Withdrawal of emergency
Sunday, 10 February 2008
IT has become a 'fashion' for the official visitors from abroad to pour unsolicited advice to our government specially on political matters such as lifting of emergency etc. I cannot figure out what is the problem of those people if such measure adopted by our government was due to exigency of the circumstances and for the best interest of the country.
It is the government who should decide which measure would be beneficial for the country and not the aliens. Do they want instability in our country so that they could pour more 'big brotherly advice' and try to fish in the trouble waters? After all what additional benefit it would yield towards our road to election has not been spelled out by them in specific terms. Yet being our donors perhaps they thought they acquired some right to poke their noses into our internal affairs. Unfortunately until we achieve economic self-reliance perhaps we have to swallow such bitter pills for the time being.
The leaders of the two major political parties are also dancing to the same tune for lifting of emergency perhaps in their bid to go back to one eleven situation to bring anarchy in the country to fish in the trouble waters. In raising this demand they are absolutely and wholly acting on their party's interest and definitely not for the country's interest. As we saw in the past the politicians' prime interest was for their respective parties first followed by the welfare of their leaders. Country's interest was auxiliary to them and in doing so, they brought the country almost on the brink of total destruction during last thirty six years of their rule. Therefore, in the demand for lifting of emergency by the politicians there is an ominous sign of dragging the country again to the days of killings, street agitations, demonstrations, hartals and strikes, burning of vehicles and destruction of public properties etc. In the process the preparation for holding the election which is in full swing would be greatly hampered.
Political opportunists are already in the field to brew up student unrest. Are we ready to take this risk to put the election road map in jeopardy? Politicians are already threatening there would be no election without their two women leaders who are now under trial prisoners. Therefore, those who are talking of lifting emergency before election are either pressing for the same with not fair motives or without taking lesson from the past ignoring politician's irresponsible activities in the past. There were instances in the country of holding election during emergency. So why it is necessary to lift emergency before election?
The emergency rule is against the law breakers and not against the law abiders. Rather emergency rule will obviously ensure holding of free and fair election in an impartial manner. If the political activities are allowed to resume, there is no need to lift emergency which will work as a deterrent to the law breakers. I believe the Government should act in the best interest of the country rather giving away to the unreasonable external and politically motivated internal pressures. At the same time the government may remove any such provisions in the emergency rule which would impede holding of a free and impartial election.
Therefore, there is no reason whatsoever to lift emergency before election. After the election is held and an elected government is formed, the lifting of emergency could be considered by them when the time and atmosphere would be congenial for such move.
Mohammad Ataul Hoque
Dhaka
It is the government who should decide which measure would be beneficial for the country and not the aliens. Do they want instability in our country so that they could pour more 'big brotherly advice' and try to fish in the trouble waters? After all what additional benefit it would yield towards our road to election has not been spelled out by them in specific terms. Yet being our donors perhaps they thought they acquired some right to poke their noses into our internal affairs. Unfortunately until we achieve economic self-reliance perhaps we have to swallow such bitter pills for the time being.
The leaders of the two major political parties are also dancing to the same tune for lifting of emergency perhaps in their bid to go back to one eleven situation to bring anarchy in the country to fish in the trouble waters. In raising this demand they are absolutely and wholly acting on their party's interest and definitely not for the country's interest. As we saw in the past the politicians' prime interest was for their respective parties first followed by the welfare of their leaders. Country's interest was auxiliary to them and in doing so, they brought the country almost on the brink of total destruction during last thirty six years of their rule. Therefore, in the demand for lifting of emergency by the politicians there is an ominous sign of dragging the country again to the days of killings, street agitations, demonstrations, hartals and strikes, burning of vehicles and destruction of public properties etc. In the process the preparation for holding the election which is in full swing would be greatly hampered.
Political opportunists are already in the field to brew up student unrest. Are we ready to take this risk to put the election road map in jeopardy? Politicians are already threatening there would be no election without their two women leaders who are now under trial prisoners. Therefore, those who are talking of lifting emergency before election are either pressing for the same with not fair motives or without taking lesson from the past ignoring politician's irresponsible activities in the past. There were instances in the country of holding election during emergency. So why it is necessary to lift emergency before election?
The emergency rule is against the law breakers and not against the law abiders. Rather emergency rule will obviously ensure holding of free and fair election in an impartial manner. If the political activities are allowed to resume, there is no need to lift emergency which will work as a deterrent to the law breakers. I believe the Government should act in the best interest of the country rather giving away to the unreasonable external and politically motivated internal pressures. At the same time the government may remove any such provisions in the emergency rule which would impede holding of a free and impartial election.
Therefore, there is no reason whatsoever to lift emergency before election. After the election is held and an elected government is formed, the lifting of emergency could be considered by them when the time and atmosphere would be congenial for such move.
Mohammad Ataul Hoque
Dhaka