Bangladeshi politics is facing a new era. Sheikh Hasina’s flight from the country in the face of the July mass uprising has confronted the Awami League with a new reality. Not only Sheikh Hasina, but also all the top leaders of the Awami League have either been forced to flee the country or are facing trial.
Political upheavals occur in many countries around the world, but the simultaneous fall of almost all the top leaders of the ruling party and the heads of government-appointed law enforcement agencies and many government institutions is a rare event in world history. This incident indicates the level and extent of party affiliation by the former ruling party and how it directly used government officials as party loyalists.
In the recent reality, just as Bangladesh is facing various adversities, the law and order situation has deteriorated, and incidents of mob violence have increased, new possibilities have also emerged. A new type of structure is being observed in the intellectual, academic, cultural and civil society of Bangladesh. We are also seeing a trend of breaking away from the old Awami League-based system and re-examining history and analyzing society. The efforts we are seeing to build consensus, especially through discussions among political parties, are certainly positive.
However, it is particularly noteworthy that some parties have repeatedly attempted to create divisions in the process of restructuring the future state structure based on the Consensus Commission’s discussions with political parties. The disagreement over not signing the July Charter has sparked renewed discussions. Despite these disagreements, the process that has begun to resolve differences and disagreements between political parties through dialogue must be considered a positive development.
Bangladesh’s political history is a history of power struggles and violence. A major cause of political violence in this country is intense disagreement over electoral procedures and the tendency to cling to power. The political parties that are now active in Bangladeshi politics after the fall of the Awami League regime have all agreed that a caretaker government system can ensure fair elections in the next Bangladesh.
The maximum term of office of a person as Prime Minister, the introduction of an upper house, including the judiciary, police, media, A consensus has been reached on a large number of reform proposals, including reforms to the Election Commission, based on discussions among all political parties.
I believe that the BNP, the largest party and the party with the most potential to win the upcoming elections and form the government, has a major contribution behind creating this consensus. Agreeing with the reform proposals of parties that have little chance of coming to power and governing the state and BNP’s agreement are the same in principle, but different in terms of responsibility.
Because the responsibility of implementing these proposals will fall on the shoulders of the next government. Considering that responsibility, BNP’s agreement with most of the reform proposals indicates a change not only on paper but also in the party’s management and future plans.
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s recent interview on BBC Bangla and various statements made over the past few years clearly indicate this new politics. In the interview, Tarique Rahman’s wisdom in his speech, his determination in prosecuting crimes against humanity, his foreign policy, and his idea of moving the country forward were highly praised and discussed.
But one issue has repeatedly come up in his recent speeches, which, although relevant to current Bangladeshi politics, has not been discussed much. This is about divisiveness in political competition, an emphasis on principled politics rather than street muscle and violence.In other words, the competition between political parties will be based on principles, not on the traditional show of strength of politics.
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