Hard sum of grand alliance

Our next national poll probably comes off in January 2007 as per schedule. Some say it will be brought forward by the alliance government But it dose not fit into political culture of ruling parties who like to enjoy power till the last moment.

True to the existing putrid and pervert tradition, the main opposition, the Awami League, started opposing the ruling combine from day one of their taking the rein of government. It has continued to do so till the day. But practically no result has come out. This is not so much for dearth of any issue offered by the ruling alliance as for failure of the Awami League to muster people's confidence in the party leadership that when in power ruffled people's feeling by protecting identified party godfather(s) of terrorism and corruption.

For sometime past the Awami League has been in quest of something as a grand alliance with the secular, pro-liberation forces like 11-party, JSD (Inu) to launch a joint movement causing fall of the government and fight out the BNP alliance in the next polls. Some progress has been achieved in this direction. Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Huq Inu have responded with positive gestures exhibiting good amount of practical sense and useful flexibility. But the CPB is wavering, harping on the old, hackneyed advocacy that both Awami League and BNP are the same 'imperialistic' stuff and the CPB prefers to stick to pursuing its own political goal keeping it off from the clutches of Awami League and BNP alike.

It is to be noted that the Awami League and the BNP cannot possibly be bracketed together under broader classification of political parties. It is probably true that both are selfish, opportunists, greedy, undemocratic in acts and deeds, violators of promises and pledges, on and off elections. Still there are some vital differences between the two. True, the Awami League was also found to have, sometimes in the past, joined hands with the Jamaat and given costly indulgence to furthering its (Jamaat) agenda. Yet the Awami League is a party distinctive in bearing the mark of being secular, Bengalee nationalist, non-communal, leader of the liberation war and major bearer of its spirit. Whereas the BNP is by and large almost the reverse.

The left-leaning parties have not, in fact, any substantial number of voters. Their activities are more or less confined in the metropolitan capital and some divisional headquarters, though both the print and electronic media have given them respectable coverage. It is not anyway calculated that the Awami League, by forging an unity with the leftists, will be much benefited in garnering votes. Still that unity will certainly carry a kind of symbolic value. It will be welcome to the civil society. The illiterate voters may be dazed by the resounding name of 'mahajote'.

Time has come for the CPB leadership to mathematically count the relative cost effectiveness of both the alternatives -- joining the alliance led by the Awami League and shying away from the outfit. The CPB may consider carefully the following factors. First, will its non-joining be able to negate formation of that alliance? Secondly, if it cannot undo creation of an alliance, will it not suffer from a handicap created by its own mistake? Thirdly, if the BNP alliance, trading over the division of pro-liberation forces, wins the coming polls, will it not deal a death below to all those who stand for secularism and Bengalee nationalism enjoined by the liberation war? Fourthly, do a regime led by the Awami League and another ruled by the BNP carry the same implications in term of the prospect of the CPB to pursue its own ideology? Fifthly, CPB should think over doubly if the dogma of 'go alone' holds good nowadays. In India CPM is joked to Congress. Khaleda Zia has also taken into her fold SQ Choudhury who once reportedly slandered her personally. Sixthly, can the leadership of the CPB afford to remain indifferent to the historic call of the day to join an alliance of the pro-liberation forces to contain the religious fundamentalists that have already created a wide network across the country through alleged support and help of the BNP?

Dr Kamal Hossain, Chief of the Gonoforum, former President Dr Badruddoza Choudhury of Bikalpadhara, may join the grand alliance now in the making. There are allegations that the leader of the opposition is in the habit of acting arbitrarily even on vital issues that sometimes go erratic and harm the party. Following win in the coming national polls if a national government led by the present leader of the opposition is formed, will not the political leaders of the leftists as well as others mentioned above have some amount of influence within the government to temper the leadership to be reasonably democratic to take important decisions preceded by discussions among the leaders of the different parties of the alliance?

Meanwhile, the strategies of the BNP alliance to win the coming parliamentary polls by hook or by crook are getting clear. First, they have raised the age of the retirement of judges supposedly with the object of making the chief of the caretaker government a judge they calculate to be most docile and obliging to them. Some call this move of the BNP as unwitting. Kindly make no mistake that BNP is a party that often does not find it necessary to put a mask to hide a devil. Secondly, the BNP has already appointed a judge as the chief election commissioner blatantly ignoring the demands of the opposition political parties for a consensus selection. Thirdly, the BNP has massively politicised the administration and police to use them most in the wake of polls. Fourthly, the BNP has passed a budget for the current fiscal year providing for large allocation for unproductive development works in different constituencies of the alliance MPs. Fifthly, the government has allowed extra-judicial killings by the RAB and police. Though it has created for the time being some sort of relief to the society infested with extortion and criminalisation, the opposition may rightly feel that the gun may be aimed at them in the wake of polls. Sixthly, the identified vandals of the alliance have killed and persecuted the minority, the opposition leaders and activists putting many of them under the bars and yoking to cases in the court of law.

Seventhly, the BNP has steadfastly stooped to the dictates of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the adjuncts of the US, to be patted as an obedient boy. The much publicised Bidisha drama has given a rude reminder of to what a length the BNP can go when it is concerned with vote equations. Ninthly, BNP and Jamaat have prepared a huge election budget. Their view is to buy off wholesale the voters by scattering fabulous amount of money among them. They believe that in Bangladesh nothing is beyond money.

The opposition cannot possibly afford to waste further time to forge unity. They should gird up their loins to face the upcoming ordeal. The CPB should weigh the need of the time forgoing traditional trade unionism hangover. The lapse that should not elude attention is that there are enough roars from the opposition on the outline of reforms in the structure of caretaker government and election commission, but it is unfortunate that the opposition has not yet spelt out what service and care they will yield to the people if they come to power. People like to make the grand alliance declare their political agenda like the following in clear terms: loan defaulters, identified terrorists will not be nominated for election; any one proved guilty of corruption will lose his primary membership of the party; no one will be allowed to use religion to mislead and persecute the people; rule of law will be established in all spheres of society; economic wellbeing of the havenots will be assured on top priority basis; politicisation of administration, police, judiciary, educational institutions etc. will be eliminated and so on. In fact, these will act as glue to forming grand alliance as well as attracting the voters.

AR Shamsul Islam is retired Principal, Govt Mohila College, Pabna.