The crucial dialogue

THE decision of the caretaker government (CTG) to open dialogues with political parties to find a formula for holding the stalled parliamentary election in a free and fair manner is a good one indeed.
The chief advisor (CA) of the CTG, in his nationwide address on January 12 marking one-year of his government, said that he would take steps soon to open dialogue with the political parties, which received an encouraging response from the political circle.
But no progress has been made so far for holding the proposed political dialogue. The CA said on January 21 that the government would start the dialogues with the political parties when both sides were ready, as they needed time for preparation. He said that talks between the Election Commission (EC) and the political parties are going well and hoped that they would end soon, facilitating dialogue between the government and the political parties.
The EC is now trying to wrap-up the first phase of its electoral reform dialogue with the parties by holding a meeting with BNP leaders within this month. After the talks, the EC plans to meet two political leaders each from different political parties to finalise its electoral reform-related proposals.
There is not an iota of doubt in our minds that the political parties in the country need substantive reforms for transition from totalitarian rule to democracy. The political parties have collectively failed to uphold the secular democratic aspirations that drove the nation to fight the Liberation War. Political leaders now need to reach an understanding across party lines to rid politics of the influence of black money and muscle power.
There was a suggestion from the politicians and development activists speaking at a roundtable discussion on January 22 that the political parties should sit together to strike an agreement to establish a durable democracy to avert any crisis.
The council of advisers is likely to form a three-member committee to design the format and agenda for the dialogue. Though it is not clear what specific agenda the dialogue will discuss, the government must try to convince the political parties to go for necessary political reforms that cannot be imposed.
The agenda for the dialogue should be carefully determined, attaching the highest priority to burning political issues like boycotting of parliament, imposing of hartal and blockade, igniting conflicts, and the blame game. The political parties must agree to nominate clean candidates, and to continue anti-corruption measures if they are elected to power. Issues like trial of war criminals, skyrocketing prices of essentials, and release of detained former prime ministers should also be discussed in the dialogue.
The proposed dialogue is surely a crucial one, as it is aimed at reducing the ever- widening gap between the government and the political parties, and at removing all obstacles to holding the stalled parliamentary election in a peaceful manner to give democracy a lasting form. Therefore, the government and the politicians should be open-minded in the discussions, without taking rigid stands, for making the dialogue effectual.
It is too early to speculate on the outcome of the dialogue as it is still in rudimental stage. But bitter experience has taught us to believe that political stalemates are hardly resolved through dialogue because of the rigid stands of the politicians.
Lord Wavell, the then Viceroy in India, who had dealt vigorously with the Bengal famine, excercising his control over the whole food administration, had failed miserably in a wholly different task -- political dialogue. He initiated a dialogue in June 1945 with the leading political leaders of the sub-continent with a view to easing the withdrawal of British power.
But the dialogue broke down on the allotment of seats in the Executive Council as the Congress leaders refused to accept the Muslim League's claim of being the sole representatives of Muslim opinion.
In a last-ditch effort to break the deadlock, the British government called Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Sardar Baldev Singh and some other leaders to London in December 1946 for another dialogue. But the dialogue was as fruitless as before.
A good number of dialogues held between the partition of India in 1947 and creation of Bangladesh in 1971 also ended without any fruitful outcome.
The political dialogue between former ruling BNP and opposition AL under Prof Iajuddin's CTG failed, causing great frustration among the people. The one-to-one dialogue between BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, held in a situation when the country was reeling from one deep crisis after another, to restore the political order also failed.
The CTG has a clear constitutional mandate to prepare the ground for holding a free and fair general election, and to supervise it. It will have to shoulder an overwhelming responsibility to lead the country towards a qualitative change in the nature of politics and democracy.
Much harm had been done to the economy, creating a pervasive sense of fear among the businessmen. In order to find a way out of such a situation, the CTG now needs to take determined efforts to revitalise politics for developing a rapport with the political parties. An effective dialogue can also help a lot to get back the situation on the right track.
A free and fair election is what millions in Bangladesh are now craving for, with the 9th parliamentary election less than a year away, as it has a greater significance for peaceful transition to a democratically elected government. Not only that, the watchful eyes across the world are also set on Bangladesh to observe the way it holds its election, which is meaningful for its future development and stability.
Holding of the parliamentary election in a proper and credible manner is the most critical exercise for the government in a country like Bangladesh, where democratic institutions are fragile and vulnerable. Several factors may contribute to the success of an election but the crucial factor is the participation of all political parties, who are the stakeholders in the election process.
The onerous responsibility of leading the country toward normalcy now rests on the shoulder of the CTG. The advisers, including the CA, must remember that any step undermining the credibility of the CTG can plunge the nation into more troubles, and a very high price may have to be paid by the nation.

A. N. M. Nurul Haque is a columnist of The Daily Star.