Mindless political game

By Shams Md. Nabed Noman, Dhaka
16 March 2004, 18:00 PM
Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina has promised to topple the government by enforcing a series of hartals. I think she is risking her party being detached from the people, as everybody hates hartal now.

Yes, the government is not the one for which the people voted . It has failed in different areas. The law and order is continuing to deteriorate, price of essentials are shooting up , yet we treat hartal as a harsh thing because it affects the general people more than the government. Hasina's demand for mid-term election is not a reasonable one. She must understand that holding two general elections within three years is nothing but a luxury for this poor country.

We cannot even afford the loss caused by a single hartal. The opposition should find some non-violent and effective alternative to hartal, otherwise it will be impossible for them to persuade the people to rally behind them.