Politics changes for ruling AL

The ruling Awami League seems to have become dependent on the strategy of its main opponent, the BNP, to carry out its own political activities.

When the BNP had been enforcing a blockade and frequent hartals from January to March to cripple the Shiekh Hasina-led government, the AL was active and carried out programmes to counter the rival's street agitation.

But the AL found its programmes redundant as soon as the rival BNP postponed its agitation at the end of March and stepped into the battle of ballots in the mayoral polls.

The change in BNP's strategy also changed the AL's course of actions. The ruling party then focused on the April 29 city polls to ensure victory for its mayoral candidates.   

After the city polls, the BNP, which has become almost dysfunctional due to its organisational weakness, could not come up with any fresh agitation programme.

In the wake of BNP's changed strategic position, the AL did not think it necessary to come up with any new programmes to encounter the opposition. Over the last two months, the AL has confined its activities mainly to observing some special days and occasions.

Contacted, Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin, a presidium member of the AL, said when the opposition announces agitation programmes the AL also announces programmes.

"What more can be done?" he asked.

He, however, said the party has been holding councils in the district and upazila level units and these are also activities of a political party.

Yet, the AL seems to have stepped into an unprecedented comfortable zone as it has got a free rein in the country's political landscape.

It is because outside parliament the AL and the AL-led government do not face any strong opposition which may challenge the party politically. 

Inside parliament, the situation is more comfortable for the party. Almost the full House is with the AL-led government. The obsequious opposition, the Jatiya party, never says "no" to the government.

The JP itself suffers from identity crisis. Some of its MPs have joined the Sheikh Hasina-led cabinet of the new government. The party chief Ershad has been made the prime minister's special envoy with the status of a minister.

Therefore, it may never be possible for the JP and the leaders of the opposition to act like a genuine parliamentary opposition.

How can poor performance of an opposition leader benefit the government? Consider an example from the period of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was known worldwide as the iron lady.   

Thatcher was mired into deep controversy over Westland Company affairs. She was accused of violation of a constitutional convention. Two of her cabinet ministers had to resign. She too had to face the music in the House of Commons in January 1986.

The day the House of Commons debated the issue, Thatcher remarked to one of her close friends that she might cease to be the prime minister by six o'clock that evening if things went bad.

But an inept speech by the then leader of the opposition, Neil Kinnock, appeared as a blessing for Thatcher. Kinnock's poor performance enabled Thatcher to distance herself from the Westland controversy.

Raushan Ershad, leader of the opposition in our parliament, has never caused any pain for the prime minister or her government in the last one and a half years. All signs show she will remain loyal to the prime minister in the coming days as well.

The prevailing situation, however, does not bode well for our democracy and good governance as it is marked by a serious lack of checks and balances in the state power. There is no strong force in and outside parliament to hold the government accountable in real terms. Such a political context increases the risks of giving rise to an authoritarian regime.  

This situation is also unhealthy for the AL itself. The party now feels little need for carrying out political programmes to enhance its organisational capacity and drum up people's support for it.

As the ruling party, it is also unable to keep an eye on the government's efforts to implement the party's own policies and electoral pledges.

In an ideal democracy, the political party in power keeps an eye on the government's functions. 

"Political parties facilitate accountability of government. Parties monitor the performance of the government. When they are in power, parties keep an eye on implementation of their own policies and electoral pledges," says eminent political scientist Rounaq Jahan in her latest book "Political Parties in Bangladesh: Challenges of Democratisation" about functions of the parties.

But exactly the opposite is happening in our country now, and this is happening as the party itself is not functioning as per its own charter. It also exposes the absence of intra-party democracy within the AL. 

The AL's highest policymaking body, the party presidium, had its last meeting in November 2013. The advisory council, formed in early 2013 and considered the party's think-tank, held its second meeting in April this year. The national committee has not sat since October 13, 2012, though its meeting is mandatory every six months as per the party's charter.

All these forums provide scopes for their members to debate and discuss various political issues and thus decide the party's right course of actions.

The AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC), however, sits almost regularly. But the meeting does not pave the way for holding debates and discussions on policy issues.

However, the ALCWC which emerges as the most powerful body in making decisions faces no scrutiny from its superior body due to ineffectiveness of the national committee.

The advisory council, which is empowered by the party charter to provide the party with necessary advices and directives on various issues, also does not have any say as it does not sit to review the situation, whether national or international.

The Dhaka city unit of the party is facing more abnormal situation. The city unit held its council in December 2012 but is yet to get any committee.

In the run up to the 2008 December parliamentary election, the AL in its electoral manifesto pledged to ensure internal democracy within the party. More than six years have since passed, but the situation has rather deteriorated.

Thus the demand for ensuring intra-party democracy for improving the state of the country's democracy has gone in vain.