Editorial
Why Hartal?
ON the first day of the New Year and the New Century the opposition political parties greeted us with a seven-hour hartal call, to be enforced tomorrow. It was somewhat predictable, though. The government's decision to get on with the Chittagong City Corporation polls on January 3, despite an opposition boycott and Election Commission's recommendations for a deferment, had us anticipate an agitational programme. Still, we kept hoping that, in the spirit of the New Year and, of course, the holy month of Ramadan, not to mention the approaching Eid festivities, the opposition alliance would refrain from hartal, thereby the path of confrontation. Unfortunately, that was not to be. For the residents of the port city, the scenario is even bleaker with two consecutive days of hartal on the cards. The dire consequences it would have to the country's economy cannot be overlooked either. Already, the Chittagong Port is in total disarray after a turbulent year that included 30 odd days of hartals and innumerable hours of workers' strike. The two-day shutdown would surely make things untenable and there may be another cargo congestion in the offing. Even the logic for hartal in Chittagong where the polls will take place tomorrow is assailable, not to speak of drawing the rest of the country into the vortex? That too, in the holy month of Ramadan. We cannot help notice the avoidability of it, the opposition rhetoric regardless.
On the other hand, what compulsion was there to reject an Election Commission recommendation for deferment? With the opposition staying off the race and the predictable certainty of a low voter turnout how credible will the election be? Besides, such a unilateral election will beyond doubt put a question-mark over the capacity of the local body to function smoothly.
Therefore, our passionate plea with both the ruling and the opposition parties as to settle their differences across the negotiation table being duly imbued with the spirit of the new times.
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