Jalil's exit

Abdul Jalil's exit as the Awami League general secretary, a post he had held since December 2002, is unceremonious to say the least. It was only a matter of time that this would have happened. And, his failure to realise that it was coming before he actually decided to act, reflects on his poor sense of judgement, and self-respect. This is where his apparently dramatic resignation strikes as pitiful and tragic. It sounds ironic, because a man of his long association with the AL in various important capacities -- as international affairs secretary, joint general secretary, presidium member, and finally, general secretary -- certainly deserved a better treatment.
That a major political party like the AL will go for changes in party leadership to inject dynamism into it, is only to be expected. But there should be normality, transparency and discretion about the method adopted to bring these about. Jalil has been virtually presented with a fait accompli and that does not amount to a good political culture. It must have been plain to AL leadership, let alone Jalil himself, that he had lost the confidence of the party chief and that the prospect for resignation was real for him. This is all the more reason why, making the resignation look like a forced one, could have been avoided. If he were given a proper farewell with his contributions to the AL recognised, the party would have emerged as one wedded to a sophisticated political culture, and living up to its rich traditions. Instead, his nose has been rubbed on the ground.
In the ultimate analysis, Jalil is the one to be faulted for the fact that much as he had longed for dignity in his departure, he basically courted indignity upon himself. He kept hanging around despite visible signs of the ground under his feet slipping away. Jalil has been practically jettisoned since September, 2008 when on return from his medical treatment in Singapore his express desire to reassume the party post met virtually with a disapproval from the party chief. Actually, his credibility took a beating in 2007 when in detention under the Army-backed caretaker government he apparently gave an undertaking to retire from politics on a critical note of 'autocratic' leadership in the AL. So, if there has been no method in his exit, at least the process of his being eased out was very much afoot, only he was too naïve to bury his head in the sand.