Meeting of the Two
Photo: AFP
The nation is again in the grip of the two leaders, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. What they did during their stay in power in the past is known to all and what they will be able to do in future is also not beyond imagination. They have become leaders not by their leadership qualities but by virtue of luck and the failure of other politicians in both major political parties to come out of the shadows of the two ladies. I was in Saudi Arabia for a long time and had to listen to the joke from Saudis that there was no man in Bangladesh having moustache! This is the fate of this nation. The two leaders who do not talk to or see each other (except for a moment on 21-11-08 during the Armed Forces Day celebrations) for decades have now agreed, reportedly being pursued by foreign diplomats, to sit and talk face to face. But they could not yet agree on the agenda or subject matter of the meeting. The AL wants a specific agenda but the BNP desires the dialogue to be on the country's overall situation. On the other hand, the government was striving to bring the two leaders to the negotiating table with the hope that the meeting might help to remove uncertainty over the national election. There is a general belief that neither Sheikh Hasina nor Khaleda Zia will do much for the benefit of the common mass. But the people will be grateful to the two leaders if they just make commitments that their parties would not consider money & muscle power while selecting the candidates for the parliamentary or any other elections, accept the outcome of the next general election & help the government in running the state affairs seating in the opposition. The nation will remember them if they can reach a consensus on the above issues that may also stop recurrence of another 1/11 that now many believe has pushed the country to another deep crisis.
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