Editorial
PM's open door on CTG
Opposition must reciprocate gesture
The intensity with which both the ruling party and the opposition are focused on the caretaker government issue says something about their attitudes to the problem. The prime minister has in these past few days been reiterating her position that the door is open for negotiations between the government and the opposition on the ways and means of arriving at a solution. It is certainly appreciable that Sheikh Hasina has now assured the opposition that no one-sided solution will be imposed. Her invitation to the BNP to return to the Jatiyo Sangsad and present its own formula towards finding a way out of the crisis is perfectly in order for the simple reason that at this critical moment both sides need to reach a compromise in the larger interest of our future.
The BNP, which has already observed a hartal on the caretaker issue, is keen that the system should stay in place. The Supreme Court has already spelt out, that the next two elections may be held under caretaker arrangements. However, given that the SC has also made known its reservations about judges being part of the caretaker government, it is extremely important that the BNP join the ruling Awami League on the format of the next caretaker administration or two. The BNP is in opposition and has been vocal about its opposition to any scrapping of the system. But politics is also about coming up with alternatives, in all their substance and formality. Since the BNP has a significant presence in parliament, it remains its responsibility to present its own formula in the JS and engage in a meaningful debate with the ruling party over it. The prime minister's flexibility is an opportunity the opposition ought not to miss.
Begum Khaleda Zia has reportedly asked for formal communication from the government on the latter's proposals vis-à-vis a solution. The government, in light of the prime minister's recent pronouncements on the issue, can surely oblige the opposition here. For the BNP, the important thing is to acknowledge the primacy of Parliament rather than a deliberate ignoring of it. Let it return to the JS and test the sincerity of the ruling party.
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