all national issues. No such promises were made by the other political leader.
This scribe humbly suggest that the chairman of the Finance and Home ministry parliamentary bodies should be from the opposition. There should be a law that would make officials to clear all files within 72 hours thus largely eliminating the possibility of corruption.
Both the parties are making pledges to bring down the price of essentials and accelerate farm produce by offering farmers with cheap seed, fertiliser, access to bank loans. This will be well-nigh impossible to translate into reality. The pledges by one major political party are more pompous and bereft of the stark reality. Its leader has not said where would she get money from to implements her pledges including reaching power to the door step of the people.
Both the leaders must recognise the grim fact that there would no external assistance either bilateral or multilateral for at least next four years. Mere survival will be a hard choice because the predictions are that the present global economic meltdown will linger well past 2009.
In this context, Bangladesh leaders are demonstrating a complete disregard for facts and are understandably antagonistic towards each other. The contentions of one particular leader are largely imaginary and not based that on facts. There has been no reversal of this inexorable trend Bangladesh will have to fend for itself. Whatever it will do will have to be from its own resources.
The regional integration has already proved complicated. One leader has, of course, reneged from her stand of combating Islamic insurgency by creation of a regional task force. She now says that she would deflect them by cajoling them to renounce violence and return to normal life.
Even such innocuous issues like trade and combating the impact of global warming have made little headway.