Editorial
AL and BNP should shun bellicosity
High time for them to settle for dialogue
Leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia in her alliance's massive public rally in Dhaka on Wednesday announced an elaborate political demonstration programme to ratchet up her demand for restoration of caretaker government by the current month.
The programme includes countrywide rallies on December 6, road blockade on December 9, demonstrations in all cities, districts and upazilas on December 23 and 26 with Khaleda Zia leading a climactic procession in Dhaka as alliance leaders do the same in other cities. She has threatened to call a series of hartal should her demand for caretaker system go unmet by the current month.
We have appreciated her sparing use of hartal thus far showing sensitivity to public detestation of and suffering from hartal. We hope to see the trend continue.
We also note a sign of maturity in the opposition's spacing out of its demonstration programme components. Nonetheless, such progressive tie-ups along the programme details do bear some portents of trouble and conflict. The premonition kicks in, when you consider the backdrop of the opposition threatening mounting agitation against the government and the ruling party leaders' bellicose utterances.
Thus we have pleas to make, first with the government and then with the opposition. We think the government should let the opposition programme run its course in due recognition of its democratic right to dissent and try and rally public opinion behind its demand. The government should not be unduly preemptive including making mass arrests prior to a programme or be suppressive on the streets or indeed stage counter-programmes on the same days.
On the other hand, the opposition alliance leaders should emphasise the message of peaceful demonstrations to their activists and have them exercise restraint.
Now is the time for both the ruling party and the opposition to have an undistracted focus on the issue at hand which is thrashing out a compromise formula of a non-partisan interim caretaker arrangement for the next general election.
Recently, a senior BNP leader, Maudud Ahmed, clearly hinted at the opposition joining the January session of the parliament 'without any preconditions.' We ask, why not join now? At the same time, the ruling party without being egocentric should be seized of the intensity of the public mood for a negotiated settlement of the caretaker dispute. Both have a stake in being on the same page at this critical national juncture.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments