Approaching DCC polls

We believe that the BNP should participate in the upcoming DCC polls as it presents a good opportunity for the party to engage in the electoral process once again. We can only hope that the BNP has realised that the decision to boycott the elections in January 2014 was a mistake, for it has thrown the party into a wilderness. To be counted in a democracy, there can be no sustainable alternative to participating in the electoral process.

Since 1991, the BNP has been an integral part of the democratic process, being in power twice and in the opposition twice. Now it is in a relatively beleaguered state, with most of its leaders arrested or in hiding. Its senselessly continual blockade and hartal programme, marked by violence and chaos, has not only fizzled out over time, but also caused deaths and maiming of a large number of people. Overall, the party has alienated itself from the public at large. The government has used BNP's violent programmes as a pretext to involve law enforcement bodies arbitrarily and often, in questionable manner.

The elections provide a much-needed opportunity to boost the spirit of party activists and also provide a test of BNP's strength, particularly in light of the fact that it fared well in the local elections that it had previously decided to participate in.

Meanwhile, the government has to ensure fair, free and peaceful DCC elections, if it wishes to prove to the people and the world at large that neutral elections are still possible. At a time when the political horizon looks bleak, a credible and participatory DCC election can surely help clear the deck for a start to constructive politics.