BNP's problems
Most democracy-loving people of Bangladesh living in the country or abroad may have concern over the present divided BNP. This concern emanates from the fact that we appreciate the necessity of a functional, bipartisan political system in the country, not so much because a substantial portion might support a united BNP.
Many people are holding the present caretaker government (CTG) and the Election Commission (EC) responsible for this factional problem in the party concerned. But I find more problems with the party itself. The party constitution is more authoritarian than that of the AL. In the absence of the party chairperson, Begum Khaleda Zia, M. Saifur Rahman was chosen as the acting chairman, at least by a section of the party lawmakers; so there is pluralism in this process. The same is true for Major Hafiz as the acting general secretary. But still the general secretary chosen by the detained party chairperson alone has been negating any attempt at unification or even any compromise; his position is that first Major Hafiz must cease to 'act' as the general secretary, just to 'protect' the authoritarian provision in their party constitution.
In November, 2006 I expressed my observation (in articles published both in DS and BO) that so much power in the hands of an amateur (meaning Tarique Zia) was eating up the same person's future in politics. Now everybody can see how much harm Tarique did to himself, to the party and to the nation as a whole.
Frankly speaking, authoritarianism cannot be a substitute for pluralism in a democracy. Charisma alone cannot live long; it is bound to die down in the absence of pluralism.
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