Commentary: Be the people’s government by participating in a free and fair election

Editorial Desk  :
When the PM Sheikh Hasina is expected to be engaged in a national dialogue for resolving the crisis nationally she is seen busy lobbying for foreign help to continue in power as if foreign powers can install a government not wanted by the people.

Another mistake is to think that the foreign powers do not know what is going on in Bangladesh.

The PM herself has assured the USA and other Western countries that the next parliamentary election will be “free and fair” and the US insisted that free election means free from violence.

International institutions like the United Nations and Amnesty International also made known their deep anxiety against gross violation of human rights in Bangladesh over the election dispute.

The government depends on foolproof in-built election rigging mechanism under which the government officials do the election rigging away from the polling centres.

The government amended the Constitution, though not otherwise of any value, to stay in power during the election presumably to supervise the election rigging.

It is so much known to the people now that they say jokingly that for today’s election the results were announced yesterday.

As part of the efforts to hold free and fair election it is the responsibility of the government to create appropriate conditions free from fear.

The repressive measures are still used against the opposition though less aggressively.

The workers and leaders of the opposition are easily arrested and sent for imprisonment by lodging politically motivated criminal cases.

The US and the other embassies of the Western countries also advised dialogue among the political parties for creating conditions for free election.

We also emphasised the need of political parties to sit together and exchange views among themselves.

Nobody sees any constructive move by Awami League to meet the main opposition BNP and other parties.

On the contrary, a minister of the government announced that if BNP comes to power Awami League will be finished within five minutes.

Many say such statement is meant to be a desperate call for help from the supporters of the government inside and outside.

The government is surely unconcerned about fact the election rigging is unconstitutional under its own Constitution still existing for the government’s own constitutional legitimacy.

An unconstitutional election cannot be legal for the government to continue in power.

Our fear is that people have been suffering too long under the government of rigged elections that if we cannot provide a peaceful change more oppression by the government will not work.

The people are at the end of their tether.

The best way out would have been if both the government and the opposition could agree on having an emergency government to smooth out the antagonism between each other.

The BNP’s politics of big crowds, long processions and suffering police brutality did not stop the government from rigging the election and showing big election victory in previous two general elections.

But that is their party politics.

Awami League’s mechanism of rigging election with the help of the government officials proved foolproof.

But because of awareness of the government’s election rigging mechanism it is not sure that election rigging will be so easy.

At the same time to expect the government to hold free and fair election is an impossibility.

We have a unique situation where the government recognises the democratic Constitution but feels free to flout it.

Thus through the fear of terror politics we have an authoritarian government under a democratic Constitution.

Our immediate concern is how to save the people from impending violence from the government desperate to cling on to power.