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Hartal-a nonsensical practice
Calling a sector-wide or general strike (hartal) is a perfectly legitimate form of civil disobedience in a pluralist democracy. The problem is with the 'enforcement' of the said strike. When opposition picketers and agitators, mostly mercenary anyway, go about physically forcing others to observe a hartal, that is simply criminal. Assaulting office-going pedestrians, threatening shop-owners, vandalising public and private vehicles, and obstructing traffic are how 'popular' hartals against 'unpopular' governments are 'spontaneously' observed. There is no need to have a silly law to ban hartals. But there is a definite need to enforce with harshness the myriad of existing criminal laws. The government, of whichever party, must be very tough on those who damage property and assault bystanders on the pretext of supporting hartals.
Let us be honest that hartals are extremely unpopular. If any in the opposition disagree with that statement, here is my challenge to them: Call a hartal anywhere in Bangladesh or nation-wide and ask ALL of your party-workers to stay indoors. I am confident that the word 'spontaneous' will have a rather very different meaning then.
Esam Sohail, Wichita, Kansas, USA
* * *
We had three days of hartal within five days, counting from the 12th February 2004. Statistics say that every hartal causes a loss of hundreds of crores of taka. And what is this all about? Who are to suffer ultimately? Students, businessmen, day labourers, office employees, and rickshaw-pullers become victims of hartal.
The two major political parties, irrespective of their position, have always worked and will keep working for their own aggrandisement. It has been 33 years since our liberation; still we couldn't take a step towards raising our status from the 'least developed' to 'developing' country. Over the last three years we have been termed 'champion of corruption'no doubt a dubious honour. But who cares about all these?
The hartals on 14th and 16th were called as some political workers were beaten up by the police, whereas three people are killed on an average every day around the country by terrorists. Doesn't that mean that the lives of the ordinary people are worthless just because they are not political activists?
We are so unfortunate that we don't even have a third political force which could work for the betterment of the country as well as its people. In every election, either the Awami League or the BNP is voted to power. It has become like a circle where we are just moving round and round, without any progress at all.
I am not related to any of the political groups, I have no interest in politics, all I care about is our people..
Sadia Mahboob, Faculty of Pharmacy, Dhaka University
* * *
Hartal is a cancer on society and the economy. It drains the strength of the nation. Political hoodlums and gangsters get a freehand, while workers, businessmen, investors and the general people live in fear.
Who, then, would support such an anathema to the nation? Only those who are ready to sacrifice the common good in pursuit of power. They would rather see the economy destroyed and the people reduced to penury, than to see their opponents getting the upper hand in politics.
Hartal is not a matter that we can take lightly. In the past, hartal was called for bringing national issues into focus. In such causes, hartal had the support of the whole nation.
At present, hartal is called as a routine exercise -- not for a national cause but merely as a political weapon. There is nobody to take into account the harm it does to exports, the economy or the welfare of the people. The chaos and violence in everyday life are regarded as an added bonus to those who want to make a political capital out of it.
The time has come to make our leaders accountable. The BNP and its allies must make a solemn promise that when eventually they are voted out of power, they will never call hartal. The Awami League, for its part, must live up to its promise to the people, made while it was in government, not to call hartal. And the people must make their voices heard -- that hartal is a curse thrust upon the country by those who have no love for us.
Raquib Shamsad, London, UK
* * *
Our country is definitely going through a bad phase. There is no doubt that the political parties are mainly responsible for this situation. For the politicians the ordinary citizens are suffering. We have seen how the Awami League ruled and now we are watching how the BNP is ruling. They cannot be compared with each other because they are two sides of the same coin.
Those who are calling hartal day after day should realise how they have ruled this country when they were in power.
Minhaj Ahmed , Uttara, Dhaka
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Each day of hartal costs the country more than Tk 120 crore in exports and Tk 1, 000 crore in lost production. This does not include the losses caused by arson and vandalism. Three days of hartal in the last seven days have cost us Tk 360 crore in lost export and Tk 3,000 crore in lost production. Who is going to pay for this? Will the honourable leader of the opposition say something on it ?
Our country is poor and struggling to feed our people. We hold a begging bowl out to the international community each year - a humiliation we have lived with for 30 years. To inflict such blows to the economy, just when we are becoming self-reliant, is irresponsible in the extreme.
The nation must reject the politics of destruction and violence. Common people must send a strong message to the arsonists and thugs that the country cannot be held to ransom, that violence will not be rewarded in the ballot box.
Raquib, On e-mail
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The government has decided to become tougher with every passing hartal. Every political party, labour union and other institutions use hartal as a means of voicing their grievances. It is the same everywhere. Only a few days ago when the oil workers in Bangladesh threatened to go on strike, the government hurriedly met with their leaders at night and worked out a solution to the crisis. By doing so the government indeed showed good sense. Why not follow the same principle elsewhere?
Yes, hartal is bad for the country. It causes heavy loss to the national economy and endless inconvenience to the people. But what happens when the electric supply fails for hours together, what about load-shedding, failing gas supply, dry taps, dead telephone lines and, of course, the endless corruption of civil servants and politicians? Do these not cause loss to the country? Who takes the responsibility? Hartal is not the only villain.
