THE expulsion of Joynal Hazari from the AL is one of the most positive developments in Bangladesh politics in recent years, even though it is a step that was long overdue. It signals that perhaps the AL has finally understood the corrosive effect that such people have had on national politics.

Our hope is that the AL will see the process of expulsion through to the end, and that this is merely the first of a series of actions to purge criminals and musclemen, not just from the AL, but from all political parties.

AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil is on record as stating that Feni is finally rid of a bad element. Indeed it is, but the question is why it has taken so long.

It is many years since Hazari imposed his reign of terror on Feni. In fact, with the fall of the AL government in 2001, he has been more or less powerless, and action against him would have been far more meaningful had it occurred when he was at the height of his power and enjoyed the protection of government.

At the time, the AL blamed the media for the reports of Hazari's wrong-doings. If only it had accepted that the media were merely doing their job by reporting on his criminality, rather than castigating us, things would have been much better for the long-suffering people of Feni, and indeed for the AL. There can be little doubt that the party's slowness to discipline him was a contributory factor in the negative image that resulted in its defeat at the polls in 2001.

Perhaps the lesson for all parties is that instead of blaming the media, they should take our reports to heart, and act upon them rather than attempt to deny what everyone knows to be true.

However, it is better late than never. The AL is to be commended for taking this positive step to put its house in order. If the party were to be able to purge its ranks of all criminal elements this would indeed signal to the public that it has begun to learn from its past mistakes and is turning a corner.

Nor is the AL the only party that needs to purge criminals from its ranks. The other parties -- specially those in the government -- now need to take a leaf out of the AL's book and conduct similar purges. Nothing would be more beneficial to the people of this country than the severing of the nexus between crime and politics. The country needs good and honest politicians, and make no mistake, the electorate is watching closely to see who will provide them.