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Download PDF Leaders from across the political spectrum yesterday said there should be no return to politics of the pre-1/11 era and reforming democracy should mean greater democratisation in the country.
Leaders of the Awami League (AL), BNP and left-leaning and emerging parties said sustainable political reforms need to ensure strengthening of governance processes and not just reshuffle in the government organisations.
They were speaking at a roundtable styled “Dialogue, Elections and Future Political Stability” organised by the daily Prothom Alo.
Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain said it is incorrectly believed that people cannot participate in polls without arms or black money. “They say this is the reality…This reality has to be rejected without compromise,” said Kamal.
He said a dialogue is essential to breathe new life into Bangladesh’s politics and it would set the country up for national unity to confront challenges.
Former president and Bikalpa Dhara chief AQM Badruddozza Chowdhury said the chief adviser must take the initiative to hold separate dialogues with the political parties.
He said the dialogues should be followed by identification of the most important issues and then a consensus on those points has to be reached.
Badruddozza also said political reforms must include selection of new leadership. “We can be proud of our history and heritage, but we cannot go forward if we are fixated on the past,” he said.
The former president also said the people, politicians and the government have to be responsible for the political future of Bangladesh.
AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed said the biggest priority right now is to hold elections without the influence of muscle and black money.
While admitting that politicians stand guilty of many crimes in the past two decades, Tofail said this is the first time a caretaker government has treated politicians as “untouchables”.
He said the government’s priorities should be holding elections, trial of the war criminals, correcting contentious history and reducing fear and uncertainty over the political future of Bangladesh.
Former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan urged all stakeholders to ensure that the country does not return to a situation similar to that before the declaration of the state of emergency on January 11 last year. There is no alternative to elections, he said.
He asked politicians to reach a consensus on a number of issues, such as holding no hartal, accepting election results, not boycotting parliament, and neutrality of the speaker of parliament.
Mannan said the parliament rules of procedure should be changed while article 70 of the constitution should also be altered.
AL acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam endorsed the idea of a citizen’s charter and termed it a “new Magna Carta” for Bangladesh’s politics.
Ashraful called for a stop to the massive attack on politicians. “This weakens the political processes in the country and pushes it towards depoliticisation of the government,” he said.
“Secular democratic forces in the country have to be strengthened…There is no room for religious extremism in the country,” he added.
BNP standing committee member and former army chief Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said the present state of Bangladesh military is vastly different from those that ruled the country decades ago.
“These days the army believes in the need and importance of democracy. This is the people’s army,” said Mahbub.
AL Organising Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury said policies should be made with a vision for the future.
He said political parties should set agendas for the dialogue with the caretaker government which must act as a facilitator.
The AL leader also said there is no alternative to an election which would ensure a transition to democracy.
Communist Party of Bangladesh General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said political stability is inextricably linked with economic stability and the government must ensure economic justice to maintain political stability.
Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said certain quarters labelled the left-leaning parties’ opinion as illegitimate and non-mainstream voice.
Warning about the rise of militancy, he said if the government continues to claim that militancy has been wiped out from the country, the problem might rise again in near future putting Bangladesh in a similar situation faced by Pakistan at present.
Maj Gen (retd) Ibrahim of Kalyan Party said the government would lose its credibility if the general election is not held by the end of 2008.
He said the creation of a National Security Council is not essential adding that the government has failed to communicate its message on the issue effectively.
Former BNP lawmaker Ziaur Rahman Khan said reshuffling in constitutional posts is not a sustainable way to bring about reforms in the process of appointment. It needs to be more institutionalised, he said.
Khan said the political problems created in the past cannot be resolved within a year or two. Those can be sloughed off by putting in place a check and balance system in the government.
He also accused the last BNP-led coalition government of taking bribe for appointing ministers.
“I am not sure whether it went up to the prime minister, but inquiries need to be conducted in this regard,” he said.
Gono Forum Presidium member Pankaj Bhattacharya said although people want a successful and sustained anti-corruption drive, the government must have public support for its programmes.
Jatiya Party leader Anisul Islam Mahmud urged the government to make the anti-corruption drive more transparent adding that the process needs to be strengthened.
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