***It was highly unlikely to assume that she achieved the desired goals. To many, the programme appeared to be counter-productive, irrespective of the heavy and frequent clappings and ovation in appreciation of Prime Minister’s remarks by the carefully chosen audience.***

HON'BLE Prime Minister appeared In a television snow on 25 February in a specially designed programme called -Deshoashir Mukho-mukhi." She faced the public on the screen and was ready to an swer questions from them as well as from a specially selected panel of questioners. She hud appeared In two similar programmes earlier during her regime.

The objective was noble. People got an opportunity to hear from the horse's mouth what they wanted to know about government's perception of the current situation in the country. Some got surprised at the courage of the Prime Minister to brave the risk of being asked to explain the various ills and malices faced by the people today, provided the questioners posed relevant questions. Several such questions were put and these, no doubt, caused embarrassment and even visible • annoyance of the Prime Minister. In her articulation, she side-tracked some issues and pretended not to hear some questions but. in all cases, she tried utmost to defend her government's policy and actions. In her characteristic fashion, she indulged in monologues, browbeat the moderator more than once, exceeded her time limits and carried herself in a manner as if she was presiding over a meeting of her cabinet or her Party. Behind her smiles and occasional humorous comments, her authoritarian manner became amply manifest.

The Prime Minister almost al the very outset expressed sorrow that the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament did not participate in the function and failed to avail of the opportunity of asking her searching questions and embarrassing her in a nationwide telecast programme. The Leader of the Opposition had earlier spumed similar oilers, as she was suspicious about the impartial conduct of the program by the authorities of the state-run television turned almost into a Party propaganda machinery and to appear before an arbitrarily selected panel of questioners and audience.

To these reasons have since been added two more. She felt ill at ease to share platform with the same Prime Minister, who only recently made most vilifying and derogatory personal remarks about her'on the floor of the parliament. The other reason could have been that she was unwilling to be manipulated by the same TV authorities. who" only a few days ago on the Shahe'ed Day initiated actions against their wn officers and technicians because of the latlbr's folly of telecasting the Leader of Opposition a few minutes more than the Prime Minister. The Leader of the Opposition did not want further governmental wrath to be borne by any other TV officials, if they by chance showed her better than others on the screen. *

As for the substantive issues raised before the Prime Minister. she was not able to reply to several of them satisfactorily and convincingly for the viewers. On one question. she even committed much disservice to the nation by raising even greater controversy by attributing Hon'ble President to acquiesce in describing the recently enacted Public Safely Act 2000 as a Money Bill. The Bangbha-van's public rejoinder clearly exposed government's efforts lb deceive the President and hoodwink the public. The widening gap between the Bangabhavan and the Ganob-havan was the most undesir-

able casually caused by Prime Minister s answer to this question.

The Prime Minister was unable to recall having read the repeated publications In newspapers of the many cases of encroachment of land on the river

Burlganga by the ruling party stalwarts and hoodlums. The question relating to the killing of a peaceful opposition activist from the entourage of a ruling party MP in procession was totally Ignored by the Prime Minister. She raised the incident of the killing of her father and his family in a futile bid to compare and evoke sympathy.

On the question of forcible breakthrough and occupation of a Bank by one of her Party leaders she referred to a similar incident in the past. Reference to actions by past governments in order to justify the present

misdeeds marked several of her answers.

Tile well-documented questions on economy and finance were sidetracked and did not elicit direct answer from the Prime Minister. However, she sought to explain reasons for the downward trend of the economic and financial indicators and put the blame totally and squarely on the unprecedented floods of 1998. It was unbelievable that none asked the question nor it was presented to her about the Awarni League's failure to redeem one of many election pledges to grant autonomy for the state-run radio and television. Despite her getting the lion's share of time on television. contrary to her election pledge not to show the Prime Minister much on the screen, she even complained against the BTV for not granting her adequate coverage

She repeatedly sought to advance Justification for enactment of the infamous Black Law. the Public Safety Act 2000. and reiterated the promise of ensuring fairness and impartiality in its implementation. But people are aware that her words in many such cases do not match with her deeds. She continued to be critical of the judiciary over the issue of granting bails, comparing it with the "deep freeze". About the non-existent education policy. she said it had been formulated but not published for public consumption. Another preelection pledge of the need for submitting Awaml League MP and Ministers' statements of Assets and Income and publishing it as a White Paper, the Prime minister assured the audience that she had obtained the statements, kept them in safe custody, virtually gave her Party MPs corruption-free certificates and completely ignored the repeated demand to publish the statements as a White Paper, as if she had not ever hard of such a question.

Il is debatable whether the Prime Minister was able to achieve the objectives set before herself through this television appearance. Her principal objectives were to make use of this forum for propagating government’s good deeds. Justifying its misdeeds, promoting already heavily tarnished image of the Awami League, and to deride leaders, workers and programmes of the Opposition. It was highly unlikely to assume that she achieved the desired goals. To many, the programme appeared to be counter-productive. irrespective of the heavy and frequent clappings and ovation in appreciation of Prime Minister s remarks by the carefully chosen audience.'

, The author, a former ambassador. is a member of the BNP's advisory council.