NAYMA QAYUM
One may certainly question the legitimacy of these elections: They
were far from representative. The AL Dhaka , citizens only voted in nine out of the 20
constituencies.
Nor is an election acceptable, if citizens do not vote. Fewer than 40 percent
of the population turned up at the polls according to the government; others
report the number as far less. Some voters stayed away from voting booths for
fear of violence. CNN reports one polling officer as saying, "Presence of voters today is lower than any
other time of voting."
Members of the international community have also questioned the
validity of these elections. Although the United Nations did not formally
declare the need for a re-election, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged both
parties to exercise restraint and urgently address the people's expectations
for an inclusive political process. Australia ,
Europe, and the United
States
Political violence a norm
The country cannot move forward without a real opposition. AL
BNP demonstrations and strikes have paralysed Bangladesh AL
The BNP may, however, have to detach from its former coalition
partner, the country's main Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). BNP has stood
by its ally as JI leaders were tried by a war crimes tribunal for mass
atrocities committed against the Bangladeshi population during the 1971
liberation war. A High Court decision has since led the Election Commission to
cancel Jamaat's registration, and on-going JI-instigated violence has even
prompted one European diplomat to call the JI a terrorist organisation.
At the same time, Sheikh Hasina plans to keep the AL in power.
She shrugged off all doubts regarding the legitimacy of her victory at a press
conference. The New York
Times reported that
when a journalist asked her whether she believed that the election would bring
further instability, she said,
"What do you want, that I should start crying, 'Oh, crisis, we have a
crisis!' Do you want that?" Bangladesh
Decades of strife
The irreconcilable differences between the AL and the BNP signal
the failure of democratic institutions in Bangladesh Bangladesh
The newly sworn Awami League government may lack legitimacy with
the people, but it must be the one to pull Bangladesh AL
The AL Bangladesh Bangladesh
New way forward
If the caretaker government is reinstated, its selection mechanism
must be reformed. In order to be legitimate, the caretaker government must be
selected by representatives of all political groups and through an inclusive
process. The government does not have to start from scratch on such an effort.
It can draw on the experience and infrastructure of various NGOs and civil
society groups that have sufficient experience in creating dialogue across
groups.
The government must also review its institutional practices. The
current crisis can be traced back to an institutional decay that has silently
crept up on politics and society. The parliament needs to be revived; the
opposition should refrain from calling hartals and
walking out of parliament, and instead, engage in responsible and meaningful
dialogue. It is important for all parties to respect existing rules instead of
constantly changing them to suit their needs. However, these rules must be
created through inclusive processes and not just serve the party in power.
Future governments must strengthen governing institutions and give
all groups a voice in politics. If not, the two parties may find themselves in
another deadlock in five years.
First appeared in Al Jazeera news portal, 18 January 2014
