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POLITICS AND POLITICIANS

Time to Woo the Voters Once Again

by Kazi Alauddin Ahmed
***The party in power appears to have been very happy with its achievements over the past four years. The opposition, on the contrary, dismisses it as a total failure. Who measures these two diametrically opposite claims? It is the people whom Sheikh Hasina implores for a second term. It is again the same people whom the combined opposition led by Begum Zia entreats to reject Awami League overwhelmingly.***
IT appears that the new Chief Election Commissioner has almost settled down despite the half-throated hue and cry over his appointment. At the moment the politicians have been seized with election fever. Both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are making tours across the country and addressing public meetings. Prior to the formal appointment of the CEC and notwithstanding the constitutional provisions empowering the President to appoint on the express recommendation of the Prime Minister, the latter made frantic efforts to resolve the discord over the issue sitting with the leader of the opposition. Ostensibly, it was a genuine move on the part of the Prime Minister to seek a consensus. But, to her dismay, Sheikh Hasina found her opposite number 'uncooperative'. She didn't however, give up before making two successive attempts to bring Begum Zia to the discussion table. Alongside, she talked to the leaders of other smaller parties to assure them that she was eager to work out an acceptable name for the position of CEC with Begum Zia.
Sheikh Hasina was clearly cold;shouldered by the leader of the opposition. Her first letter of request to sit across the table was responded to in evasive manner. Begum Zia expressed her preference to discuss the issue with President. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed. The Prime Minister, who would be very much within her constitutional right to initiate such discussion. was openly ignored, as if the BNP Chairperson didn't consider the level of the Prime Minister at par with hers to sit together. This was indeed ridiculous on her part.
It is difficult to imagine the earthly reasons that blocked Begum Zia from taking a positive stand. Even if she had agreed to sit with Sheikh Hasina it was not necessary that she would accept whatever the Prime Minister would have proposed. In fact, her right to disagree would not have been in Jeopardy.
Sheikh Hasina must have taken umbrage at the behaviour of Begum Khaleda Zia as she would have taken in last November with regard to her telephonic effort to talk to her. But she appeared to have withstood the shock and made a second attempt. This was followed by the effort of Finance Minister S A M S Klbria with Mr Sai-fur Rahman of BNP. Things progressed well for some time and Salfur Rahman promised to present a list of BNP leaders who would meet their Awami League counterparts in a preparatory meeting before Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia could sit together to finalise a deal. Mr Saifur Rahman wanted Mr Klbria to wait for the list till his leader, then on tour to North Bengal returned to the city. Expectation at all quarters rose high because a solution was at sight.
To everyone's surprise Be-
gum Zia's speech at Kurigram in a public meeting instantly reversed the whole issue to square one. She didn't consider appointment of a CEC at that stage of any consequence. She would rather like to see Awami League government of Sheikh Hasina hand over power to a caretaker government. Then and only then she would see or consider the point of appointing a CEC. Significantly, she didn't say that she would sit with Sheikh Hasina to select one.
Things took a quicker turn. Sheikh Hasina recommended Mr Abu Sayeed, a retired Civil Servant and a former Home Secretary during Begum Zia's government, to the position of the Chief Election Commissioner. It was indeed a strange coincidence that Mr Sayeed hailed from Gopalganj and that triggered off yet another bone of contention for the opposition to brag upon. Instantly there was sporadic attempt from the opposition at establishing a relationship between Sheikh Hasl-na's family and Mr Abu Sayeed's. It was readily rebuffed from the party in power that the new Chief Election Commissioner was in fact related to Begum Zia herself. However, the dispute over it died down quietly. But the main issue of the appointment of CEC unilater-
ally by Sheikh Hasina. in spite of its being within her constitutional rights, kept the opposition busy.
Meanwhile, the Awami League government has completed four years of its five-year term on June 23. 2000. That day coincided with the foundation of Awami League. To celebrate both the occasions a council meeting of the party was organised at Paltan Maidan in the capital. And away in the arena of Jatiya Sangsad the opposition MPs led by Begum Khaleda Zia attended the session for only 45 minutes. This brief visit was not to participate in the proceedings. It was rather a compelling situation that brought them there. They signed the attendance register and after Begum Zia made a five-minute speech they all left. The leader of the opposition was though not solicited, defended her and others' presence "to forestall the attempt by the government to bring some amendments to the constitution which would be anti-people, anti-country". Unfortunately. she didn't remember that any amendment to the constitution required 2 3rd majority votes which Awami League didn't have.
Perhaps she was more con-
cerned about the 'environment' in the Jatiya Sangsad which has been blocking her participation in the sessions for long. Among the numerous components of this 'environment' the opposition has been althrough complaining that they were not allowed to talk in the parliament. The statistics of time placed on the table by Speaker Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury gave a different picture to the contrary'. Whatever may be the reason for their abstention from JS session. It would be for the overall national interest that the opposition benchers participated In the current budget session and proffered constructive suggestion on different proposals. Their continuous absence from Jatiya Sangsad is. in reality, adversely affecting their linkage with the electorates and hence, is likely to weaken their position in respective constituencies.
Prior to their brief appearance they had meeting of the MPs in the JS premises. There was a lot of heated debate on whether or not to attend the JS session. At one stage there was virtual scuffle among some members comprising those who thought their abstention was pointless and those who thought It was very right. However, their brief attendance was
evidently the only course to retain their seats in the parliament. The party in power took a critical view of it alleging that the opposition MPs could ill-af-ford to loose their seats and consequently the facilities they have been enjoying at the cost of the public exchequer without performing their role as elected representatives of the people.
In fact, such a critical view is gaining momentum with the voters too, who have been predominantly BNP supporters in 1996 election. Added to this, they are reported to have been unreceptive to the Idea of seatsharing with others three parties in the 4-party alliance. Because. they have genuine apprehensions that such sharing would even pose positive threats to many local leaders aspiring for party nomination in the next general election. On top of everything there is Internal rift and clash within the party which often appear to be assuming unmanageable pro-portlon. The party in power has too identical problems creating serious breaches along the party line.
The party in power appears to have been very happy with its achievements over the past four years. The opposition, on the contrary, dismisses it as a total failure. Who measures these two diametrically opposite chums* It is the people whom Sheikh Hasina implores for a second term. It is again the same people whom the combined opposition led by Begum Zia entreats to reject Awami League overwhelmingly. She has a firm conviction that the people will act on her words. All these are wishful thinking and the reality will only emerge after the election takes place. Till then we have got to command patience.