Face free election or seek reconciliation – Mainul Hosein

The new US policy of visa cancellation is a master stroke and it has come as a great relief to our people in the hope that the government machinery will be less repressive and more civilised.
The government officials should know that manipulating election is not going to be risk free. Besides, why should not we do something to stop vote thieves standing in the way of the people? It is disgraceful and no real politician will engage in election rigging with connivance of the state machinery.

We should be ashamed that we could not protect our basic right as free citizens to have the government elected by the people. The rigged election has intensified corruption and misrule in the country. And that is what has happened. We have politics becoming more and more corrupt, violent and terribly divisive.

Our national image has been undermined by some members of the government through their shameless manners and corrosive acts as if we do not have educated and decent people. Denying the people of their right to choose their government and shower them with falsehood should have been humiliating both for the government and the people.

A true politician would have known that his strength lies in the support of the people. But this government depended on the bureaucrats and secret killing, forced disappearances and police cases creating state terrorism to make in fear and helplessness. The truths are not to government of other countries. In the absence independent judiciary and free press, it cannot be claimed that the people have the protection law. Thus we cannot say we have a people’s government. That is urgent to have a people’s democratic government.

America’s visa policy is so designed that it is not only the government officials, but anybody who will facilitate election rigging will face visa restrictions. Their family members will also not be spared.
Let us hope that the lucrative business of election stealing will come to an end. The people will have their own government accountable to them.

Before this American policy decision, the election rigging was all benefit and no risk. The government is so desperate to retain the benefit of rigged election that to be doubly sure the Constitution has been changed annulling the provision of holding election under a non-party caretaker government.

Our hereditary political leaders fell in trap of over ambitious bureaucrats because they have no idea about democratic politics or how to run a democratic government. They merrily depended on the bureaucrats and the bureaucrats know how to run a bureaucratic government without participation of the people. The bureaucrats helped the hereditary leaders to run the government in a bureaucratic way. The people’s interest was not a priority.
The hereditary leaders soon developed an addiction to power and could not think of peaceful change of government. They also develop a greed amassing wealth so the politics became easy business of making money and wealth.
The Constitution has been changed so ridiculously that the power will not be transferred to the opposition immediately even if they win the election and for the next three months or so the present government will continue in power. But for doing what? It is obvious that during this period the government will have the opportunity to sabotage the election result to remain in power.

The assessment of the US government is so right to the point that in Bangladesh the government officials of various sections are very much party to stealing the election for the government.
The US policy of cancelling visas is not directed against any political party or for any political party, but for protecting the people’s voting right to elect the people’s government. No country’s independence is meaningful if the people cannot elect their government in a free and fair election.

Under democracy if a minister is found making money, he will be condemned as not fit to remain a minister. In the UK, a prime minister had to resign for lying. A prime minister or a minister must not only be a good example as a law abider, but must also be morally upright.

The Awami League should not have forgotten the heavy price it paid for deviating from the path of accountable government and the rule of law.
We hope that as a result of America’s new visa restrictions, tangible change in political atmosphere will take place. There will be restraint in the abuse of power.

The government must not remain trapped in a dilemma. To hold the forthcoming election in a free and fair manner is our national obligation. The American policy will prove the way for free and fair election.
The hard reality is neither the leader of Awami League nor the leader of BNP came into politics with any knowledge of democratic politics and democratic government.

A section of the bureaucrats became agile and active to exploit the void in political leadership to their advantage. They were ready to do everything including election rigging to Keep Awami League in power permanently.
The demand for election time caretaker government is nothing new to Awami League. The constitutional provision for election time caretaker government was passed by all political parties including Awami League. But the same Awami League government changed the constitutional provision to continue in power by rigged election.

The sitting Awami League government wanted to be doubly sure about robbing people’s vote to claim election victory.
The government must not remain trapped into a dilemma. After the American visa policy the choice they have either to accept free and fair election under a neutral caretaker government or to seek political reconciliation for the peaceful alternative known to them.