Four years of opposition role

Regrettably, the overwhelming impression is that the Awami League (AL) has failed to play its part of a responsible opposition befitting a party with a long history in politics.

Granted that the opposition was denied adequate space by the ruling alliance; we have no hesitation either in accepting its argument that honest dissent and political rights of the opposition were met with violence by the government. We will even go so far as to say that the AL was the victim of gross violence perpetrated by the administration. But, in spite of all these, we are compelled to say that the AL came through in the last four years as a party that has failed to fulfill its mandate as a responsible opposition just as the government has miserably failed on its part to fulfill its role as a responsible government. And the nation unfortunately is very much the worse for the combined failures of the opposition and the government of the last four years.

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First, AL politics during this time revolved around its policy of boycott of the parliament. This was a most ill advised action, an outright betrayal of the electorate. One wonders why they got elected at all if it was to abdicate their responsibility reposed by the voters. Did the AL ever consider the fact that their decision to boycott the parliament has caused their constituents to go unrepresented in the house of the people, however undermined by the Treasury bench?

Second, AL politics was exclusively directed from the very first day towards non-cooperation and later toppling the government rather than being based on specific issues. One recalls with as much horror as with trepidation the 'trump card' of '30 April deadline' of the AL last year, to uproot an elected government.

Our only hope now is that in the time left till the next election the AL will act to rehabilitate its image as a responsible opposition. It can do so by eschewing hartal that is bringing the party to disrepute. It can do so also by creating an image of an alternative party in power with alternative policies, as enunciated by its leader the day before yesterday. By inculcating a culture of intra-party democracy can the AL also make its actions creditable in the public eye. Much of its image will also depend on the quality of its nominees for the next election. One would expect the AL not to stake its reputation on the likes of Zainal Hazari.

A party like the AL must stand out on the strength of its own policies and programmes rather than try to thrive on the failures of the government, which unfortunately has been the case of most opposition parties so far.