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In My View

Allies speak out for a free and fair vote in Bangladesh next year

Published : Friday, 10 June, 2022 at 12:00 AM  Count : 794
Syed Badiuzzaman
As Bangladesh moves closer to the next general election which is scheduled to be held by December next year, friendly countries and prominent development partners of Bangladesh start to speak out what they actually expect in the upcoming significant vote of this South Asian nation. Several days ago, American ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas quite carefully chose the venue--the National Press Club of Bangladesh--and also the occasion--a seminar of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh--to communicate his expectations in the next general election in Bangladesh.

And what he expected in the next vote of the country was in fact the expectation of the current Biden administration. "The United States wants to see a free, fair and an impartial election in Bangladesh," Peter Haas told a group of Bangladeshi journalists covering the foreign beat without any ambiguity on May 31. Ambassador Haas also added a couple of conditions to what they hope for in the next general election in Bangladesh. He said the next election in Bangladesh must also be "participatory and internationally acceptable."

In my view, these are all quite natural desires of a friendly country of Bangladesh. And again this friendly nation is none other than the most prominent democracy   in the world that has worked with Bangladesh for the last 50 years immensely   contributing to its progress in various fields. However, it will be a major challenge for the current Bangladesh government to fulfil all these expectations of the US administration.

Because the last two general elections held under the ruling Awami League government didn't receive any such praise from the international community. As a matter of fact, some international election monitoring groups have even stopped sending their representatives to observe any elections in Bangladesh. They think that the previous couple of elections failed to meet international standards.

As said, it will be very difficult for the Awami League government to fulfil the two conditions Ambassador Peter Haas has attached to their expectations in the next general election in Bangladesh--it must be participatory and internationally acceptable. Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP, the biggest opposition political organization of the country has already indicated that it will not participate in the next election.  

In recent days, BNP's top leaders publicly stated on a number of occasions time and time again that they would not participate in the next general election under the incumbent Awami League government. They say that election will never be free and fair under the current government and that is precisely the reason they will not participate in any election under this government any more.

BNP says they will participate in the election only under a neutral caretaker government but for the ruling Awami League that is a nonstarter. Awami league repeatedly said that there would be no more elections in Bangladesh under any caretaker government. Thus, Bangladesh's two major political parties--the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP--have taken two completely different positions.

And in the middle of the two contradictory stands taken by the two most prominent political parties of the country, the next election in Bangladesh is again facing uncertainty like the two previous occasions. Without participation of BNP, the biggest opposition political party of the country, the next election in Bangladesh will never be participatory. And if the election is not participatory, it will never be internationally acceptable.  

A democratic election means a participatory election. Why participation of people so important in a democratic election? If people do not vote in large number in an election, then that election cannot accurately reflect the choices of the majority of the people of a country. And if the choices of the majority are not reflected in an election, then the very purpose of that election is completely defeated. What is the difference then between such election and selection?

US Ambassador Peter Haas is not the only foreign dignitary who has spoken out on the next general election in Bangladesh. Japanese ambassador Ito Naoki also spelt out just a couple of days ago his government's expectations in the next important Bangladesh vote. "Japan hopes for a free, fair and better election than the previous one in Bangladesh next year," he told diplomatic correspondents of Bangladeshi newspapers at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

Japan is also a trusted friend and a major development partner of Bangladesh. Like the US, this country also made significant contributions to the economic development of Bangladesh right since Bangladesh's independence. Currently, Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA is providing financial assistance and also technical support to the "Metro Rail" project for bringing the capital city of Bangladesh under a network of rapid transit system.  

The European Commission representing 27 European countries has also called for a free and fair parliamentary election next year in Bangladesh. At a joint meeting in Brussels recently, the EU representatives discussed about democracy, rule of law and good governance in Bangladesh with their Bangladeshi counterparts and also reviewed the political situation in the country. The EU praised Bangladesh government for its decision to welcome international observers to monitor next year's election.

Another major development partner of Bangladesh, the UK government also wants to see a fair and credible election in Bangladesh. Addressing reporters at Dhaka Reporters Unity office in the capital a few months ago, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson called for a pluralistic democracy in Bangladesh saying that all parties should have a say ahead of the election. He also highlighted the need for casting votes freely, counting them transparently and accepting the election results regardless of their outcome.

So, the Awami League government is under real pressure to hold a free, fair, credible, impartial and a participatory election next year in the country. The pressure is intense because the international community has issues with the last couple of elections in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has earned praise from the global community for bringing economic prosperity to Bangladesh and now she has a huge task to hold a free, fair and credible election in the country to live up to their expectations.

The duty of a democratic government is to bring all political parties to the election, ensure a credible process to hold a free, fair and transparent vote and then transfer power to the duly elected party that wins the majority seats in the parliament. The election will not be accepted as participatory if it is boycotted by the largest opposition political party of the country. So, again the ruling Awami League party has a big responsibility to bring BNP to the election. It may have to show some flexibility in its hard-line policies and create an environment that will persuade them to participate in it.

The political parties of Bangladesh must bear in mind that they do not have to be always in the government to serve the country. A party can also serve a nation very well being in the opposition. If a single political party continues to govern a country tenure after tenure in a row without internationally acceptable elections, then democracy of that country slides backward giving way to an authoritarian trend.
The writer is a Toronto-based
journalist who also writes for the Toronto Sun as a guest columnist







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