Let BNP take note of political landscape in full

Time and tide waits for none and politics cannot be dubbed as a field of mere practice of ‘no’ all the time. Politics of a party survives and continues if it is well-tied to the tune of yes and/or no depending on the importance of issue(s) in the context of time, space and dimension. Time is matured enough to tell the truth that there is no need to put forward any logic by BNP itself or by any quarter, vested group, professional body, association and think-rank of its fold in favor of BNP’s not joining the sessions of Parliament persistently since BNP is not only a large political party with vast experiences of sitting in the seat of government and in the opposition several times but is also the leader of the opposition in the current 9^th parliament. Thus, it is constitutionally bound to play its due role in parliament, which it is setting aside on many excuses since the very start of the first session of the 9^th parliament. Is BNP confused politically? Or has it fallen into a trap otherwise? Is t moving onward or going backwards?  Highlights as follows may be pointers to unfold the actuality-----------------------------------

One might have noticed with reservation and curiosity that one of the developments in the politics of post 1/11in Bangladesh is the rise and escalation of so-called bureaucrat-turned politicians, civil and/or military, who have within the short span of time proved their excellence in coming from closer to the closest to their respective chiefs of political parties overriding even senior seasoned and tasted leaders of the parties. Danger of such eruption is not weighable and measureable readily as it rests primarily on the policy of appeasement and sycophancy aimed at blessing of the chief of the party concerned through the means of cronyism and philistinism. Moving with the moment and getting benefits and rewards instantly in the mode of portfolio and position are their ends and, hence, politics to them is an ends in itself full of opportunities and privileges, not a means to ends.  It is really unbecoming for the development of leaderships as well as for the strengthening and consolidating of organizational standing of a political party.

Today, both AL and BNP are seriously caught and jammed in such doldrums. But the matter is dodgier for BNP given that it is now in the opposition where various sort of approaches and strategies coupled with sacrifices in the context of time, space and dimension are needed. Disregarding the senior and tasted leaders of the party like Moudud Ahmed, Khondaker Mossarf Hossain, Moyeen Khan and so on, Begum Khaleda Zia, willingly or recklessly or indifferently, has leaned largely towards such so-called bureaucrat-turned politicians. As a result, feedbacks in internal and external perspectives are not matching BNP’s expectations. One may wonder to think how BNP’s protests and agitations for big, big issues of public interests misted in the moist because of its failure to unite the people organizationally against all these.

It is now well understood and well set on possible grounds, strategies and realities that chronic absences from the sessions of Parliament over the last four years have added no encouraging benefits to its stock politically or else. There are many minds in BNP and conspiracies within the party to keep it at bay from playing time-bound role being present in Parliament are actively alive. It is true that hardly there is any person in the party who is in a position to utter before Khaleda Zia what is right and /or what is wrong. Rather all vie to each other and one another to beat the drum of what Khaleda Zia desires and expresses. Standing against her will or sentiment even with the logic and mathematics of the highest order carries risks of falling from the heaven of BNP for which no high-up in the party shall come to stand by and rescue.  Yes, the bureaucrat-turned politicians are smart enough to understand and use this very key to go into the deepest of Khaleda Zia. They are dominating BNP being with and around Khaleda Zia all the time.

The most important for the politics of BNP is its policy towards India, which has took virtually a U-turn stand after the visit of Khaleda Zia to India at the invitation of the Government of India. There is a kind of disappointment in the party about the visit and consequences, immediate or remote. It is widely believed that it happened because of overnight amateurship of those so-called diplomats -turned politicians who played otherwise against the very standing of BNP as a nationalist party, although nobody dares to sound a single word on it. Is it true that BNP has lost much instead of getting more nationally at least through this very trip to India? Politics is both game and gambling. If it is not played carefully taking note of the past, present and future then cocksure is the catastrophe leading to defeat. It is too in the air that BNP’s foreign relations, politics and policy are very much within the grip of diplomat turned-politician Shamser Mobin Chowdhury, also a vice-president of the party.

Arrests, intimidation and harassments  of number of leaders and activists from its ranks and files entailing also the front and associate wings on various kinds of excuses and charges by the law-enforcing agencies, secret or open, have pushed the party to the point of survival, if not politically but, of course, organizationally. Even its think-tanks and sympathizers are not exempted from crack-down by the party in power. Almost all kinds of approaches and tactics covering demonstrations, processions, human chains and strikes, half day and full, being applied by BNP now seem to be out of use to smack the very root of AL. Arrest of Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir and yoking him in dozen of cases is as well a pointer to realize that to what extent AL may go since he is the Secretary General of BNP, indeed not a mere leader of the party. This is, moreover, factual that BNP has not been able even to make a breakthrough in the ongoing movement on this vital issue. The fate of the Secretary General may rightly be an eye-opener to the leaders and activists in general;

Cases and hearings against Khaleda Zia and Taraque Zia are going on in full swing and it is apprehended by BNP leaders  that government, unlike that of 1996-2001,  might go up to the lees to implicate both of them anyhow;

Holding of next elections to Parliament under a non-party, neutral CTG may not be so easy since Sheikh Hasina appears to be determined not to revive so from her own standpoint. She believes that there should be no so-called non-party, neutral CTG again in the democratic soil of Bangladesh on any lame excuse because politics should remain within the zone and jurisdiction of political parties and politicians. Necessity of CTG exists no more rationally in the light of the emergence and continuance of new democratic political landscape in Bangladesh after the great debacle of 1/11 of 2007. Under this reality time is matured enough to pay due attention to the time-bound and forward-looking reforms to Election Commission, which was neglected or set aside demonstratively by all the ruling political parties in the past. Therefore, call of time is to open sincere and fruitful dialogue on question of strengthening and updating Election Commission organizationally, functionally and financially.

Then the pertinent asking is will BNP succeed in getting it done by AL? If not shall it refrain from contesting the polls accordingly? If it does stick to the unyielding stand and if then AL follows its own decision of holding elections under the dictates of the Constitution following Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Act of 2011 what will come out at the end? Is it factual that Khaleda Zia for many a reason, explainable or not, has visibly slid a lot from her standing of uncompromising leader to the stand of compromising leader?

Let us, moreover, not forget that HM Ershad, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina all are getting older, Hasina without doubt being the youngest one.  Next election is perhaps the last election for all of them because then HM Ershad will arrive at the age of 85, Khaleda Zia shall reach at 70 while Hasina will be at 67. We do not know what the phenomenon of leaderships shall be in the election to the 11^th Parliament. Therefore, BNP should go into the whole political landscape without anymore whims, caprices, arrogance, malice and emotions.