One year on
IT is only natural that a government's one year in office will come under scrutiny, perhaps more vigorously than before because of the two year interregnum that almost put democracy on a permanent hold. And that interregnum was necessitated by the way things developed in the political arena before October 2006.
The media and the civil society have offered their views on how the AL led coalition has fared in their one year in office. And naturally critics have differed, depending on their particular political preferences and inclinations, in their opinions. I for one, however, would not like to see the past one year as merely a year of the coalition rule alone but rather as how democracy was served and how the main objectives of strengthening the democratic institutions and good governance have been perused by all concerned.
Regrettably, for me it has been disappointing year as far as politics was concerned. We saw the same old attitude repeated to the point of being nauseating.
Except for the opening session of the 9th Parliament, the House has been without the opposition. A parliament without the opposition does not only disgrace the people's house, it demeans the very essence of democracy also. And while the major share of the blame must fall on the BNP and its partners, the AL and the coalition cannot absolve themselves of the responsibility of making the parliament dysfunctional.
One feels that the AL has lost a good opportunity to gain political mileage by not delivering on the promises made to the opposition after election. I can hardly keep myself from quoting from an article appearing in the same column exactly a year ago to the month that, "it would have been very statesmanlike on the part of someone with the political pedigree as Sheikh Hasina to have kept her word -- but perhaps our political leaders are a long way from becoming statesmen."
I am disappointed, too, by the puerile behaviour of the opposition in so far as their being an effective opposition is concerned. Not only have the number of preconditions for joining the parliament accreted over the last one year, (of the ten in the latest list of conditions there is none that is related to public interest) sub judice matters have also been included in the list of demands. The message is quite clear; the BNP will do the same as was done to them by the AL when it was in opposition. If this is the political culture that we will have to endure in future where does that leave us?
I am disappointed that our political leaders have not displayed the sagacity and acumen that was expected from them, particularly in view of the political turmoil that the country emerged from only recently.
One would have liked to see initiation of at least the groundwork for both political and party reforms given the vast mandate that the AL was given by the voters. Political reform was also a popular demand, notwithstanding the different views on 1/11. It didn't happen.
I am disappointed that there was no effort on the part of the political parties, particularly the two major ones, to bring in democratisation within the party. The party councils may have been very grandiose and largely attended, but the issue of election to party posts leaves me with the impression that the councilors have very little opinion of their own, and those who have the intellect to form their own opinion, and would like to express it, have very little pluck to do so. It is discouraging to see the party chiefs invested with absolute power to choose members of the various committees -- that makes room for the pliant and the pliable only. The quality and past record of some of those inducted in various committees leaves us wondering.
I am disappointed, too, by the way the issue of extrajudicial killings was handled. While it is reprehensible for the state agencies to be the judge, jury and executioner, all at the same time, at times justification of the killings while at other times denial that this ever happens, by ministers, is indefensible.
I am disappointed, too, that the Anti-Corruption Commission has been given the short shrift. Even the ACC chief's disappointment at the prospect of the anti-graft body turning into a "toothless tiger" was palpable.
What has frustrated the anti-corruption drive is the wholesale withdrawal of cases, mostly those instituted against the ruling party men. While one cannot rule out the fact that some of the cases may have been politically motivated, to label all these cases as political needs more convincing arguments. If that is so, then we feel that the ACC should be made to account for its action. And the only way to have ensured that was to let the matter run its course. Needless to say, withdrawal of cases through administrative fiat does little to uphold the principle of rule of law.
Looking back to the politics of 2009 one can only hope that things would get better in 2010.
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