Bangladesh in Future Tense!
By the Editor

UNLIKE past, the main Opposition parties in Bangladesh have announced boycott of national elections set for January-22 next alleging the polls will be unfair.

Speaking on behalf of the 14-party Opposition alliance, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed accused President Tajuddin Ahmed of ‘illegally holding the post of interim government chief’ and contemplating to hold the elections without a correct voter list.

Outgoing BNP-led government leaders say that the boycott is designed to scuttle the polls.

Unfortunately, Ms Hasina Wajed has resorted to street agitation ever since the announcement of polls date in order to compel the President to create environment favourable to her Opposition alliance through revision of electoral lists and deployment of State functionaries as per her choice.

Several people have since died in the agitation. The boycott is, in fact, a pressure tactic to take undue political mileage.

We, however, feel that the boycott will be a set-back to democracy in Bangladesh, which had started flourishing with the completion of constitutional terms by both the Awami League and BNP led governments in the past decade.

It will obviously undermine the emerging democratic and constitutional culture in Bangladesh. We, however, think that the possibility of foreign hand’s involvement in the incitement of street agitation by the Opposition alliance cannot be ruled out in view of Awami League’s strong foreign links.

Understandably, the foreign hand involved in the internal affairs of Bangladesh has its own agenda, which the Opposition parties should not ignore.

The Opposition parties should rather pause and ponder to uphold the national interests instead of playing in the hands of the foreign power.

Bangladesh is on the threshold of economic development, which is difficult for the vested foreign interests to swallow. It’s, however, time that the BD political parties should adopt a prudent political policy, which is motivated by the national interests.

Agitation or boycott of elections will only bring turmoil for the country which will be detrimental to the process of its economic progress, so direly needed by Bangladesh for amelioration of the socio-economic lot of its people, who are deprived of even basic human needs such as clean drinking water.

We feel optimistic that healthier sense will prevail and Opposition in Bangladesh will participate in the polls in the supreme national interests.

We wish to see our brethren in Bangladesh as an affluent and absolutely self-reliant marvelous nation sans facing any type of future tense.●