Khaleda's house and eminent domain
HOW can a political party survive when its leaders are organising a month long countrywide political agitation against a house eviction notice when there are so many issues -- dire water shortage, power shortage, and price spirals of many daily essentials -- crying out for attention?
It seems that BNP is shunning these issues because it is mostly culpable for ignoring them during their 5 years of ill governance. They neither have credibility with the masses, nor the strong backing of grass root activists.
One thing they failed to cash in on was the issue of MP's meddling in local government affairs, which BNP lawmakers supported. They can still join to energise the movement with the local government elected officials for repeal of the local government act.It's hard to understand why Khaleda Zia should be distressed about eviction from a controversial leased house. As a mother, shouldn't she be more concerned and preoccupied about her sons' health and well-being than steering a countrywide movement to prevent her eviction from a house that was purely a charity-lease arrangement.
The house may have numerous personal memories, as well as many memories of her assassinated husband, which some BNP leaders argue is why she should continue living there. It would be wise of her to vacate the house honourably before being forcefully evicted in shame and disgrace.
The AL led government has the power to render Khaleda homeless -- I mean one less home -- even if she wins her day in court. It is true that she had the house duly registered, but what everybody should know is that she had duly registered an illegally allotted house.
My point is that Khaleda must be evicted from this property for a great cause; rehabilitating the widows and children of the slain army officers in the Pilkhana mayhem. If she wins the case in the High Court -- the parliament must pass a bill empowering the state to enforce what is known as "eminent domain" in the US.
Eminent domain embodies the power possessed by the state over all property within the boundary of the state to appropriate any property for a public cause. A public cause is virtually anything that is sanctioned by a legislative body -- one that is sometimes called condemnation, taking or expropriation. In my judgment, Khaleda's eviction is a foregone conclusion. BNP must turn to real issues of the people if it wants to survive.
Recently, on Channel-l, a housewife narrated her miseries with contaminated city water supply. She used the same water to wash dal, vegetables, and then fish. That's a real issue BNP should try to help ameliorate, and propose a bill in the House. Khaleda's house is absolutely a non-issue for countrywide agitations and threats of boycotting the parliament.
In a democracy, when political parties lay out the problems the people wanted solved, debate and discourses in the parliament always result in quality outcome. Therefore, BNP politicians have little choice but to engage in issue oriented politics and movements both inside and outside the parliament.
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