AL's late April fool
The editor gave us a felicitous commentary on the AL's hoax in the name of toppling the elected government by April 30, and it would be worthwhile for the AL leadership to seriously take note of the bankruptcy it has shown and the suggestions put forth by the editor. The whole nation was on tenterhooks that a sort of upheaval was round the corner, though to every politically conscious man, it was merely a demand only to end in smoke. And I am sure majority of the AL supporters, too, were not beyond that comprehension. Maybe, the party stuck to its guns to keep the morale of its supporters high and the government on its toes. The government armed with a string of intelligence agencies should have a surfeit of information on what was the possibility for the AL to be able to oust it. And it had that information that people, though disgruntled at its omissions and commissions, were not ready to rally behind the AL for an upsurge, as the latter is still under persistent flak for what it did during its reign. Moreover, the party that is not even allowed to gather before its central office, how could it put up a mass showdown? Then how come the government could unleash the law enforcers for mass harassment of unimaginable proportions? To send shock wave? Tahseen Alam Chowdhury's 'Snake snaps in fear' was a nice, piercing piece on this aspect (DS April 27). The exercise must have had a telling effect to sap people's confidence in the BNP.
On the other hand, the AL would not be spared from being suitably slated for the chilling treatment meted out to hundreds of people as a result of its much trumpeted unsavory demand. Many looked at it as a preposterous or unscrupulous shot. Did it reap any benefit from the two days' shut-down except colossal loss to the country's economy?
Time is ripe enough for the AL leadership to search its conscience and work out what interest of the masses it could so far serve by its variety of street programmes. People strongly feel that the AL is now on the slippery slop and hence there is no alternative but to send its lawmakers to parliament to show their mettle there, not in the streets.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.