Wednesday | 15 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Wednesday | 15 January 2025 | Epaper

Unanimous EC — a gaseous wish at times

Published : Sunday, 30 October, 2016 at 8:38 PM  Count : 308
Haradhan Ganguly
When body politic is stinted with mutual exclusiveness, convergence on a point of compromise is a far cry off reality. Compromise or acceptance or forging unity in broad sense is done possible only in divergence or in diversity emanating from basic ideas of unity. But acceptability to formation of an institution in a prevailing mutually exclusive body politic is a gaseous dream. Hence a unanimous election commission between Awami League and BNP falls in that sort. Where is the scope of dialogue between the two parties? To BNP an election commission is acceptable when it is to be manned by its choices and also vice versa for Awami League. Or dialogue might happen for a compromised election commission of fifty -fifty that goes beyond the spirit of constitution where the way of forming election commission is unambiguously spelt out. Immediate after the public appearance of BNP, during its regimes, one after another election commissions came into being without any dialogue and they were questionable but now they are orchestrating for an unquestionable election commission. Justice Aziz model election commission was also seen to be presented to the nation.
The question of questionability or unquestionability is determined in our body politic in view of the extent of partisanship it infested. It might be open or latent. Even the big guns of our intellectual camps nourishing the ideas and thoughts are commensurate with party politics or near about it. Might be it in a concealed way or open, at the end of the tunnel, we find no fault at this. A man or a woman is a social as well as political being. Definitely he or she has distinct ideas and thoughts about anything he or she nourishes according to self. It is in no way necessary to be party oriented. But where lies the truth. Once Dr Badruddoza Chowdhury said, 'I am president now. But I was one of the founders of BNP. I am not a neutral man. But being a president I must act neutral.' But how much he was kept neutral, that is another question. But his ideas are right and it should be. So, it is the question of acting neutral honestly and efficiently. But BNP's stance is to stem from the root causes of history.
The political philosophy has not only divided BNP and Awami League but made them mutually exclusive also. BNP's anti Awami League stay is imbued not only with different ongoing economic and social matters, it is philosophical also. BNP based on 'Two Nation Theory' is substituted for Muslim League politics in Bangladesh with a miniscule change in the beginning. Even in 1973 general election, 13 to 15 percent votes were cast against Bangabandhu when his popularity was extremely overwhelming. That 13 to 15 percent were out and out anti Bangladesh concept, anti -spirit of liberation and anti -Bengali Nationalism and all anti- democratic movements that culminate into our liberation war and independence of Bangladesh. All these forces got together in BNP. It proves in the change in four state principles that were grown-up in the evolution of long democratic political, social and cultural movements, blood bathed liberation war and untold sacrifices. BNP founder Ziaur Rahman brought about these changes resembling the ideology of Pakistan. So, mutually exclusive relation between Awami League and BNP is historically and psychologically designed and determined. And on the other hand, Awami League led the liberation war and Bangabandhu was our objective and subjective leader and he is our founding father of stately owned Bengali nationalism. He was the suffering champion of freedom and justice, the courageous crusader and dreamer. But that Bangabandhu is denied by BNP in its true sense, thereby it has denied Bengali nationalism in its true sense, secularism in its true sense, and also democracy in its true sense. So the relation of BNP with the Awami league is diametrically opposite which is absent in any democratic setup. In democracy multi- party system would work in a normal way. Difference in them would centre on different approaches towards economy, administration, taming bureaucracy and socio-economic priority selection. But on ideals of state, philosophy, spirit of independence, eternal human values they are united. They fight unitedly to keep state's morals high. Awami League sternly believes in secularism and is committed to have zero tolerance towards bigotry of any form. BNP's stay is opposite to secularism and it possesses bigotry-friendly notions. Just one or two examples are cited herewith to show the fundamental differences between them. BNP does not believe in eternally unstinted Bengali nationalism with its thousands years of heritage. BNP searches and prioritizes within it the religious elements opposite to secular attitude. To BNP Tagore is questionable. Divided and incomplete Nazrul is acceptable, dishonouring the entirety of Nazrul. So, BNP's basic political, social and cultural philosophy is one hundred and sixty degree opposite to that of Awami League. Thus, any step Awami League takes cannot be acceptable to BNP and vice versa. So in regards of formation of election commission, holding of general election would not be engendered with acceptability from BNP.
We think the time has come to determine the position and opposition between Awami League and BNP anew. Party or parties in power and party or parties in opposition must have commonness in regards of their stand in understanding of our liberation war, of the spirit of liberation, of Bangabandhu and the four principles of the state. The democracy of the state and the body politic will not accept any variation of this. We are waiting for those days.r
Haradhan Ganguli is a freelance contributor and Secretary, United Nations Association
of Bangladesh (UNAB).
Email: gharadhan@gmail.com






LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Goodbye, Barack
KM Subhan and the principles he lived for
What does Narayanganj elections mean for politics?
The looming disruption
Some challenges and new hope for 2017
Remembering freedom fighter Hasan Mahmood Delwar
Economic challenges for the forthcoming new year
A way to branding success
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close