Where do we go?

The visit by Prime Minister Hasina to the Gulshan office of Khaleda Zia to express her condolence at the death of Khaleda's son Arafat Koko raised a glimmer of hope, however faint, of possible rapprochement and reconciliation of bitter rivalry and hatred between the ruling AL government and BNP. The hope was dashed to pieces when the prime minister returned to Gonobhaban after finding the gate of Khaleda Zia's office locked from inside.

True, the BNP has many grievances to vent. True, Khaleda Zia was humiliated when she was confined within her Gulshan office, barricaded by truck loads of sand, water cannon trucks and a police cordon, and not allowed to go out on January 5. True, Koko was harried and persecuted on charges of money laundering. True, BNP has been denied democratic space by the government withholding the right to hold public meetings in Gazipur and Dhaka city. True, BNP party office has been locked by police. True, Khaleda Zia was forced to announce blockade movement out of desperation, precipitated by a spate of repressive measures against BNP leaders and workers. True, she was personally subjected to a barrage of most abusive and vituperative attacks by some cabinet ministers and ruling party MPs accusing her to be the mastermind who ordered killing, arson and destruction.

But it was not perhaps the most opportune moment to settle old scores when she was mourning the death of her son. Death is a great leveller. It was a moment to forget and forgive, show magnanimity, and mend fences with the adversary. It was a moment of solemn silence. It was a moment to eschew hatred and malice and renounce violence. It was a trifle indecent and in bad taste to announce continuation of blockade and a fresh spate of hartals at a time of personal bereavement.

It is also a moment of introspection for the BNP leadership, and a review of the nature and outcome of the so-called blockade movement which is dangerously close to a point of no return and is increasingly losing support and sympathy of people, thus becoming counter-productive. Daily newspaper reports and television footage of innocent people being maimed and crippled and dying of cocktail and petrol bombs; people groaning in pain and agony of burn injuries; buses, trucks and cars set ablaze on the streets; trains derailed; fruits and vegetable of poor farmers rotting in the field for lack of transport; disruption in business of small businessman; daily wage earners without jobs; export and import trade paralysed for lack of transport; short supply of essential daily commodities and food in the market; and shuttered schools for an indefinite period would convince everybody that the blockade is not a peaceful political movement as claimed. It is a war against our own people, a war against the poor and ordinary common people. It is a war against national economy, progress and development. This is insane. People attribute it to greed and ambition for power of our intransigent and warring political leaders.

BNP's blockade movement is no popular uprising or popular upheaval which can oust a government. It was popular uprising which caused the ouster of Ayub Khan and Ershad, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Marcos of the Philippines, Suharto of Indonesia and Shah of Iran. The dismantling of Soviet Russia and communist states in East Europe and the collapse of Berlin wall was caused by popular uprising and not by sabotage, insurrection and anarchy without popular support.

The avowed purpose of BNP's movement is to force the government to concede to its political demand for a midterm election under a mutually agreed dispensation. But blockade is not the right answer to achieve that goal. It is time BNP abandoned its current blockade agitation which has no popular support in favour of peaceful rally of protest demonstration to mobilise public pinion and goodwill in support of its cause. The government may agree to the demands if BNP can build a groundswell of popular uprising and turmoil.

The government on its part should reciprocate and provide BNP with level playing field without let or hindrance to test the poplar acceptance and credibility of their political programmes. There is no disputing that the seething law and order situation is essentially a political problem. Force has never been the right answer. Time is of essence. What is urgently needed now is for the government to relent and enter into a dialogue with BNP to find out a mutually satisfactory way to resolve the festering political crisis arising out of what is widely perceived as flawed and imperfect election of January 5 last year.

For politicians, it is  a lesson of history that no one, however powerful and mighty he or she might be, can cling to power for a long time without getting popular consent by allowing people their right to exercise universal franchise. Man does not live by bread alone. People yearn for freedom and undiminished democracy without which they feel ignored, suffocated and stifled and become angry.

The writer is a former diplomat.