Editorial
Khaleda Zia's concerns are welcome
But will the BNP reassess its own role?
It is rather good to hear Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia call the government to account over what she believes are its inefficiency, corruption and mismanagement, all of which have now contributed to the making of an economic crisis for the country. That not everything is right with the country, that indeed our politicians both in government and in opposition have a grave responsibility to turn things around has never been in doubt. We at this newspaper have consistently reiterated our view that a smooth, transparent and therefore accountable practice of democracy in Bangladesh is a sine qua non for progress. That indeed has also been the great desire of the people of the country.
It is a message that has been going out to the government. That said, it is the considered feeling among citizens that such concerns on the part of the opposition can better be addressed in the place where it truly matters. And we speak, of course, of the Jatiyo Sangsad. It is regrettable that despite calls and demands from citizens across the country for it to return to parliament, the BNP has kept ignoring these sentiments even though these are the very issues it keeps talking about outside the House. Therefore, in order for Begum Zia's worries to be given the seriousness they deserve, her party should return to the JS. It owes it to its constituents to do so.
On a more significant level, we cannot but recall the chaos which defined the economy and administration during the last term of the BNP in office. There are perfectly clear reasons to think that a cavalier attitude to governance was what Begum Zia's government demonstrated between 2001 and 2006, with the result that politics could not but take a nosedive. To our amazement, the party has never reassessed its performance and has never acknowledged its failures in public. And if the BNP now pounces on the Awami League-led government for the latter's manifest shortcomings, it should at the same time be prepared to inform citizens of the reforms it means to initiate should it ride back to power. That is the least one expects from the party.
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