Govt and opposition must engage in dialogue

We at this newspaper have always held the position that it is always the party in power, be it the Awami League or the BNP, which has the greater responsibility of taking the lead in resolving the issues coming in the way of normal politics. It is a policy we have followed consistently because we believe that those who wield power must take the first step by virtue of their role as the government. Given our principled stand, we agree with Begum Khaleda Zia that the government will have to take the initiative for a resolution of the crisis over the caretaker government. It is a correct and logical position to adopt.
Besides being responsible for persuading the opposition to come to a dialogue with it on the issues, the government also must remain aware that engaging its adversaries in such a dialogue is also an operational necessity. In any political crisis, a gridlock may be the result of action taken by either the opposition or the government. But breaking out of it is a task the ruling party must perform because in a functional democracy it has a mandate to rule through having been granted the right to exercise political power.
It is indeed a position of the media, civil society and others that dialogue is the only way to resolve the political impasse. What is even propitious is that both the political parties agree that there is no alternative to dialogue. During his recent visit to Dhaka, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also emphasized the need for a dialogue between the government and the opposition.
So, what is standing in the way of a dialogue between AL and BNP on the CTG issue, except for a lack of initiative? Surely, the responsibility rests with the government to initiate the process of engagement as we have been consistently pointing out.