an ordinary citizen

Delwar Hussain, leader of Pro-Khaleda faction of BNP declared not to join in the local government election. He also threats that if anybody join violating the party decision , he will be thrown out of the party. Major(Rt) Hafiz of Pro-Reform faction though initially not against the participation in the local government election , later soften his stand to keep party unity regarding the issue.

Two factors influence the BNP decision not to join the election: a) no breakthrough in the release of Khaleda in the near future b) the decision of the Jamaat-e-Islam, partner of BNP 4 party alliance in the last regime. (more…)

Our major political parties of Bangladesh AL and BNP are not yet ready for big changes in democracy.

AL is not yet decided to go to political dialogue , the government initiated to develop rapport with the political parties and to develop consensus on different issues in relation to election and beyond election. BNP is also also in dilemma to join the dialogue as neither of the factions is officially endorsed by the government in the invitation letter as the mainstream BNP. (more…)

The political parties didn’t respond to the address of the Chief Adviser(CA) of the caretaker Government(CTG) Dr. Fakhruddin Ali A as was expected by the people and the intelligentsia. It is become difficult for the ordinary citizen to understand the inner thinking of the political leaders by his limited information and knowledge. (more…)

The advisers completed their pre-dialogue talk with the political parties. The talk includes the pro-Khaleda faction of BNP with whom Election Commission didn’t like to sit. The Advisers talked among themselves and made a ‘synthesis’ of the pre-dialogue to present to the Chief Adviser. It is said that the chief adviser will address the nation but the moment has yet not come. (more…)

After 1/11, when the present Caretaker Government (CTG) started arresting the politicians, most of them were from BNP, AL appreciated the move of the new government. When the CTG started arresting a few leaders of AL, AL tried to explain to the public that government is trying to balance the sheet.

BNP took the move as an attempt by the new government to crush the party.

General public was also under the illusion that the new government is more anti-BNP than anti-AL. The illusion was created more because of the speeches of the Chief of Army where he expressed his intention to declare Sk Mujibur Rahman as the Father of the Nation and set the history in its true form.

The new government continued its arrest spree and more and more AL leaders were arrested along with BNP leaders, few businessmen and some beaucrates. Government reiterated its stand that it is against all sorts of corruption by the politicians or by anybody else. As the advisers told the politicians are the leaders of the country, they are mainly responsible for the corruption prevailed in the country and they had created the environment for others to compel to adopt the corruption for them.

Government gradually increased its pressure on more powerful and son of a prime minister was arrested.

When allegation of corruption floated against the ex-prime ministers, one was heard to say that she had enough wealth from her parents and she didn’t touch any money by herself.

The political parties they belong also couldn’t accept the arrests. Acting President of AL Zillur Rahman many a times told that Hasina can’t involve in any corruption. He also told that arresting her is a conspiracy.

BNP leaders though took measures to reform the party and to make some changes in the party constitution, they also didn’t speak anything about the corruption of the party leaders. None of the factions told that there will no place of the corrupted leaders in the party. Rather strong allegations of corruption are there against the top leaders of the two factions.

Recently I had a talk with a close associate of a top party leader. He said that as there was corruption, there was flow of money. All the parties of a business deal would have been benefited from the deal. He asserted as there is no benefit now, the ADP is minimally implemented in the FY.

With the perception, politicians are above corruption and corruption is a necessity, how Bangladesh dreams of a country free of corruption in future?

An ordinary citizen

[News and reactions] Democracy is a must for registration of the political parties with the election commission. This opinion has been expressed by CEC Shamsul Huda Chy in a meeting of the Election Commission with the workers party.

He said that BNP and many other parties have no democratic rules in the party constitution and party chief has been given absolute authority to take any decision.

He commented that political parties preach for democracy but they do not practice it in their own party.

It is alleged that though the constitution of AL is more democratic in writing but in practice the authority is delegated to the chairperson to take the final decision.

Financial irregularities is also alleged against the parties as their is no clear bookkeeping, transparency and accountability for the fund.

The Election Commission is thinking of ensuring practice of democracy in the party through registering them with it. It proposes that the executive committee members will be chosen on the basis of election by the party members.

CEC said they will examine the constitution of each party before registering it.(Source: Daily Star)

Delwar Hussain, Khaleda made General Secretary of BNP said today that EC cannot dictate the constitution of a political party (ATN).

An ordinary citizen

Links:

1) NY Times on Bangladesh

2) How to achieve economic recovery

AL initially reluctant to the sit with the Election Commission, now thinking of measures that will shape the future of AL and its political allies.

Al is now exchanging views with its allies and wants to remain strict to the 30 points demands they put forward to the last Election Commission. AL wants that all the members of the 14 party would put the same proposals to the Election Commission.

Whether putting the same proposals to the Election Commission is necessary and make the dialogue monotonous or whether the proposal by than dozen political parties would make the EC a little strained, that is to see.

But what seems to be more clear is that AL is preparing ground for the next election and wants to maintain the political alliance it has formed earlier.

To the eye of the Government these steps may look to be a little earlier as the elections is still far away and main focus of the indoor politics should be the reform proposals with the election commission.

CEC has expressed his hope for withdrawal of ban from the indoor politics in other parts of the country to facilitate the election process. In reply to the questions put forward by the journalists , Law Adviser Barrister Moinul Hussain said that Government is willing to withdraw the emergency rule but it depends on how the political parties are behaving.

An ordinary citizen