CG backs AL-JP, delays Khaleda Zia’s release
August 5, 2008
Amanullah Kabir
Supposing that the national elections will be held according to the announced roadmap, things have started moving overtly and covertly giving a definite shape to political scenario ahead of the schedule in December. And what could be the scenario is not too difficult for the politically conscious people to understand. Although all the political parties have not formally declared their participation in the local body elections going to be held, but it has created in politics a dimension that will ultimately determine the future polarisation. Not only the political parties, the Caretaker Government (CG) and its strategists behind the scenes also have become active rather in a clandestine way in the on-going polarisation process to manipulate it to their advantage.
It was in the news that Awami League president Sheikh Hasina had a secret meeting with Jatiya Party chief H. M. Ershad who rushed to London to attend a family function. An adviser of the CG also reportedly sneaked in to London at the same time to have talks with her. However, it could not be confirmed whether they together had a tripartite meeting.
As the CG did not deny the report on the adviser’s secret mission, political circles believe it was all pre-planned and organised at the initiative of the enthusiastic CG policy-makers who seem to be adamant to go all-out to forge an Awami League-Jatiya Party alliance. This is apparently a follow-up action the policy-makers are taking in line with the understanding the CG has successfully reached with Sheikh Hasina prior to her release on parole for medical treatment abroad. The AL-JP alliance, which political observers believe is inevitable, is a long-calculated strategy to effectively fight against the BNP-Jamaat combine in the upcoming national polls.
Convinced by the strategy, evidently a brainchild of the CG policy-makers, Sheikh Hasina is giving cold shoulder to the reactions of the 14-party alliance’s left partners who have threatened to dissociate if she joins hands with the former autocrat Gen. Ershad.
Sheikh Hasina’s reported deal with Ershad has added fuel to the fury of the alliance’s partner Workers Party which feels betrayed as Awami League retracted its commitment to support Fazle Hossain Badshah (Workers Party leader) as candidate for Rajshahi City Corporation mayor. Finally Badsha with a broken heart had to withdraw from the race paving way for his rival Awami League candidate.
Hasina’s secret deal with Ershad and Awami League’s betrayal with Workers’ Party mayor candidate have meanwhile pushed the 14-party alliance virtually on the brink of collapse. However, the London deal has brought comfort for the CG as they now feel confident that their safe exit will be ensured thereby.
But what is haunting the CG policy-makers is the knotty issue of release of Begum Khaleda Zia and her eldest son Tariq Rahman who is languishing behind bars with his health condition deteriorating alarmingly. The CG and its military backers are learnt to be sharply divided on the release of Tariq fear that his release may be widely viewed as failure of their one-eleven commitment that prompted the anti-corruption drive against the politicians.
Secondly, if Tariq is set free, the last trump card they are holding to play finally in the tricky game with inflexible Khaleda Zia will go out of their grip.
Knowledgeable sources say the CG has approached Khaleda more than once with proposals which include her refraining from active politics and participation in elections at least for next five years. But Khaleda Zia rejected outright the irritating proposals with her usual uncompromising attitude and made it explicitly clear to them that she would not accept any conditions whatsoever for her and her son’s release.
The unsuccessful attempt of the CG will of course consequently made the situation more complex giving rise to a lot of questions. First, why is the Caretaker Government interested to prevent Begum Khaleda Zia from doing politics, even though for a temporary period? Second, why should she not participate in the next elections? Third, if Sheikh Hasina could be released on parole, why should not Begum Khaleda Zia and her eldest son be freed on the same ground?
The CG appears to have chosen collision course with BNP. BNP Secretary General Khondaker Delwar Hossain has termed the London deal as ‘London conspiracy’ indicating that the CG has resorted to a dirty trick to bar the nationalist force from taking part in the coming parliamentary polls and it is part of the whole game to force them to give a walkover to the CG-backed AL-JP alliance in the elections. It seems to have become difficult on the part of the CG to turn down Khondaker Delwar’s allegations as baseless as it has so far kept tight-lipped on its adviser’s London mission.
Communication Adviser Major General (retd) Golam Quader once confidently said that the release of Begum Khaleda and her son Tariq Rahman was just a matter of time as it was at the end of the process, but later adopted avoiding tactic possibly at the instruction of the policy-makers. On Wednesday declining to comment on Begum Khaleda’s release Home Affairs adviser Major General (retd) Abdul Matin said, he had no idea about it. As a result, the dialogue between the CG and the Four-party Alliance led by BNP has become uncertain.
Can there be any credible election without participation of BNP which is one of the two biggest political parties of the country? Obviously, such an election minus BNP or the Four-party alliance shall not be acceptable either at home or abroad. This has thus become a great challenge for the CG policy-makers who will have to decide whether they will still go for such a farcical election that will eventually plunge the nation into an unprecedented chaotic situation. The Parliament that will be formed through such mockery of an election will naturally have no right to give legitimacy to the actions of the present CG that has been running the country under emergency rules and ordinances in violation of the Constitution.
What is most alarming is that some international and regional powers are eagerly waiting to see Bangladesh as a failed state. The US Congress in its recent report has identified 177 countries of world as failing states and Bangladesh has been named as one of the top twelve such countries. Bangladesh has been bracketed among countries like Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Zimbabwe and Pakistan. In the earlier report of the US Congress, Bangladesh’s position was 17th which means our condition has taken further downturn. The reasons as mentioned in the report are weaknesses of political leadership, military, judiciary, public administration and police. Despite such an alarming report by the US Congress, if the Caretaker Government sticks to its plan to go ahead with its blueprint and hold a farcical national election this will only confirm the views of the United States and its strategic partner in the South Asian region. No doubt the government is walking on a tight rope as Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman has said.
Courtesy: WeeklyHoliday
More links realated to this topic
Comments
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.