ONCE again Sheikh Hasina's motorcade has come under attack in Barisal, allegedly at the hands of BNP activists, injuring party leaders, activists and journalists. Her previous visit to Barisal at the end of February was also marred by a more or less identical attack, and the incident on Friday is just the latest in a long line of recent ruling party attacks on its political opponents.

However, intimidation and harassment of the opposition did not begin with the present government's tenure, and the previous AL government's misdeeds while in power were very similar. It seems as though the violent repression of the opposition has become a constant feature of this country's political landscape, regardless of who is in power and who is in opposition.

But the fact that the AL indulged in similar antics when in power is no justification for what the BNP government is doing. We condemned the actions of the AL government then and we condemn the actions of the BNP government today. For this country to ever advance we need to move beyond the recriminations and accusations and counter-accusations that have dogged party politics in this country.

Many people voted for the current government precisely because of the excesses of the previous administration. Now we see the BNP government indulge in exactly the kind of anti-democratic activity it so rightly decried under AL rule.

What we need from our politicians is a true commitment to democratic ideals and principles -- not a selective commitment when it suits their purposes. But instead we have come to a stage where we are no longer even surprised when an opposition leader is attacked or harassed. This is what we have come to expect from our governments.

Our political leaders must come to the realisation that the politics of opposition party repression is destructive to the nation and ultimately counter-productive to their own self-interest. The public has repeatedly indicated at the polls that it is turned off by the authoritarian instincts of our leadership.

But what is most worrisome about the current state of the national body politic is that our successive government no longer make any effort to hide their antidemocratic inclinations and no longer seem to care much about the good opinion of the public who they are supposed to serve.