– Mainul Hosein :
Anybody who believes that the country belongs to the people and the people should be their own master cannot disagree with the need of protecting the election from election thieves. Luckily both the major parties, namely Awami League and the BNP, accepted and acted upon the caretaker government as an imperative for free election.
All the parties unanimously passed the provision of the caretaker government in the parliament describing how this government could be formed. This was a very positive attitude on the part of Awami League and other political parties.
The BNP being in power at that time was compelled to accept the election-time caretaker government. In fact, under the parliamentary system everywhere the election for choosing the people’s government is held not under a partisan government. Awami League should have known that after dissolution of the parliament, an elected government cannot exist. We must stop stealing the people’s election as a business of party politics.
For an early solution, a neutral caretaker government is a must and has to be formed soon if we do not want widespread violence and bloodshed to bust out. The government continues in power not on the strength of popular support but by stealing the election openly with the help of government officials.
In Great Britain and elsewhere, the outgoing prime minister is asked by the king to form the election-time interim government to carry on the day-to-day business of the government. So, no elected government remains in power during the election.
But in Bangladesh to play fraud with the election has become the party politics. Awami League refused to take part in the election with the BNP continuing in power. Awami League then argued that the caretaker government is an imperative for free election.
When the situation changed and Awami League installed itself in power, it amended the Constitution to make free election impossible. Sheikh Hasina’s government knows that the free election will go against them and to remain in power election will be fully under the control of her government.
Thus the government has made unreservedly clear that it is not ready to hold free election and face the people as a peaceful way of change. The government’s strength to stay in power without popular support must lie somewhere else.
Awami League government cannot say no to election under the caretaker government. We hope India will not support Awami League risking our good relations with India.
It will be too much to expect a perfect democratic party as an alternative in the next election however free the election is. Under politics of secret killings, disappearances and random police cases, no political party can grow as an ideal for democracy.
But we have to emphasise on free election as a process of changing the government even if that means holding the election earlier. We can call it a midterm election.
It is sad and unfortunate that Awami League was ill advised to deny the consensus amendment of the Constitution to hold the election keeping their sitting government in power. To make the election a farce the parliament will not be dissolved. This kind of election is not found anywhere.
It is for Awami League to know and weigh how by listening to others it has negated its own politics and lost its leadership.
But the government is fast losing its grip on the disturbing situation prevailing in the country. The people are restless and rising incidents of killing by angry mob is a clear indication of what is to come.
Anyway, the caretaker government has nothing to do with choosing which party will come to power and which party will not. It only tries to conduct election in an atmosphere where people can vote freely. To put it more clearly, the caretaker government will not concern itself which way the party politics will prevail. The disputes over party politics will be resolved by the people freely in a free election.
Denying the people the sovereign right to choose their own government through free election could not have been Awami League’s own politics. We would like Awami League to take its own decisions about what is good for it and the people.
