Illusive democracy in Bangladesh

Millitary controlled interim government in Bangladesh seems to be cautiously enthusiastic in holding the much promised general election by December 29, 2008. Although political parties and independent candidates are busy in their respective campaigns, Election Commission in Bangladesh is surprisingly continuing to propagate the voters in casting 'no' votes, which is for the first time introduced in Bangladesh. According to information received from Election Commission, this time voters will be allowed to cast 'no' votes if they will fail to find 'Mr. Right' amongst the candidates. And if the total proportion of 'no' votes will exceed 51 per cent, election in the respective areas will be cancelled and fresh poll will be held.

In Bangladesh, major players in any election are although Bangladesh Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party, there are also smaller parties like Jatiyo Party [led by former millitary dictator Hussein Muhammed Ershad] and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Let us have a glimpse over the political parties and their leaders in Bangladesh:

Bangladesh's oldest party, the Awami League, was founded in 1948, a year after the Indian sub-continent was divided into Pakistan and India.

It launched a struggle for equal rights and opportunities for people in Urdu-speaking West and Bengali-speaking East Pakistan. The struggle ultimately culminated in a movement for independence that the Bengali nationalists in Pakistan's eastern wing won in December 1971, following a war helped by India.

Its leader is Sheikh Hasina, 61, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father and first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was killed in an army coup in 1975 along with most of his family. Hasina has put aside her father's socialist economic ideas and gradually adopted market-orientated policies.

She became Prime Minister in 1996, defeating arch rival Begum Khaleda Zia, but lost to her nemesis in the 2001 elections. She survived an attempt on her life by Islamist militants in August 2004 when grenade blasts killed 23 people at a Dhaka rally.

Arrested in an anti-graft drive by the interim government in July 2007, Hasina was freed on medical parole after spending a year in jail. She is married to a nuclear physicist and has two children.

BANGLADESH NATIONALIST PARTY:

The BNP of Begum Khaleda Zia was founded in 1978 by her late husband, President General Ziaur Rahman, with nationalism, Muslim religious values and open market policies as its motto.

After president Zia was killed in an abortive 1981 coup, Khaleda Zia took over the BNP's leadership and became the country's first woman prime minister after winning a 1991 election. The BNP lost to the Awami League in 1996 but Khaleda Zia regained power in 2001.

Khaleda Zia, 63, ended her second five-year term as prime minister in October 2006. Along with her two sons, she was arrested in the anti-corruption drive in September 2007 but was released on bail after a year in prison.

JATIYO PARTY:

The Jatiyo Party was founded in 1985 by former military ruler Lieutenant-General Hossain Mohammad Ershad, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1982.

Ershad resigned as army chief and was elected president in a controversial election in 1986, and declared Bangladesh an Islamic state. But he did not implement Islamic values or statutes rigidly, allowing all to practice their own religion.

Ershad, 78, ruled Bangladesh until December 1990 before being ousted in a "people's revolt" led by Hasina and Khaleda Zia. Ershad later launched his own political vehicle, the Jatiyo Party. The party is an alliance partner of the Awami League.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami:

Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party was formerly a branch of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan. It is accused of helping the Pakistani army during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence -- which it denies.

Jamaat was banned in Bangladesh immediately after independence but the BNP later legalised it, allowing the party to participate in elections. It became an ally of the BNP in the 1991 election and a partner in Khaleda's coalition government in 2001 and is now the country's biggest Islamic political party.

Its leader is Matiur Rahman Nizami, 65. He was a minister in Khaleda's 2001-2006 government. Nizami was detained on graft accusations earlier this year but was released on bail a few days later.

Election on January 22, 2007 was postponed following declaration of State of Emergency by a millitary controlled interim government with Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed [former Governor of Central Bank of Bangladesh] as the chief executive. In past 22 months The caretaker government has fallen into disrepute. The military has also fallen into disrepute. They haven't succeeded in tackling corruption, which was the main concern of the public.

International community are not seeing any hope of a smooth road to democracy for Bangladesh. Brad Adams, senior officials of Human Rights Watch, commenting on the fortcoming election in Bangladesh said, "I'm not optimistic. There's a long history in Bangladesh of the loser taking to the streets and paralyzing the country. Although in this case the difference is that neither party is controlling the process, nor so they can't really blame the winner.

"But this is how things have gone in the past. The hatred between the two main parties and particularly the two leaders of the main parties runs very deep. It would be actually a nice surprise if there was an orderly and peaceful transition to a new government."

Failure of the millitary controlled interim government in various sectors have greatly angered the people of Bangladesh. Exorbitant price of essentials, hidden corruption by some of the influential figures enjoying certain blessings from the top players in the government. Meanwhile, the Anti Corruption Commission [ACC] was finally compelled to issue two separate letters to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina stating ACC did not find any illegally ammassed wealth owned by any of them, although the interim government, its members and even the Chief of Bangladesh Army repeatedly said several times that both the female Prime Ministers were corrupt. This letter from ACC has finally proved to people of Bangladesh and abroad that wild and false allegations were brought against the popular leaders of the country with the ulterior motive of defaming politics and democratic institutions in the country.

Election in Bangladesh is less than a week away from now. It is already speculated in the media that the 'Grand Alliance' led by Bangladesh Awami League will be seeing big victory in the upcoming election. It is even publicized in Bangladeshi press that, Sheikh Hasina, leader of Bangladesh Awami League is set to prepare the names of the members of the cabinet in the next government, while a partner of the 'Grand Alliance', Jatiyo Party is also planning to lead the next government with Hussein Muhammed Ershad as the next Prime Minister.

Leaders of the Grand Alliance reportedly are also collecting names of key players of 1/11 millitary takeover, which indicates that the next government may bring series of charges against many of them. Policymakers of Bangladesh Awami League are interested in showing to the nation that the 1/11 was a part of conspiracy of some derailed people to defame the democratic institution of Bangladesh.

Although the election is very near, prospect of finally holding of the election is still uncertain, as there are numerous allegations of 'election engineering' by the present government and some of the top players behind the screen. It is even rumored that some of the influential officials of the government, including some of the members of some sensitive agencies are regularly visiting residence of Bangladesh Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina during the late hours. It is even learnt that many of such officials are giving commitments to the former Prime Minister in according fullest support in making her party victorious in the next general election.

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Illusive democracy in Bangladesh

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