The two top political leaders of the country, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, attended a reception program together, at Senakunja on November 21 on the occasion of Armed Forces Day, after a long time. The photojournalists and reporters kept a sharp watch on them to see whether the two leaders exchanged smiles or pleasantries, which would have been a bit of a relief for the nation in the on-going political stalemate.

Though the two leaders sat in opposite aisles, facing each other under a canopy, and the distance between them was hardly 15 yards, they did not even exchange looks. When asked by the journalists for a comment on why the two major political figures did not exchange even a word, the BNP chief said that she talked to all the guests. The AL chief, however, said that she was happy to be at the event, as she had been barred from it for the last five years. Both the leaders were found greeting other party leaders and exchanging pleasantries with them, while constantly avoiding each other.

Both, the former prime minister Khaleda Zia and leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina, spent tension-free days in foreign lands when the nation was groaning in agony caused by the political stalemate over the electoral reform issue. The people took it as cruel mockery that the two supreme leaders, who could have resolved the crisis by sitting face to face, appeared least concerned about the grave situation in the country, and were enjoying a nice vacation abroad.

The AL lawmakers led by Sheikh Hasina staged their comeback into the parliament on February 06, calling off their 19-month boycott. Khaleda Zia, being the leader of the House, deliberately absented herself from the House when the leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina delivered her winding-up speech in the concluding session of the 8th parliament on October 4. Sheikh Hasina had done the same thing when Khaleda Zia delivered her valedictory speech in the parliament.

A former World Bank executive, who had dealt with Bangladesh on many occasions, suggested throwing the two ladies into the Bay of Bengal for solving all the problems in the country (The Daily Star, May 9, Saga of the two ladies and beyond by Mamun Rashid). An overwhelming majority in the country, who are deeply frustrated and annoyed with the performance of these two intransigent ladies, are also crying out for enlightened leadership. They have also learnt, at high cost, that the competence of leadership must not be judged by blood or marital relationship with a leader deceased.

Khaleda Zia has welcomed Sheikh Hasina's homecoming. Certainly, this is a welcome gesture. But we clearly remember that Khaleda Zia, the then prime minister, did not visit Sudha Sadan to express her condolence to Sheikh Hasina who was injured in the dastardly grenade attacks on August 21, 2004. Instead, she brought about the bizarre charge that the AL was trying to reap political dividends by destabilizing the country by carrying out grenade attacks on their own rally. Denying the truth instead of facing it fueled the raise of militancy in the country.

Political analysts in the country view this gesture by Khaleda Zia, welcoming Hasina's homecoming, as a tactic to induce AL to start a joint movement towards restoration of democratic rights. Analytical columnist and The Daily Star Assistant Editor, Zafar Sobhan, has very rightly termed it as "Khaleda's opportunistic greeting to Hasina, on the latter's return to the country."

I fully agree with the view expressed by Zafar, that nothing would be more harmful, both to the AL's interest and to those of the nation, than a collaborative movement with BNP in the present situation. Really, "this isn't 1990," and common adversity cannot bring AL and BNP closer, if the AL has learnt any lesson from the past.

The Economist, the most widely circulated weekly across the world, published an article entitled "Bangladesh: State of Denial" in its June 18, 2005 issue, with a cartoon of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, suggesting a brawl between them. It is, in fact, the manifestation of the belligerent behaviour of our two supreme political leaders that has put the nation to lots of shame. But ironically, the leaders concerned are yet to sense this.

We find a strong tradition of tolerance, compromise and consensus among political rivals across the world. Like in Bangladesh, US politics has also been dominated by two major parties -- the Democrats and the Republicans. Since 1790s the US has been run by one of these two major parties.

In the 2004 US presidential election, John Kerry was defeated by George W. Bush by a very marginal difference in votes. Moreover, there was a strong allegation of vote rigging against Bush. Despite all these things, John Kerry congratulated Bush for becoming US president, and still they have a wonderful sense of national unity and political decorum.

Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress, chose not to become the prime minister of India, even after winning a stunning victory in election. "The post of prime minister is not my aim," she said while humbly declining the post.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that he would resign on June 27, ending a tumultuous decade in power as one of the Britain's most successful leaders. Blair won three general elections, and originally promised to serve a full third term of office, which would have kept him in office till 2010. "I have been prime minister of this country for just over 10 years. In this job, in the world today, I think that is long enough for me," said Blair while announcing his decision to resign. There are lots of things our two ladies may choose to learn from US and India.

We can also cite lots of examples of cordial relationship between political rivals in our country. Legendary leaders Bangabandu and Moulana Bhashani maintained cordial relationship with political rivals all through their lives.

The intransigence of the two ladies makes matters worse in our conflicting democracy. Moreover, their oversized egos and quixotic whims virtually place them at daggers drawn. Eventually, it is the people who have to bear the brunt of their vindictiveness. Our political leaders also need to be remodeled, like political reforms.

If anything in the last five years put all of us to shame, it was the personal animosity and rivalry of these two ladies, whom the media across the world branded as the "Battling Begums." Very few people will disagree that we essentially need upright and uplifting leadership for getting out of the morass we are now in.

The two ladies, who ruled the country successively for the past fifteen years, have had their chance in the musical chairs around the seat of power. Qualitative change in the leadership, a demand very close to everybody's heart, will remain a far cry if we miss the opportunity to cleanse politics.

ANM Nurul Haque is a columnist of The Daily Star.