Bangladeshi diaspora in US hail announcement of election dates
Monday, 22 September 2008
From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Sept 20: Bangladeshi diaspora here in North America irrespective of their political allegiance and party affiliations widely applauded the announcement of the dates of elections to the parliament and upazilas. Two things have emerged.
The politically conscious people said elections will be the first step towards restoration of a democratic government and hastened to add that the corrupt people should be kept at bay.
Both AL and BNP protagonists called for participation of all in the coming elections but said the gap between the parliament elections and upazila polls was too narrow. They also cautioned the political parties to exercise restraint so that pre-1/11 situation does not recur.
Anwar Hussain Manju, in a telephonic interview from his Virginia residence with this scribe, welcomed the announcement of the election dates and stated political parties should not muddle the opportunity.
He said no single party will have an absolute majority. There will be a coalition government as in the previous years, he added.
The people this scribe talked to categorically stated that there was no alternative to elections in a democratic dispensation. They strongly suggested that the two major parties should go to the polls and should refrain from dilly-dallying. The Awami League supporters are hopeful that their party will form the next government. The BNP loyalists also harbour the same dream But people with no particular political bias said education, export and import, garments factories, Chittagong port etc. should not be made targets of political vengeance as in the past. The widespread destruction resorted to by the political parties before 1/11 caused enormous damage to the national economy. The ghastly killing of political opponents in broad daylight is not compatible with democracy.
There has to be bipartisan approach to several national issues. All government spending, all purchase deals and everything requiring spending of money should be placed before the parliament. The parliamentary bodies will have to be strengthened with wider representations from the opposition. At least one fourth of the time in a day's session should be earmarked for the opposition to speak without any interference from the treasury bench. This is the general view of the enlightened sections of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the USA.
Democracy means the opposition will ask questions and government will answer them. Democracy means persuasion and not persecution This scribe elicited opinions from Dr. Nurun Nabi, AL advisor, Misbah Ahmed US Jubo League president, Dinaj Khan, Florida BNP president, Dr. Hameeduzzaman, former BNP president in the US and Zillur Rahman Zillu, GS, BNP, the USA.
All expressed unconcealed joy about government's determined bid to hand over power to an elected government by the end of the year.
NEW YORK, Sept 20: Bangladeshi diaspora here in North America irrespective of their political allegiance and party affiliations widely applauded the announcement of the dates of elections to the parliament and upazilas. Two things have emerged.
The politically conscious people said elections will be the first step towards restoration of a democratic government and hastened to add that the corrupt people should be kept at bay.
Both AL and BNP protagonists called for participation of all in the coming elections but said the gap between the parliament elections and upazila polls was too narrow. They also cautioned the political parties to exercise restraint so that pre-1/11 situation does not recur.
Anwar Hussain Manju, in a telephonic interview from his Virginia residence with this scribe, welcomed the announcement of the election dates and stated political parties should not muddle the opportunity.
He said no single party will have an absolute majority. There will be a coalition government as in the previous years, he added.
The people this scribe talked to categorically stated that there was no alternative to elections in a democratic dispensation. They strongly suggested that the two major parties should go to the polls and should refrain from dilly-dallying. The Awami League supporters are hopeful that their party will form the next government. The BNP loyalists also harbour the same dream But people with no particular political bias said education, export and import, garments factories, Chittagong port etc. should not be made targets of political vengeance as in the past. The widespread destruction resorted to by the political parties before 1/11 caused enormous damage to the national economy. The ghastly killing of political opponents in broad daylight is not compatible with democracy.
There has to be bipartisan approach to several national issues. All government spending, all purchase deals and everything requiring spending of money should be placed before the parliament. The parliamentary bodies will have to be strengthened with wider representations from the opposition. At least one fourth of the time in a day's session should be earmarked for the opposition to speak without any interference from the treasury bench. This is the general view of the enlightened sections of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the USA.
Democracy means the opposition will ask questions and government will answer them. Democracy means persuasion and not persecution This scribe elicited opinions from Dr. Nurun Nabi, AL advisor, Misbah Ahmed US Jubo League president, Dinaj Khan, Florida BNP president, Dr. Hameeduzzaman, former BNP president in the US and Zillur Rahman Zillu, GS, BNP, the USA.
All expressed unconcealed joy about government's determined bid to hand over power to an elected government by the end of the year.