From friendly opposition to strong critic

The recent strong criticism of the government by Jatiya Party has raised questions in the country's political arena about its intentions.

Many considered the main opposition party in parliament a "friendly opposition party" due to its close relations with the ruling Awami League since 2014. That's why the JP is still suffering from an image crisis.

The party now says it wants to win people's confidence by making them believe it is really an independent political party with own characteristics and identity.

Top JP leaders, including Chairman GM Quader and Secretary General Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, in recent public meetings strongly criticised the government, giving a hint that the party has changed its political stance.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Quader said, "We are suffering from an image crisis in the eyes of the people. People considered Jatiya Party to be a fake opposition party and many still think of it like that. We want to change this image for the very survival of the organisation as a political party."

The deputy leader of the opposition in parliament said the JP wants to be a real opposition party and to make people believe that it is not a "managed opposition party". This is the first challenge for the party now, added Quader, also the younger brother of late JP founding chairman HM Ershad.

JP Presidium Member SM Foysal Chisty, however, said strong criticism of the government does not necessarily mean that the party does not have relations with the AL and its high-ups are dissatisfied with the JP.

"We are doing it [criticising] because we want to restore people's confidence in us. We want to instil confidence in people that we are really an independent political party with our own characteristics and identity," Foysal said.

"Whatever we are doing now is for our survival as a political party in the long run."

In a scathing criticism of the government, Quader on March 11 in Dhaka said Bangladesh cannot be called a democratic country now due to "dictatorship and lack of good governance".

"Anarchic situation like that of Basurhat of Noakhali has been created all over the country. The imbalance of power has led to corruption and misrule in the country," he alleged.

The JP chief said, "An autocratic rule continues in the country in the name of parliamentary democracy."

On March 13, GM Quader said: "We don't have links with the Awami League-led 14-party alliance. Awami League now does not want Jatiya Party and Jatiya Party also does not want Awami League."

Asked about the reasons for his recent criticism of the government, Quader said, "The only reason is that we want to save the party. To achieve the goal, we have to speak the truth and stand by the people. Jatiya Party will not do politics as a parasite anymore."

The deputy leader of the opposition also said there is a vacuum now in politics as BNP has "no visible political activities" and its Chairperson Kheleda Zia has apparently left politics.

"We want to show people that we are really performing as a real opposition party and want to fill the vacuum."

Bablu recently told a meeting that the AL government "snatched the right to vote from the people and deprived them of freedom of speech".

Speaking to this newspaper, the JP secretary general said, "We have realised that a political party must speak for the people to win their confidence. Otherwise, we won't be able to exist as a political party."

After the 2018 national election, the JP Parliamentary Party initially decided to join the Awami League-led grand alliance government stating that they had contested the election under the banner of the grand alliance.

But Ershad later in a sudden announcement said his party would be the main opposition party in parliament.

JP insiders said a vacuum was created in opposition politics due to a lack of BNP's activities, thanks to its leadership crisis as Khaleda is staying away from politics and party acting chairman Tarique Rahman has been staying in London since 2008.

To fill the vacuum, the JP has taken a stance to woo the people through talking tough about the government, they added.

Political analyst Dr Tareque Shamsur Rahman said there are clearly two factions in JP, which are led by Raushan Ershad and GM Quader.

"The Quader group recently seemed [to be] taking a hard stance against the government to be close to the people as there is vacuum now in opposition politics due to inactivity of BNP," he told this newspaper.