Bangladesh News

The much-awaited dialogue between the ruling BNP and opposition Awami League (AL) over electoral reforms now appears only a matter of time as the BNP secretary general yesterday gave his counterpart a formal proposal for talks over phone.

In reply to Mannan Bhuiyan, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said he will first communicate the message to his party chief and leaders of the 14-party combine and then after consulting them he will announce his decision sometime today.

Bhuiyan, also LGRD and cooperatives minister, made the call to Jalil at about 10:30am yesterday and formally invited him for a secretaries-general level dialogue to break the ongoing deadlock in the interest of a free and fair election in the country.

Sources said both the leaders have got green lights from their party chiefs in this regard and the latest developments suggest that the dialogue can take place any time in the next couple of days to mark the end of a dispute over reforms in the caretaker government and electoral systems.

In the event of talks, the AL is ready to compromise on much of its 31-point reforms demand but it will not budge an inch from its disapproval of Justice KM Hasan taking over as the caretaker government chief and Justice MA Aziz continuing as the chief election commissioner (CEC).

The opposition will not drop their objections to three other election commissioners as well.

“I called Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil at 10:30am today [yesterday] after my party chief Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said that a secretaries-general level dialogue can take place,” Bhuiyan told newsmen at his official residence.

“I formally invite you for a dialogue on the proposed electoral reforms to resolve the issue. Let us sit down and break off the stand-off and hold a free and fair election,” Jalil quoted Bhuiyan as saying.

“I told him (Bhuiyan) I’ve got your proposal and will make my decision known tomorrow [today] after consulting with my party leaders and 14-party alliance,” Jalil, also the co-ordinator of 14-party, told reporters at his Gulshan residence at 3:00pm.

AL Presidium Member Amir Hossain Amu said, “The BNP has accepted our proposals in principle by agreeing to hold a dialogue without the anti-Liberation War forces.”

Bhuiyan said he has received a positive response from Jalil. The discussions will be on every relevant issue. The time and date will be set after Jalil’s reply today. “I hope they will respond positively and will come to the discussions with an open mind,” he added.

BNP leaders Nazrul Islam Khan, Barkatullah Bulu, Abdus Salam and Ahmed Musa, among others, were present at that time.

After talking to the LGRD minister over phone, Jalil rushed to AL President Sheikh Hasina and informed her about the developments.

Hasina instantly told Jalil that a discussion could be held. “You discuss it with the senior leaders of the party and the 14-party alliance,” an AL insider quoted the leader of the opposition as saying.

Earlier on Thursday night, the talks issue came up when Khaleda Zia met Mannan Bhuiyan and Health and Family Welfare Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain to discuss the power crisis. At the meeting, the prime minister directed Bhuiyan to proceed with the initiative for negotiations.

The AL presidium members held an emergency meeting with party chief Sheikh Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence at about 7:30pm last night. Later, the 14-party leaders met at the AL president’s Dhanmondi office at around 8:45pm.

Both the meetings unanimously decided that Jalil go for the dialogue and place all of its 31-point reform proposals.

They observed that the government has finally agreed to hold discussion over the electoral reforms in the face of opposition’s street agitations in the last few months, AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader told The Daily Star last night.

Senior opposition leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Obaidul Quader, Hasanul Haque Inu, Bimal Biswas, Nurul Islam, among others, were present at the 14-party meeting.

AL’S STANCE
In addition to sticking to its objections regarding Justice Hasan, Aziz and three election commissioners, the AL will keep calling for updating the voter roll with photographs and using transparent ballot boxes.

It will also demand redefinition of the law enforcement agencies and scrapping of the magistracy power given to the law enforcers and the armed forces members by the previous caretaker government.

Jurisdiction of the armed forces and the law enforcement agencies during the election period as per the public representation order of 1972 and the Election Act of 1992 will have to be reinstated.

BACKGROUND
The AL formally brought the reform proposals to light on July 15 last year. The following day, Bhuiyan said the reform agenda was aimed at hindering the country’s electoral process.

Sheikh Hasina placed the reform proposals in parliament on February 12.

In response, Khaleda on February 28 proposed forming a committee with representatives from both the ruling and opposition alliances to discuss the proposals.

After exchange of letters between Bhuiyan and Jalil from March 20 to May 14, the initiative for a dialogue reached deadlock centring the inclusion of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote leaders in the proposed committee.

The AL kept asking for the proposed talks to be confined to the two parties but the ruling party did not agree to any negotiations without its coalition partners.

AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader at a rally at Muktangan in June first proposed for a secretaries-general level dialogue to clear the roadblocks resulting from inclusion of Jamaat and IOJ.

The BNP secretary general made the first phone call to Jalil on August 20. Then on September 13, the prime minister at a rally in Brahmanbaria spoke of a dialogue between the secretaries-general.

PRESSURE FROM DIFFERENT QUARTERS
Both the parties have been under pressure from different quarters at home and abroad for the last several months.

In recent weeks, the pressure built up with European Union (EU), National Democratic institute (NDI), local election observers, civil society members, business community and diplomats repeatedly stressing the need for an immediate dialogue.

Besides, business leaders took initiatives to have Bhuiyan and Jalil at the negotiating table.