Editorial
Jatiya Sangsad begins . . .
Good example set in Chittagong and Khulna
THE ninth national Parliament has got off to an encouraging start. A new Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by the lawmakers. At the same time, the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition have taken their places in the House. The country, therefore, can now look forward to a productive first session of the new Parliament, one that is expected to set the right tone and tenor for the future of parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh.
On the ground, some encouraging moves have been noticed. Ministers and lawmakers elected to the Jatiyo Sangsad from the Chittagong region made a solemn promise to one another and to their constituents on Saturday to work collectively for the development of the region. If that is a sign of bipartisanship (and we believe it is), we cannot but welcome it wholeheartedly. Politics has always been described as the art of the possible. Translated, it is a matter of how much cooperation and accommodation politicians and their parties can agree on among themselves that will ensure public welfare. What the elected politicians from Chittagong have therefore pledged to do is a clear hint of the change they mean to bring about in national politics.
And in this happy endeavour they have others for company. A few days ago, it was for lawmakers from different parties elected from Khulna to come together before the public and take a vow to undertake development programmes for the region in a spirit of cooperation. What we have before us, therefore, is an image of politics about to undergo some positive changes, of the kind that should have been there long ago. Indeed, when democratic politics was re-inaugurated back in 1991, it was the natural expectation of the nation that constructive, cooperative politics would be a hallmark of governance. The failure of the political parties to follow through on that expectation was to lead to results that were not conducive to democracy. It is a truth that the political parties as well as the nation by and large acknowledge. It is against such a background of national politics that the present endeavour of political leaders in Chittagong and Khulna and other places in the country takes on significance. The goal of politics being the promotion of public welfare, it stands to reason that lawmakers of all parties will in the truest spirit of democracy and modern political ethics bring their intelligence and their abilities to bear on the service they mean to provide to the citizens of this country.
Bipartisan politics, despite the number of seats political parties may hold in Parliament, is a surefire way of carrying democracy forward. It is so because it ensures a troubleshooting mechanism in the event of problems arising within and outside the House. Let this spirit be emulated all across the country and, most importantly, on the floor of Parliament.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments