Post Breakfast
And now comes the hard part
THE nation waited patiently for over two years and has eventually completed the electoral process. A fair, impartial and credible election has reflected the desire of the people. The results have reminded many of what transpired in the historic 1970 election that subsequently led to the emergence of an independent Bangladesh. The voters, thanks to a revised and corrected voters list, turned out in record numbers. Nearly 70 per cent of the eligible voters participated and crushed the hopes of the 4-party Alliance. The Grand Alliance led by the Awami League appeared to them as the best agents for change. It has been a victory of the people. Once again, they have shown that they not only have a mind of their own but that they can decisively determine what is unacceptable behaviour, what is bad governance and who resorts to corruption. The first national election after our independence was held on March 7, 1973. There were a total of 1,209 candidates including 120 independents for that poll. There were also 35.205 million registered voters. This time round, after 35 years, the election for the 9th Parliament was contested by 1,555 candidates that included 60 female and 148 independent candidates. The number of seats has remained the same- 300, despite the fact that the number of registered voters have climbed to 81.058 million. This was a colossal exercise that required a budget equivalent to nearly US Dollar 40 million. There were approximately 3, 55,000 domestic election observers and 673 foreign observers. No expense was spared to ensure credibility. There were some minor hiccups. That included instances of a few thousand persons (from all over the country) possessing valid National ID Cards (issued by the relevant authority) but unable to vote because their names were absent from the voters' list. This led to confusion and disappointment for these voters. Hopefully, the Election Commission will work out these unfortunate glitches ahead of the Upazilla elections. The Grand Alliance has won nearly 87 per cent of the seats in the new Parliament. The Awami League has emerged as the largest single political party with an absolute majority of over 75 per cent of the seats. The Jatiyo Party, another member of the Grand Alliance and other components have another 12 per cent of the seats. Comparably, the BNP-led 4-party Alliance has a miserable 10 per cent. The conservative Jamat-e-Islami has had a drubbing. The voters have clinically pointed out that they are against the use of religion in politics. Their leadership within the political process has been decimated. This voter tsunami has changed the political landscape and become a thumping endorsement of the Awami League manifesto urging decisive change and seeking a constructive engagement within the Jatiyo Sangsad in the future. The result has also been a twist in the tail for several analysts and publications. Some of them, particularly the 'Probe' magazine (as evidenced in their issue no. 26-27, Vol. 7, dated 19 December, 2008) will now be forced to eat humble pie. Its forecast and superficial projections that the BNP-Alliance would get simple majority and that the Grand Alliance would lose will now truly be a collector's item. Such projections in several other publications also appear to have been based on claims by BNP politicians far removed from ground reality. The people have spoken. Hopefully, the politicians and others associated with good governance will take note of their views. Many promises have been made, both with regard to national issues as well as domestic problems. In this context, it would be worthwhile to point out some significant aspects that have emerged from this election. It has confirmed that the younger generation (specifically the first time voters) agree with the emphasis of the Awami League on certain issues -- re-establishing values related to our War of Independence and the possible trial not only of war criminals but also the completion of trial of those responsible for the assassinations that took place in the jail in November 1975, the grenade attack on 21 August and the brutal murders of members of the Awami League leadership. It is this spirit which has led to the decimation of the reactionary religious fundamentalist forces in the election. The second notable feature has been the common man's approach towards corruption. This has been responsible for the cleaning of the political slate. Except for one or two party leaders, the rest of the BNP-Alliance has been decisively removed from the scene. The victory of the relatively unknown new candidates (including in my constituency of Dhaka-12) selected by the Awami League has also re-affirmed that in the public perception, corruption or allegations of being corrupt, has now emerged as an important detriment for fixing preference in a voter. This poll has also been a clear demonstration of public disgust with regard to BNP-Alliance's past record of politicization of the administration and the judiciary and their inability to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and in containing of the price spiral of food products. The electorate through their vote has also clarified that they believe in the upholding of human rights, in bi-partisanship and constructive engagement in the parliament. The voters have opted for change, for devolution of power to lower tiers of government, for de-centralization in decision-making, for achievement of better socio-economic conditions, for a digital Bangladesh, for a more responsible relationship with our neighbours, for greater job creation within our vast rural hinterland and for a qualitative difference within our health and educational sectors. Like many others, who had been fortunate to witness the US Presidential elections and the graciousness shown by Senator McCain, I had hoped that the BNP leadership would have also found the courage and democratic conviction to acknowledge their defeat as part of the political paradigm and congratulated the Awami League leadership and the Grand Alliance for their performance. Unfortunately, this has been on short supply and the usual recriminations of 'election engineering' have come to the fore. I believe it could have been better. It is time to move forward towards a more inclusive engagement where all parties can come together for the development of the country. Sheikh Hasina, leader of the Grand Alliance has already reiterated her determination to work with the Opposition in the Parliament. The people of this country expect that to happen. This is also consistent with the spirit of democracy. Everyone concerned must understand that it is as important to be the Leader of the House as it is to be the Leader of the Opposition. It is this awareness that will enable us to successfully tackle and overcome the numerous problems that await our country in the coming years. Compromise, flexibility and inter-active engagement will be vital not only for our strategic security but also for investment and progress. It has to be participatory. There is no other choice.
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