Editorial
Hartal can only bring woes
People want to see opposition in the JS
The BNP along with its allies has again gone for a countrywide hartal to protest what they said price hike of fuels, share market scam and repression on the opposition.
Like in the past, we are strongly against hartal as a matter of principle.. For hartal has never achieved anything other than blocking the way to less violent, but democratic means to engagement between the opposition and the government to resolve contentious issues.
Why has this economy-wrecking political weapon again become necessary for the main opposition, who only the other day had given the people to understand that they would not go for hartal anytime soon. They could instead returnto the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) and raise their voice against price hike of fuels and police excesses against the opposition demonstrators on the street. By choosing a hartal as the way to solution they have done a disservice to their constituents who have sent them to parliament to speak for them about their problems.On what ground can they justify their continual boycott of parliament?
If they were genuinely concerned about the issues they have identified, then do they really believe that the hartal will succeed in bringing down the fuel prices, restore investors' confidence in the share market and convince the government of shunning the method of repression on the street protestors? These issues are better articulated in parliament with the advantage of taking public opinion along their agenda.
And they cannot also be oblivious that when they themselves were in power they never acquiesced in the then opposition's demands pressed through hartals. So, the inefficacy of hartal as a means to protest and realise demands cannot be unknown to them.
While expressing our strong reservation against hartal as a means to political protest, we urge the opposition aqnd the ruling party so that public peace is not severely disrupted.
We hope the government would allow some space for the opposition to give vent to their demands through peaceful means.
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