12/5/2016

BegumZia'sformula...andtheholesinit

Begum Zia's formula . . . and the holes in it

SyedBadrulAhsan
Published:Wednesday,23November,2016at10:24AM,Update:23.11.2016
12:26:10PM,Count:118

Former
Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia
remains
obsessed
with an army role in
constitutionalpolitics.
One
certainly
understands
her
preoccupation with
the
idea
of
democracy, but when
she insists at every
given moment that
the military must
have a role in the
determination of the
nature of present and
future governance,
shegivescitizenscauseforworry.Hercampfollowerswillofcourseargue,inherdefence,that
electionscannotbefairinthecountrywithoutthesoldiersbeingaround.
Thatbegsthequestion:sincewhenhavesoldiers,inthiscountryasalsoelsewhere,infusedideasof
pluralisminsocieties?Andwhenyoubegintobelievethatthearmycanindeedbethemachinefor
thearrivalofdemocracyinBangladesh,youreallyhavegotyourprioritiesjumbledup.Wehave
had the instance of soldiers, in the times of General Ziaur Rahman and General Hussein
Muhammad Ershad, stepping in to create conditions 'conducive' to a return to democracy. We
know what happened. The ramifications were terrible. The State was brutalized its fundamental
principlesweresmashedanddemocracyasweunderstanditceasedtobe.
When Begum Zia speaks of free and fair elections, citizens understand her concerns and indeed
share those concerns with her. No democracy conveys any meaning when it is not based on the
right of citizens to elect their public representatives. It was a thought that came to millions of
citizens in early 2014, when the expectation was that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party would
participateinthegeneralelectionandtherebymakeitscontributiontothegrowthofparticipatory
governance.Itchosetostayawayfromthevote,insistingthatpowerbehandedovertoacaretaker
governmentbeforethevotingcouldtakeplace.
All these years after 1991, when the Shahabuddin caretaker regime presided over a return to
democraticgovernment,andafteralltheothercaretakeradministrationsthatranthepreelection
showsbetween1996and2008,itisratherfrivoloustoaskthatanothersucharrangementbethere
everytimeageneralelectionlooms.OnequiteagreesthattheAwamiLeague,initsnewstintin
power between 2009 and 2014, would have done well through engaging the parliamentary
oppositionindeliberationsonthefutureofthecaretakerarrangement.Thatitchosenottodothat
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wasunfortunate,butthatitdidawaywiththecaretakersystemwasquiteinorder.Ithadamajority
inParliamentanditexercisedit.Nothingoftheillegalorextraconstitutionalcameintoit.
It is a tenuous democracy and a fragile political system which must see, every five years, an
electedgovernmenthandingoverpowerforninetydaystoanadministrationthatisnotelectedand
thatthereforeisnottransparentandisnotaccountabletotheelectorate.Itwasfineaslongasthe
caretaker system lasted, but to have carried on with it for eternity would have been a joke
perpetrated on the republic. Remember, if you will, that there was supposed to be no more
caretakersystemoncethegeneralelectionofFebruary1991,whichbroughttheBNPtopower,had
settledthequestionofademocraticrevivalinthecountry.ButthentheBNPmadeamessofthings
inMagurain1994.Thecaretakerscamebacktwoyearslater.
TheBNPshouldhavelearnedfromtheconsequencesofitsmistakes.Itdidnot,astheendofits
last period in government in 2006 was to demonstrate so conclusively. It did not stop President
IajuddinAhmedfromtakingover,inquestionablemanner,asChiefAdvisorinOctober2006.It
did nothing to discourage the Justice Azizled Election Commission from falsifying voters' lists
with the inclusion of dead and nonexistent people. The consequences were cataclysmic, for the
BNP.ThearrivaloftheFakhruddinAhmedcaretakergovernmentinJanuary2007,withtheactive
supportofthemilitary,waseffectivelyaseverereprimandoftheBNP.
Note that the election of December 2008 was supervised by the army, in its role as political
enforcer.ItdidnotdoBegumZiaandherpartyanygood.Andyetshenowdemandsthatthearmy
bearoundtoreassureusaboutthepresenceofademocraticorderinthecountry.Thatisaclear
lack of faith in democratic institutions and constitutional continuity. Worse, the demand stems
fromthebeliefthatadependenceonthearmyatthepollingboothswillbeasurefirewayforthe
BNPtocomebacktopower.Peoplearequitecognizantoftheharshtruthsaroundtheminthese
present times. The outgoing Election Commission has not lived up to popular expectations the
AntiCorruption Commission is not what it should have been the ruling Awami League's high
handedness in the exercise of power has been pretty perceptible more democracy is what the
countryisingraveneedof.
Butcallingforthearmytostepinortobepermittedtostepinisinaverysubtlewaysendingout
the message that we the people of Bangladesh should open our doors to the sort of political
asphyxiationasthatwhichhasdefinedsomeofourneighbouringcountries.Soldiershavebroken
the back of Myanmar over long decades, have pushed Thailand back into uncertainty, have
perpetually informed Pakistanis that beyond and above everything it is their military which
matters. Bangladesh's army is a fine professional force led by dedicated, bold and intellectual
officersandshouldbekeptthatway.Ithascometotheaidoftheciviladministrationintimesof
naturaldisasters.Ithasundertakendevelopmentwork,topublicsatisfaction.Ithashelpedmaintain
peaceinsomeofthemostdangerousregionsoftheworld.Letusletitbe.
BegumZiahasalsosuggestedthattheformationofthenextElectionCommissionbebasedona
consensusreachedby'allparties'.Thatideaofaconsensusislaudable,uptoapoint.Butallparties
whichhavebeenrepresentedinParliamentsincethecountryachievedindependence?Wehavehad
thenauseousexperienceoftheJamaateIslamioccupyingseatsinParliamentandinthecabinet.
The notorious Freedom Party, a cabal of Bangabandhu's killers, was in Parliament too in early
1996. So should the ruling Awami League seriously be expected to give space to a party whose
principalleadershavealreadybeenexecutedonchargesofwarcrimes?DoestheBNPChairperson
trulythinkthattheassassinsof1975shouldberehabilitatedintheguiseofaconsensusgearedto
puttinganewElectionCommissioninplace?TheBNPhasneverexpressedanycontritionoverits
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BegumZia'sformula...andtheholesinit

