Editorial
Khaleda as party president for life
An impolitic and undemocratic step
THE BNP standing committee's decision to make Khaleda Zia the party president for life is unprecedented in our political history. This is an unmitigated disaster for inner party democracy and a slap in the face of demands for reforms. This is in blatant contradiction to, and fundamentally out of sync, with the aspiration of the people. All democratic persons are outraged and must condemn this move in the strongest possible terms.
The decision is shocking because it has demonstrated a cynical disregard for public will. It is also unexpected, come as it does after long and persistent public demand for inner party reform. It is also a thumb in the nose of the lower level party workers who were looking for devolution of party powers so necessary for the growth of second and third string leadership in the BNP.
Bestowing the mantle of the party chief for life on Khaleda has reconfirmed the general perception about the BNP as a fiefdom of the Zia family, run in the most autocratic and dictatorial manner. There is perhaps one other example, that of the late Benazir Bhutto being made the life-long party president of PPP, which she bequeathed to her son, her husband becoming a regent party chief after her tragic death, waiting for the son to came of age. Is this what Khaleda Zia and the genuflecting members of the standing committee have in mind for the BNP?
Regrettably, the grassroots party members have been completely bypassed in the decision making process. For a party that has not had party council for more than a decade, and the first standing committee meeting held only two days ago after more than a year and a half, expecting democratic practice on its part is like a wild goose chase. But we had still hoped that widespread public demand will have some impact on BNP's leadership. The standing committee, evidently given to sycophancy, has done a great disservice, not only to the party but to the country's polity also.
We fail to comprehend what got into the heads of the BNP leadership to make such a big political blunder, given that there was no challenge to Khaleda's leadership at all. If anything she may have emerged stronger than before. The move is not only self-defeating, we think that this has also made her lose the moral standing to ask others for elections to the other party posts.
But apart from anything else, this has dealt a severe blow to the attempt to bring in political reform. This, needless to say, holds a sad portent for our politics.
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