Looking back, looking ahead: Year of ballots, fear in mind
Year 2017 may go down in our political history for unusual calm. We never witnessed such a situation in politics since restoration of democracy in 1990. With this record, the country is welcoming 2018 which is set to appear as an exciting election year with a series of polls, including the most important one, the parliamentary election.
The election buzz will kick off at the beginning of the year through the by-polls to mayoral post in the Dhaka North City Corporation. Elections to five more city corporations -- Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Gazipur -- are expected to be held in the middle of the year. Ahead of the national election, which is expected to be held at the end of the year, the mayoral polls may appear as a prestigious battle of ballots between archrivals the Awami League and the BNP.
In the last two years, the government had the upper hand over the entire political situation. There was little street agitation. The hand-picked main opposition in parliament Jatiya Party did not give discomfort to the government. The BNP has been shattered after it boycotted the January 2014 parliamentary election and enforced three-month-long non-stop countrywide blockade in early 2015 during which unprecedented violence was seen. It could not go for any strong agitation programmes. What the party did in last two years is to hold some rallies in the capital on some occasions with the permission from police. Many of its leaders, including its chief Khaleda Zia, are entangled in numerous cases.
After many years, country's economy and businesses did not feel the brunt of confrontational politics due mainly to the absence of hartals and violent political agitation programmes on the streets.
However, there was a dark spot in 2017. Dissenting voices faced unpleasant situations. Police used excessive force to foil any sort of street agitation by any civic or professional bodies. Indiscriminate use of section 57 of the ICT law has appeared as an effective weapon to gag dissenting voices. Incidents of some enforced disappearances and so-called “crossfire” made people worried.
Bangladesh had to pay for this. It came close to winning the London based magazine Economist's “country of the year” title this year for the country's rapid economic growth, a sharp fall in poverty rates and giving shelter to the persecuted Rohingyas who fled violence in Myanmar but the Economist did not eventually select Bangladesh, saying, "Had it not crushed civil liberties and allowed Islamists free rein to intimidate, it might have won."
The row between the Supreme Court and the government over some important issues including the apex court verdict that scrapped the 16th constitutional amendment had appeared as a big blow to rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. Justice SK Sinha, who led the apex court to nullify the 16th amendment that had empowered the parliament to remove a Supreme Court judge on grounds of gross misconduct and inability, finally resigned when he was abroad.
In the financial sector, fragile governance was exposed with the disclosure of some more shocking scams in the banking sector. Frequent leakage of question papers of public examinations has also become an example of poor governance.
Yet, life must go on in the election year. And people are supposed to feel excited as they will be exercising their right to franchise and elect a new government. But fear of political turmoil is growing because of unresolved issues over the mode of the government during the next parliamentary election. Citing past parliamentary elections, some political analysts termed the present calm as the lull before the storm.
BNP chief Khaleda Zia has recently urged her party men to prepare for the election alongside agitation for a non-partisan election-time government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has categorically rejected Khaleda's demand and refused to hold any discussion with the BNP to resolve the dispute and her party leaders announced that they would face the BNP politically.
If the BNP takes to the streets with the demand, political situation is feared to be confrontational again as it had happened in the past. The country witnessed severe political turmoil ahead of the parliamentary elections held in 1996, 2008, and 2014 and the people and the country's economy suffered immensely for this. Political crisis over the mode of election-time government contributed to the one-sided parliamentary election twice, once in February 1996 and again on January 5, 2014. Amid grave political unrest, a state of emergency was declared in October 2006 which lasted for around two years.
The first election was held in 1991 after the ouster of the autocratic Ershad regime following a long street agitation by the AL, the BNP and other parties.
The country stepped into 2001 parliamentary election without any political crisis. Yet, the then opposition BNP-led alliance continued street agitations against the then AL-led government with various demands ahead of the polls.
Every election comes with the hope that the people would elect new leaders amid festivity. But records show some unpleasant things also appear. Our lives must go on despite the fears and odds. So, let us prepare for welcoming the New Year with new resolution to do something good for ourselves and for the society.