rehabilitation of the 1971 collaborators of the Pakistan occupation army. It has never been
embarrassedbyitsdecadeslongprotection,percourtesyoftheinfamousIndemnityActandFifth
AmendmenttotheConstitution,oftheassassinsoftheFatheroftheNation.Whyshoulditthen
expecttobetakenseriouslywhenitcallsfora'returntodemocracy'?
Noteverythinginnationalpoliticsatpresentisperfect.TherulingAwamiLeaguehasstumbledin
quite a number of places. To be sure, 153 of its lawmakers were not elected in January 2014
(becausetheBNPactedpetulantintherunuptotheelections).Ofcoursegovernanceneedstobea
better proposition than it has been so far. And, yes, we need a highly assertive Election
Commission, of the kind ATM Shamsul Huda headed in the last caretaker period. A purposeful
AntiCorruptionCommissioniscalledfor.TheNationalHumanRightsCommissionisinneedof
strongerteeth.'Shootouts'and'encounters'canonlyunderminethenation'ssecurityforces.
Itisawholeplatewhichneedstobewashedcleanofthedirtthathasaccumulated.Nooneisin
denialmodehere.
But the BNP, in its present state of despondency, is not the party to induce the government into
bringing about the necessary reforms. And it is not because it has not had the time or the
inclinationtogoforselfintrospection.Ithasnotdeemeditpropertoexaminethecauseswhyithas
remainedoutofpower,onthefringes,forthepastdecade.Ithasmadeterriblemistakes,bothinits
yearsinpowerandoutofit.Theunfortunatebitisthatitdoesnotacknowledgethosemistakes.
Itisbadenoughwhenapoliticalpartylosespower.Itisworsewhenitdoesnotknow,ordoesnot
seektoknow,whyithaslostpower.r
SyedBadrulAhsanisAssociateEditor,

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