The New Year in Bangladesh has begun on a note of political protests
by the opposition political parties. In this, the lead has been taken
by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
and by the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh, which was derecognised sometime
back by the Election Commission for not recognizing the legislative
power of parliament. Interestingly, these parties are protesting in
favour of the restoration of a democratic and legitimate government;
they do not consider the January 5, 2014 elections which saw the Awami
League’s uncontested return to power as legitimate.
In Bangladesh, the month of December is very important. It was on 16
December 1971 that the country had achieved liberation from the
occupational forces of Pakistan. This month reminds people about the
atrocities they faced under Pakistani rule and the genocide committed
by the Pakistani forces. It also refreshes their memory about the
violation of about 300,000 Bangladeshi women by the Pakistani soldiers.
These women were subsequently called Biranganas and now the demand is
also being raised for giving them the status of freedom fighters.
Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh, was the major collaborating force of
the Pakistanis in the erstwhile East Pakistan. Unfortunately, their
leadership had escaped punishment in the aftermath of the liberation of
Bangladesh. The present Awami League-led government is trying to undo
this historical mistake by prosecuting these war criminals. The two
international war crimes tribunals prosecuting war criminals have
already awarded punishment to the top eight leaders of the Jamaat for
their role during the liberation war. Abdul Quader Mollah has already
been hanged. Others are awaiting a similar fate.
By punishing the war criminals and by taking similar other steps,
the Awami League has tried to revive the spirit of the liberation war.
It has acknowledged the role played by Indian soldiers in the country’s
liberation and is also honouring people who supported the cause of
Bangladesh. The government’s effort to revive the spirit of the
liberation war has enabled the young generation to become aware of the
sacrifices made by their forebears. This sacrifice of the Bangladeshi
people is remembered in the month of December and several programmes
are organized to celebrate liberation. In this situation it is
impossible for parties like the BNP and the Jamaat to incite people
against a pro-liberation force like the Awami League.
It is therefore not surprising that the BNP and Jamaat lay low
during December but planned a series of protests beginning January.
They claim that the 2014 election was not legitimate and that the
government lacks legitimacy. Here, it is, however, important to note
that it was actually the BNP which had decided to boycott the
elections. It demanded that elections be held under a neutral caretaker
government, a system that it had earlier abused when in power. This
abuse of the system had created a situation wherein both Sheikh Hasina
and Begum Khaleda Zia were put behind bars by the army-supported
caretaker government of that time. And it was to avoid a recurrence of
that kind of a situation and to strengthen the democratic system that
the Awami League had abolished the caretaker government system through
suitable constitutional amendments.
The BNP had done remarkably well in some of the elections held prior
to the general election of January 5, 2014 under this new system. But
for unknown reasons it did not trust the Awami League to hold
parliamentary elections in a free and fair manner. For its part, the
Awami League was adamant about not reverting to the old system which
had not only failed but actually put democracy in abeyance.
The Jamaat has its own reason to participate in the ongoing
political protests. It wants to save its leaders who have been
convicted of war crimes and the only way to achieve that is by changing
the government. The Jamaat’s hope is that if elections could be forced
at this point in time and if that brings the BNP-led alliance to
power, then the war crimes verdicts against its own leaders could be
overturned. Further, a BNP-led government would also give the Jamaat
greater political space and practice its kind of politics even if that
may not necessarily be in the interest of democracy itself.
With the Awami League government completing a year in office after
the January 2014 election, the desperation of the BNP is increasing. It
is because of its desperation that the BNP has launched its ongoing
protest programme. In a democracy, the opposition parties have a right
to launch protest programmes, but in this endeavour the alliance of the
BNP with Jamaat raises serious questions about its real intentions.
The progressive people of Bangladesh are not sure what kind of
democracy the BNP wants to restore in alliance with the Jamaat, a party
that does not believe in democracy. Be that as it may, it would be
advisable for the Awami League to deal with the opposition protests
with caution so that it does not come to be seen as some kind of an
autocratic government.
