Fundamentals of Inductive logic tell us (a) Nothing comes out of nothing. So, every event/occurrence gets produced by certain reasons, near and remote and (b) Nature behaves in the same way under the similar circumstances. Therefore, under the continuing atypical circumstances, sliding of Jatiya Oikya Front leader Dr Kamal Hossain towards BNP is just a sort of assertions to these very fundamentals of logic. Thanks a lot to Dr Kamal Hossain for playing a very landmark positive role in bringing BNP and its allies to the electoral race this time.
Needless to say, national leader Dr Kamal Hossain is unquestionably a lifeboat for BNP. It is also supplementary gain for BNP that new political alliance called Jatiya Oikya Front headed by Dr Kamal Hossain and 20-party alliance under BNP all in a wider scale are contesting using BNP's 'Sheaf of paddy' as common electoral symbol. One may safely conclude that this very decision has strengthened; consolidated and forged unity against AL led 14-party alliance.
Electoral atmosphere--despite ruling party's reluctance to withdraw so-called political cases and continuous drives to harass and hunt BNP activist coupled with Election Commission's non-responsiveness to repeated demands and calls by Jatiya Oikya Front to create and ensure a congenial atmosphere for holding a free, fair and credible elections to the 11th Parliament--is till the date more or less non-volatile and within the range of tolerability and continuality in comparison with past elections to Parliament.
Welcome to BNP leaderships and its allies for giving thoughts on participating in the coming parliamentary election (hope they will not leave the electoral landscapes whatever the situation may be) even without Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia who has been behind the bar on charges of corruptions and Acting Chairman Tarek Rahman who has been staying in UK for a long, and has now been convicted of a number of cases including 10 years rigorous imprisonment. In the eye of law and the state Tarek Rahman is absconder/fugitive and the ruling party has been leaving no stone unturned both politically and diplomatically to bring him back to Bangladesh without a more delay.
Criticisms, political or else, being levelled against Dr Kamal in various logic, whims, emotions and propositions are proceeding in full swing, but then again one and all should bear in mind meaningfully that 'Real is more ideal than ideal itself' (Aristotle).Even Plato had to come down to the very concept contained in his piece 'Laws' from his previous stands in the books 'Statesman' and 'Republic'. Machiavelli did not hesitate to pen 'The prince', Hobbes 'The Leviathan' having the intention in mind to see a stable, forward-marching and peaceful country. Should not we ponder in true perspective what hasten Indian pundit Koutilya to write the epoch-making book 'Arthashastra (Book of Politics)' centuries ago?
Yes, on record it is that Dr Kamal is the personality who played key role to convince and make Sheikh Hasina president of AL in 1981 paving her way smooth and realistic to come back to her motherland after of lapse of seven years in foreign lands. And today for a second time it is Dr Kamal who is playing a explosive historic role to put BNP on trek thus paving way smooth both for Khaleda Zia and Tarek Rahman. To have rejuvenated political re-start if nothing otherwise takes place since destiny is beyond human reach.
Time, space and dimension customarily play vital role in deciding 'what is to be done to face challenges and dig the opportunities to embrace better days reckoning the nation in question. More outstandingly, in politics there is no last line of disagreement and/or agreement. Everything is plausible and operable if stability, peace, development and harmonious journey get priority, consensually or not. Resolved it is further that there no better windfall for a nation if there exits and continues a consensus on major issues between and among political parties therein. Let us see that optimism defeats pessimism and all sorts of deceptions, lies and indecencies.
Challenges of the 21st century are not only the challenges and opportunities for the party in power but as a rule also for all oppositions in politics. MDGs and SDGs both are our common concern. And above all, stepping into the door of developing country from LDC must be taken into account honestly and proudly by all. Ruling party's attainments and failures vis a s vis oppositions overall roles and responsibilities during the periods should equally be debated, analyzed and discussed. No one-sided approach is in a position rightly to ensure the overall standing and esteem of our political leaderships in particular. Attention must be taken to the highest order so that popular sovereignty (article 7) never gets subservient to legal sovereignty exercised by Parliament.
Hasina's approach 'Development first, democracy later, Economic diplomacy first, political diplomacy next' should also be viewed and analyzed with alternative moods and modes so that people may understand right and wrong readily.
Election manifestos should be clear, specific, realistic and attainable avoiding all unnecessary jargons, polemic, rhetoric and mere idealistic promises highlighting politics as the highest grade of responsibility and accountability in all spheres of life. Bangladesh has been suffering from dearth of leadership leading to statesmanship and such vacuum/shortage has to be fulfilled not in words (as being pulsated by respective party and intelligentsia all the time) but in action wasting time no more, no more.
Dr Sinha MA Sayeed, Chairman of Leadership Studies Foundation and Columnist, He can be reached at: sinha_sayeed611@yahoo.com
