Dialogue still elusive as AL, BNP indifferent

Desk News :: Political parties, especially the ruling Awami League and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are firm in their respective positions ahead of the upcoming national election in January amid growing local and international pressure for dialogue to end their differences.

A joint pre-election assessment mission from the US is the latest foreign group to recommend the major political parties get engaged in an ‘open and substantive dialogue on electoral issues’ for a credible, inclusive, and nonviolent election in Bangladesh.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the US delegation that visited Bangladesh for four days from October 8 to 11 also suggested protecting freedom of expression and ensuring an open civic space where dissent was respected.

There has been no formal response to the concept of a dialogue from either the AL or BNP.

Speaking at a public rally in Dhaka on Monday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam mentioned the US delegation’s suggestion for dialogue but did not say explicitly whether the party would join it or not.

At a public meeting in Dhaka on Tuesday, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said no message or ultimatum would matter as long as the people supported Sheikh Hasina.

‘The government will not budge from the constitution,’ he said.

Analysts and politicians predicted a collision course between the AL and BNP as a result of their stubbornness.

‘We have had many dialogues here before, but none of the dialogues has been fruitful,’ Awami League presidium member Abdur Rahman told New Age. ‘Since the dialogue could not resolve the political crisis, it only increased people’s frustration.

‘We think that the solution to all our problems lies in the constitution. If all political parties follow the constitution and conduct political activities accordingly, I don’t see any problem,’ he observed.

BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas, however, welcomed the dialogue proposal.

‘We welcome any suggestion to conduct free and peaceful elections with the participation of all political parties,’ he told New Age.

‘Dialogue is the best strategy for resolving a crisis, but it should be used to figure out a party-neutral government at election time,’ he said.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Hasanul Haque Inu told New Age that he did not see any room for negotiation between the two political camps.

Terming BNP’s demand for a party-neutral caretaker government as ‘unconstitutional’, he said that sitting in any dialogue with a condition attached was difficult.

Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Haque told New Age that the AL seemed unwilling to talk to the opposition as they wanted to go power again through another one-sided election.

‘The ongoing political crisis has been created by the government as it has created political mistrust, ignoring the national interest. This is why the government is showing arrogance,’ he said.

Retired Dhaka University professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq observed that the unyielding positions of the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP were making the political situation more complicated.

Insisting that such a situation was pushing the country towards an uncertain future, he said that the way the leaders of the political parties were talking about the election, it appeared that they were hostile towards each other.

‘I will suggest the government go for a solution through dialogue and request the political parties to discuss among themselves for the common good,’ he added.

Governance campaigner and retired professor of public administration, Tofail Ahmed, told New Age that local experts and groups had been suggesting dialogue between political parties to solve the crisis for a long time.

‘Now the same advice is also coming from foreign experts,’ he said.

‘All political parties should ensure that the country does not move towards uncertainty. We have to find a way to solve the problem by discussing it among ourselves,’ he added.