Hartal, yet again!

. PHOTO: AFP

The unabated grenade attack on Mr. Kibria demonstrates the crumbling law and order situation, which it must be stressed is not the sole making of either the BNP or the Awami League, but their rather combined failures to see what's at stake. However, questions have been raised as to why Mr. Kibria was left to bleed to death while an air ambulance/helicopter could have been easily dispatched. It has been reported that formal requests had been turned down in case of Mr. Kibria because of his insufficient "rank" while this emergency service was extended to a leader of BNP's student wing [1]. What if the situation had been reversed and the AL had been in power and god forbid a former BNP minister was suffering from injuries sustained in a potentially fatal attack? Would the state have made an attempt to save one of its most precious sons? I am truly ashamed to admit that I don't know the answer to that question.

I totally empathise with the anger of the late Mr. Kibria's family and their demand for a thorough investigation. In light of the grave nature of the harm caused, the stress they placed on having a "peaceful" protest is truly a lesson that the entire nation can learn from. It is also heartening to note that for their part the family has expressly kept their distance from the AL so as not to confuse justice with politics.

While the AL has every right to turn this killing into a political issue, it has no right to bring the country to a standstill for days upon end through hartals at the cost of hurting the livelihoods of millions of its citizens. No true statesman, let alone the late Mr. Kibria, would allow this. Recalling the deadline set by the AL in April 2004, no one has the right to topple an elected government - not then, not now, not ever. As the main opposition, the AL must put national interest over partisan ones. Unfortunately, it has (perhaps unwittingly) allowed itself to be used by India, which to the detriment and shock of the whole region, has lamely cited AL's street agitations to balk out of the Saarc summit. While one understands India prime minister's unwillingness to be publicly hob-nobbing with the King of Nepal at this time, it is not only unfair but also unbecoming of a regional power to be snubbing Bangladesh so undeservedly when the entire world was watching. The AL could have easily put India on the spot by (a) withdrawing the hartals and (b) making their own objective statement about the Saarc conference preparations as the Jatiya Party's Ershad did [2]. A regional trade agreement signed sooner stands to help Bangladesh while hartals always set it back.

Hartals, by all accounts, are a very damaging and belligerent method of protest that has been rejected by the electorate, and will not bring Mr. Kibria back. If the true intention is to bring his killers to justice, the AL should focus on holding the BNP accountable on points of fact. If the government does not give it time and space in parliament, the opposition should launch a national media campaign through private TV channels (given BTV's continued failure to be objective and balanced) and newspapers; they should refute every statement of the authorities with facts of their own and leave it for the viewing public to choose between the truth and the lie. While in the short term this pressure will add to the international heat already on the BNP in seeing justice to this gruesome killing, in the long run it will also set a precedent for creating an alternative yet healthier and more powerful political forum which has less potential to turn violent. I am happy to note that the security forces in Bangladesh have vowed to prosecute violent and destructive protestors by taking video footage.

Finally, I truly believe that if the opposition engages in newer non-destructive methods of holding the government accountable, it will not only clear confusion and show leadership but also earn the empathy of the voting public rather than its ire. As a result, it will create a "win-win" atmosphere with Bangladesh being viewed as a progressive country ready for global participation in trade and development.