The histrionics of an 'uncompromising leader'

The BNP chairperson has been, through occasional pronouncements during her court appearances, understandably trying to capture the moral high ground by championing some of the burning issues of the day, although an issue such as price hike is the legacy of the last BNP rule, when, to benefit the party minions, a syndicated price rise was first experienced.
The idea is also to erase the bitter memory of her discredited governments -- particularly the last one -- as well as to recover the space lost in the country's politics. Her comments would be fine but for the problem that she had seldom stood on such ground earlier. Based on the track record of her governments, morality, ethics, and compassion are apparently alien to her chemistry, and thus unknown in BNP's political lexicon. She, however, had been fond of summoning those beholden to her, and the message contained therein was clear: Do as I say and not as I do. Yet, the BNP crowd dutifully obliged her with their obeisance.
But, once fallen from grace, there are now cracks in the BNP monolith, and the party, without the binding glue of power, has visibly crumbled. Now, to re-establish her authority over the disparate groups of the party, she has to, perforce, assume the role of an "uncompromising leader" to sweep under the carpet many of her deficiencies.
It couldn't be more opportune for Madam Zia to indulge in an impolitic alacrity when her arch political rival Sheikh Hasina has been allowed by the government to undergo treatment abroad for her damaged ear and eye. In the meantime, the AL enjoys Hasina's green signal for its participation in the local body elections scheduled by the EC.
Sensing that BNP, torn by intra-party wrangling, is not election-worthy at the moment, the BNP supremo found it convenient to opt out of the elections, while criticising Sheikh Hasina for "entering a compromising deal with the government" -- although her party is participating in the poll in defiance of her decision. The grass-roots workers perfectly well understand that the Madam, entangled in several indictments along with her sons and cronies, is simply trying to further brighten up her image as an "uncompromising leader" at their cost.
It was perhaps for the same reason that her lofty call for unity among the political forces to fight a commonly perceived opponent was ignored. Though the call is still alive, there are few positive responses --again because of her inconsistency, Jamaat connection, hauteur, and irresistible ambition to be the only thread of scarlet in the drab fabric of politics.
In her politics of blowing hot and cold, Madam Zia is quite capable of shifting from her unity proposal to assailing Sheikh Hasina within a matter of days by drawing comparison between the latter's present political move and 1986 political situation, where a united and revamped AL participated in parliamentary election under her leadership, although the party's victory was hijacked by Ershad's infamous media coup.
Even at that time, the BNP had the same image problem, emanating from rampant corruption and total break-down of the country's internal order.
Whatever may be the motive, the interim dispensation seems to be agreeable to also grant Khaleda Zia respite and reprieve similar to those given to Sheikh Hasina, although it is understood that the state of her illness, if any, does not warrant that. But Madam Zia seems to have been cleverly exploiting the gesture to bargain for release and treatment abroad of her indicted sons by raising undue hue and cry. She threatens to throw a spanner in the political process underway and even in the forthcoming national election.
In the meantime, the madam's complacent secretary general, whose son is reported to have enjoyed similar facilities as those of Tareque and Koko in BSMMU prison cell, is apparently fine. He has been spitting fire in defence of the honour of the Zia family, which he, like the BNP fraternity, thinks is under assault.
They all feel that the indictments leveled against the madam and her sons are aimed solely at damaging their honour. The madam even claimed that her sons couldn't commit any wrong. She also corrected the finance adviser by reminding him that to find the halcyon days it's enough for the people to look back to her regime.
The people, however, wonder if there is any more honour left in the Zia family for it to be capable of further damage. They also ask if the madam is conversant with history, although she is clearly endowed with quite a gift for histrionics.

Brig ( retd) Hafiz is former DG of BIISS.