Editorial Desk :
The joint US Pre-Election Assessment Mission is right in saying that the upcoming parliamentary election is going to be a litmus test for the country’s commitment to democracy.
But they are wrong in expecting a constructive dialogue among the principal political parties.
Awami League is running its government along the lines of totalitarian communist system ignoring the democratic Constitution and free election.
The present Awami leadership has been bluffing the international community by pretending that democracy is working in Bangladesh and Awami League is the government elected by the people to be the people’s government.
Under the influence of leftist politics Awami League has been unleashing a reign of terror.
The government relied on secret mechanism of rigging the election.
Secret killing and forced disappearance and such other communist methods were used to make democracy and the democratic Constitution non-functional.
Awami League is no longer is what it used to be — a formidable democratic force.
The party is in the trap of communism. Awami League was happy as long as it remained in power.
The leftists were also trying to project Bangabandhu as the Mao Zedong of Bangladesh.
Bangabandhu is no more. BAKSAL is also no more in existence.
But to achieve victory for communist rule in Bangladesh, the idea of BAKSAL cannot be given up by the leftists easily.
Like in communist countries, free election is not acceptable to Awami League.
Sheikh Hasina knows she has alienated the people for oppressive actions and allowing police to have overwhelming power found in a police state.
The government of Sheikh Hasina spent a huge amount of money to buy the loyalty of the government officials notwithstanding the practice of state terrorism.
We still have a good parliamentary democratic Constitution but its functioning is thoroughly denied.
Under this Constitution the government has to resign three months before the election and a non-party caretaker government takes over for running the daily activities of the government.
In India also the elected government resigns for the election to be free and fair.
Even for rigging the election in Bangladesh, government servants were used.
It has become essential that the sitting government continues in power during the election time.
There exists a secret mechanism for declaring election victory for the government disregarding how the people voted.
The Election Commission was made a rubber stamp for endorsing the election results as supplied by the government.
The people lost their voting power to elect a government of their choice.
The upcoming election is really the fight for restoring democracy as against communism kind of totalitarian system of government now in practice.
Awami League cannot and will not take part in a free and fair election to end the existing communist system of government.
We still hope that sense will prevail and Awami League will avoid the course of violence.
This party will prefer returning to its own democratic self.