Dialogue between govt and AL
Pragmatic approach needed to yield consensus
THE AL-government dialogue, a more formalised one than the one that immediately followed the release of Sheikh Hasina for medical treatment abroad, has ended rather inconclusively. But the vibes sounded positive as indicated by the resolve expressed by both sides to sit again and continue with the quest for reaching a common ground and cobbling together a formula whereby broadbased participation in a qualitatively reformed election can be ensured.
Quite evidently some of the demands of the AL go to mirror the inner political compulsions the party feels to articulate concerns, such as release of Sheikh Hasina, lifting of the emergency, holding of parliamentary elections as the first priority, withdrawal of 'false' and 'repressive' cases against political leaders etc. But there is a plethora of other demands that either relate to governance or to issues of a longer term perspective. In the first category are included soaring prices of essentials, economic recession, withdrawal of ban on trade union and implementation of the women development policy, 1998. In the second category fall issues of trial of war criminals, crushing poverty, dipping investment, energy crisis and lack of employment.
Obviously, there is the need for AL to untangle the issues from its list of agenda that are not of immediate relevance to the work at hand i.e. holding free, fair and credible national elections.
The AL will have to adopt a pragmatic approach and that means being focussed on political and party reforms that will make the coming elections qualitatively better than before. The party can not gloss over the gains made so far, courtesy the government and the EC, through preparation of an authentic electoral roll with photograph that has shed one crore false voters, reconstitution and reform of the election commission and appointment of a neutral EC. They have to their credit, formulation of new electoral laws. These basically constitute the fulfillment of the demands AL had been clamouring for. A good deal of ground work has already been done and this needs to be rounded off by a consensual understanding on the remaining agenda to be owned and worked for across the political spectrum including the government as the facilitating player. This will greatly ensure strengthening of our democracy.
The government, for its part, should acknowledge the importance of dialogue with AL in the present scheme of things requiring a breakthrough with a major political party as a vital spring board and be prepared to go the extra mile in meeting the legitimate demands of the AL. The AL can take the clincher initiative by reciprocating with a conciliatory and mature approach to the next round of the dialogue.
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