Let 2015 bring peace and stability

It is difficult to figure out what the number one problem of Bangladesh is today. Opinions may certainly differ but the harsh reality is that political tension might top the list of major problems the country is facing now.
The country, however, is lucky to be blessed with a homogenous nation with same language, culture and heritage. It is a nation that is tolerant and has the resilience to overcome crises. It is a nation that had created a sovereign and independent state through a bloody armed struggle under compulsion when the Pakistani military junta outrightly rejected in the most undemocratic way the mandate that the Bengali nation had given through 1970 general election.
Unfortunately, after independence, the valiant nation had faced setbacks, one after another, in its journey towards democracy at several points of its history. The introduction of one-party rule and successive military coups hampered the democratic process. The nation, however, could evolve a neutral caretaker government to supervise the general election since 1991. The system worked well in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2008. The disruption came with the 15th amendment to the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The caretaker government system was abolished with this amendment. Accordingly, the parliamentary election of January 05, 2014 was held under the government of the ruling party. The major opposition political party with its allies boycotted the polls. The ruling party, Awami League, won 154 out of 300 parliamentary seats without any contest. Many ruling party stalwarts were in the list of uncontested winners. In other constituencies, a meagre percentage of voters turned up on the polling day. Herein lay the tragedy of disruption of electoral process.
The major opposition party, its alliance partners and the civil society have been demanding a participatory and inclusive election. Some foreign countries also had voiced such sentiments. But the ruling party has made it clear that there is no scope for parliamentary election before January, 2019.
Democracy has its built-in mechanisms to ensure good governance, if, at all, the main aim of politicians is to serve the cause of the people. It brings in much-needed transparency and accountability. A sovereign parliament with MPs having mandate of the people through free and fair polls can impose effective checks and balances on the functioning of a government so that it is on the right track.   
    But in the absence of democracy, rampant corruption is bound to creep in all tiers of the society. Many political persons and government servants have already been found to be quizzed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The bank scams hit the headlines of the press over the last two years. There are also allegations of money laundering. 'Appointment business' in the government offices and autonomous bodies could not escape the eyes of journalists and civil society leaders. Proper actions, however, are yet to be taken in most of these allegations.
Apart from extrajudicial killings, there were killings in the country, caused by political violence. A report said, 908 people were killed during the last six years alone due to political violence. In 2013, which was the election year, a total of 503 were killed. Of these, 363 persons were killed in clashes between the law-enforcing agencies and activists of BNP, Jamaat and Hefajat. Many deaths were also caused by internal party feuds.
Deaths, caused by political violence, have increased over the years. In 2014, political violence since 5th January parliamentary election led to killing of 141 people. The incidents of violence and casualty figures suggest how loose and ineffective governance in matters of maintaining law and order has been in the country. There are also press reports that common people face hurdles in filing cases against crimes. They do not feel encouraged to go to concerned agencies.
There may be different causes for such a horrible state of affairs. The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission is on record as having said concerned people assume that there would not be punishment for political killings and violence.  Many observers also believe that such a deplorable situation has its origin in the present political tension.
The politicians and the civil society should now come forward to make the country politically stable. The year 2015 may not be peaceful, as indicated by political events in the later months of 2014. There will surely be further deterioration of law and order situation in the country. But people want democracy and demand safety of their lives and property. Let 2015 be a good year.
The writer is an economist.
chowdhuryjafar@ymail.com