Only the wearer knows
Fayaz Khan, Joar Sahara, Dhaka
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I have read so many letters regarding the recent hartals. I am just writing to put my voice with the people who are not "hartal loving" like our politicians. This is not a request but an expression of anguish regarding the insensibility of our politicians.
To me, there is no future for Bangladesh as long as we practise hartal. The bottom line is that this is the time to wake up and smell the coffee, look out of your door the world. How modern and sensible is it? Please use your sense in politics if you still have it and don't call hartal.
Tamal, Deakin University, Australia
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Recently, the main opposition party, the AL, called three daylong shutdowns popularly known as hartal within five days. The reason for calling these shutdowns, as stated by the opposition party, is to free the people of Bangladesh from bad governance, lawlessness; and rather interestingly to oust the democratically elected government. From the news published in the national dailies, it's obvious that the law and order situation in Bangladesh is in a bewildering state. It's understandable why the opposition accuses the government of bad governance, given such a sorry state of law and order, but it's not comprehensible how a disruptive move like countrywide shutdown may actually help improve law and order. Moreover, it's preposterous to take the initiative to oust a democratically elected government through violence.
Countrywide shutdowns in Bangladesh quintessentially turns out to be rather violent. The opposition parties usually take a violent approach to enforce the shutdowns, often violating the existing laws. So it's quite ridiculous to call for a countrywide shutdown to protest law and order slide, when these shutdowns actually further deteriorate the law and order situation.
So we can simply take it for a fact that both the AL and the BNP are aware of the dire effects of countrywide shutdowns. But when these parties are in the opposition, they bank on politics of violence. It's a vicious cycle!
Maksood Mohiuddin, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
***
Bangladesh is a democratic country. Apparently it may seem that enforcing hartal is the right of the opposition to express their dissatisfaction over some issues with the government. But democracy is meant for the people and there has been a major change in the mindset of common people about their views about hartal. Most of the people are just irritated at this extreme measure. I think that we have become more mature and rational as a nation.
Our politicians (I don't want to call them 'our leaders') should realise this sooner than latter and should try to device some more tolerant and non-destructive ways to press their demands. Merely changing the name from hartal to "oshojog" would not help. A proposal for a ban on hartal may raise the eyebrow of the civil society, but it could be a viable option. The ex-diplomats, bureaucrats, army-officers, intellectuals comprising the civil society can hardly reflect the opinion of the rickshaw-pullers and day labourers who belong to the low income bracket.
A referendum can be held on this issue to ensure the participation of people. I don't want to say anything about the promise made by the chairperson of opposition, when in power. Promises are made only to be broken, especially by the politicians . I really cannot think of any positive impact of hartal but for the lead-free air. I think that is a low a dividend. For a better Bangladesh, we have to get rid of the curse of hartal.
AKM Saifuddin, On e-mail
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The monster that cripples the lives of the ordinary citizens and disrupts the livelihoods of millions of poor people is back in full fury. The opposition party has started to enforce hartals one after another. It is a pre-planned and deliberate strategy to create disruption in the normal lives so that the performance of the government is hampered, leaving it with a poor record to show when the time for next election comes. Even without the hartals, the present government does not have a good record to show.
The government has failed to check unabated corruption and the slide in law order -- the two growing menaces. Weak governance resulted in skyrocketing of prices during Ramadan and unprecedented prices of cattle during the last Eid (the toll-collectors were partly responsible for the chaos in the cattle market that was already in short supply due to strikes in Indian ports).
As if the sufferings of the common people were not enough, the opposition party has launched its anti-government movement that means that the stage is being prepared for the non-stop hartals that we experienced in the past. It is the same party whose leader had publicly announced (when it was in the government) that her party would never call hartal when they would be in the opposition. When the time came to make real her pledge, the opposition leader retracted from the promise saying that the announcement was only meant to be effective if the ruling party had also made a reciprocal pledge! The two major political parties seem to have the wrong perception that they can continue their preposterous acts of making false promises only to be forgotten when they get the required number of seats in parliament to form government. What the political leaders do not understand is that they cannot continue to exploit indefinitely the faith and helplessness of the common people for the purpose of personal gains (for themselves and for the members of their families).
There is a limit to the endurance of the common people.
K M Zubair Sadeque
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA * * *
I am a housewife. As everyone is commenting on hartal , so am I reflecting on the burning issue.
We have seen that the BNP and the AL have used hartal as an instrument for making political gains time and again. And they were successful eventually.
My question is, are they patriotic? Do they care about people? Do they think about the country?
In my first class in Dhaka University, my teacher quoted from a noted philosopher that the rot (decomposition) of a nation begins from its intellectuals. At that time I did not understand the meaning of the observation, but it was there stored in my head. Now, after 20 years, I know what it really means.
We, the general people, want peace and harmony, not hartal and violence. Lovely Patwary
Purana Paltan, Dhaka
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I am yet to witness an editorial from your daily condemning the series of hartals imposed by the opposition. Since you claim to pursue "Journalism without fear or favour", it is expected that hartal will be commented on in your editorials.
Tariq M. Abd'allah, Palatine, Illinois, USA
( It is not true that The Daily Star has not run any editorial on hartal. Please see the February 12, 14 and 16 issues of our newspaper--Editor)