Editorial
A welcome beginning
Dialogue must lead towards a free and fair election
The commencement of formal dialogue between the government and the political parties is a welcome step forward. In fact, the first meeting with the Workers Party of Bangladesh (WP) and subsequently with Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) has opened a new window of opportunity for everyone towards resolving the ongoing political stalemate, especially centering around the issue of holding elections within the stipulated time. We believe both the government and the two political parties deserve a pat on the back for taking the first steps to set the ball rolling. It is now for the others to follow suit. This perhaps needs to be said that the entire nation was waiting for the dialogue to start, considering that it is something that the political parties have been demanding for quite some time.
It is no doubt too early to guess the outcome, nevertheless, we note with optimism that the representatives of the two political parties and the government have openly shared their views concerning lifting of emergency, creating conditions for political activity, holding general elections before local body polls, stopping military and non-military agency interference, redistribution of power between the president and the prime minister, four-year term of the government, formation of constitutional commission etc. Most importantly, the government side had given a patient hearing to the opinion of the political leaders on the issue of forming a national charter, which has been termed as a consensus building process. It is a new card on the table, therefore, only through further interaction will the government be able to correctly fathom the minds of the people on this new concept, as it was articulated by the Chief Adviser in his recent speech.
We feel that the mood demonstrated in the dialogue should be exploited to the fullest by both sides for the very reason that the nation's future is at stake. We must remember how on many occasions destructive politics had pushed the country on the verge of chaos. Therefore, it is imperative that they keep in mind what political situation had caused the advent of the present caretaker government. They must not be oblivious of the past and at the same time they must have clear perception of the expectations of the people from them in the future. While negotiating with their set of demands with the government, political leaders need to share with the people their vision about the future; how they plan to strengthen democracy and make parliament effective to ensure good governance; and how they plan to address major national issues and so on.
There is no denying that general election is the center piece in getting an elected government in place. It sets the stage for multi-party democratic rule in the country where the constitution remains the supreme law. The ongoing dialogue should therefore identify the major obstacles on the way to holding a free and fair election and reach a consensus to remove those. We feel both sides must show maximum flexibility and adopting hard positions by anybody will be counter-productive. We should now work together to facilitate promotion of democracy instead of jeopardising it. Hence, we believe, the onus of steering the dialogue towards a conclusive and fruitful end rests equally on the government and the politicians.
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