In her latest surprise move, she proposed that no leader over the age of 60 should be allowed to remain a member of the Awami League presidium or central working committee, and that all leaders exceeding 60 be accommodated in the advisory council.

Previously, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, Sheikh Hasina categorically said that the party president's post, or the same person should not hold any other party position, more than twice.

She also added that not only should the party chief be barred from becoming the prime minister, all central committee office bearers should also be prohibited from becoming ministers or state ministers as well. In her words: "One group of people should run the party, and another set should run the government."

The AL chief's proposal has come at a time when some senior leaders of her party have already been secretly preparing a set of reform proposals. Through this proposal Hasina has finally disclosed her thoughts on leaving the post of party chief, which she has been holding since 1981.

Party leaders claim that the AL chief had earlier announced retirement from politics at the age of 57, but refrained from doing so in the wake of the election debacle in 2001, and repression against AL leaders and workers following the polls.

Now, if her proposal regarding age limit is implemented, apart from Hasina herself, the AL general secretary and most of the presidium members will also have to quit their present posts as they all are above 60. A few such leaders have already reacted sharply and opposed Hasina's proposal, while younger leaders very naturally welcomed it.

Though there is doubt even among some AL leaders about the sincerity of Hasina's proposals, they deserve consideration in their own right. If Hasina's latest proposal is really implemented, only two AL presidium membersSheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Kazi Zafarullahcan continue in their posts.

The AL presidium members aged over 60 are Zohra Tajuddin, Zillur Rahman, Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Matia Chowdhury and Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser.

Meanwhile, central leaders Abul Hasnat Abdullah, Prof. Abu Sayeed, Asaduzzaman Noor, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Nurul Islam Nahid, Prof. Ali Ashraf, HN Ashiqur Rahman and Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury are also above 60. Previously, some senior leaders of the AL presidium were reportedly preparing proposals for curtailing the party chief's absolute power, and for not allowing any leader to simultaneously hold the posts of party president and prime minister.

Upon receiving the proposals unofficially, Hasina, perhaps, opted to go further, and wanted further amendment to those proposals. Reportedly, in response to Hasina's latest proposals, the dissident leaders who planned to submit a draft of proposals prepared by them to Sheikh Hasina now seem hesitant to do so.

Admittedly, a rift has appeared in the Awami League over reform in the party, since the interim administration began pressing for reforms in the electoral and political processes.

A section of the AL led by a few senior leaders was trying to pursue reforms keeping Hasina out, while others insisted that things had to be done under her leadership. Apparently, psychological warfare is going on between Sheikh Hasina and some senior AL leaders who were clandestinely working for reforms.

Hasina's latest proposals must have given the war a new twist, with those leaders left in sort of a quandary as to their next moves. At the same time, leaders reposing trust in Hasina seem to have been boosted by the latest development, and the effort to reform in AL minus Hasina seems to have suffered a blow.

Truly, reform is not at all a hush-hush matter. Interestingly, however, the hide and seek game centering on intra-party reform has already created an uneasy situation in the country. While indoor politics is still under a ban, reports of underground meetings of various groups with the objective of either intra-party reform or of floating a new political party, or parties, have drawn a fair amount of public attention.

Reportedly, these groups are enjoying support from the interim government. However, a new political party consisting of splinter groups from big political parties did not fare well in the past.

Though a third political force would definitely be welcome, viability of such a force can hardly be guaranteed. Thus, reforming the existing major political parties can very well be a better alternative. Moreover, while persuasion can do the trick under the prevailing situation, coercion, I think, results from a sheer misreading of the circumstances.

Reform is the demand of the people and the government alike. Thus, comprehensive and inclusive reform, incorporating initiation of intra-party democracy as well as preclusion of intrusion of black money and muscle into politics, is the expectations of all quarters interested in reform.

I, thus, fail to understand the rationale behind the so-called "minus" formula. Can there not be spontaneous reforms that would pave the way for clearing our vitiated political culture once and for all?

Plagued by allegations of corruption of all hues, and with senior party leaders either in jail or distanced from heras depicted in the news item in Daily Star covering her interviewthe former premier still shows unwavering determination that she would come out stronger by disproving all charges if she is given a fair chance to fight.

I think reform should be allowed to take its own course, and Sheikh Hasina be given a look in. I am more than certain that history will give her the marching orders should she fail to stick to her proposals, and come good in terms of execution.

Kazi S.M. Khasrul Alam Quddusi is Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.