Khaleda's stress on compromise

AT Tuesday's press conference, opposition leader Khaleda Zia emphasised that 'compromise is the art of democratic politics'.  It is the wisest and potentially the most constructive part of her hour-long address to the press.
Granted she has sufficient grounds for accusing the government of not being forthcoming about opposition demands. The question is whether she herself was able to show any sign of compromise towards the ruling party in any way.
We would like to underline here the opening up of two opportunities that the BNP could well take advantage of. One was when the PM contacted the opposition leader over telephone and invited her to talks on October 28, which she declined saying she could only meet her on the 29th at the end of her oborodh programme. It can be argued that since the opposition enforced the blockade, the option was also theirs to call it off. The point to note is also that the PM made the phone call to Khaleda Zia within the deadline set by the opposition.
The second opening came when the PM offered the opposition any portfolio, including home ministry, in the interim government that it might choose to accept.
The opposition could well have seized that opportunity demanding that the PM relent from heading the interim government. That way it could test AL's sincerity.
For the last three years the opposition has been harping on the demand for a caretaker system of government to hold the post.
But it failed to come up with any compromise formula to prove true to its words on democratic politics being an art of compromise.