Current Affairs
Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition
HM Ershad, Photo: Star File
Election is considered a competitive political game that must need at least two sides to fight each other. The absence of opponents makes the game one-sided. Even the presence of weak opponents makes the game a dull and one-sided affair.
All prevailing signs suggest that the next parliamentary election is going to be a one-sided game. The major opposition BNP's boycott will leave the ruling Awami League alone and unchallenged in the playground. But there is no scope of a complete walkover. So, the AL has set up its own rival.
The AL opted to build an opposition and picked former military dictator HM Ershad who has abused his party Jatiya Party for his personal interests. The deposed dictator understood this political reality. So he did not miss the opportunity to sell himself. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was made to pay heavily to buy him. Five Jatiya Party MPs were inducted into Hasina's election time council of ministers and a leader was made her advisor with the status of a minister. One thing was not made public-whether there was any financial deal behind the scenes.
It is very interesting that the Jatiya Party is going to fight the AL in the polls by remaining in the government led by AL chief Sheikh Hasina. Taking all favours, the Jatiya Party will play the role of an opposition. Will Jatiya Party remain loyal to the AL and accept the result without any question? Will it be a unique incident in the country's political history?
More than two decades ago, AL, BNP and other parties had announced that they would boycott the fourth Jatiya Sangsad election to be held under HM Ershad. But the Ershad regime had moved to build an opposition alliance that would fight the government party, Jatiya Party, in the battle of ballots. According to the strategy, the regime picked ASM Abdur Rab, leader of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, to lead the 'pet opposition alliance'. Rab himself knew better in what way--cash or kind--he would be was benefited. He however moved to form the alliance. And he succeeded in his efforts. He formed an opposition alliance, named Combined Opposition Party or COP, consisting of 76 insignificant parties. He emerged as a leader of the largest ever alliance, at least considering the names of the organisations. And under his leadership, the COP fought the Jatiya Party in the election held on March 3, 1988 amid a boycott of the AL, BNP and other major parties.
The results were not surprising. The then regime claimed that over 50 percent of the voters cast their votes, which the opposition parties rejected. Sheikh Hasina, who was leading the 8-party alliance, remarked that with Ershad remaining in power no election could be free and fair. Like her, Khaleda Zia, who was leading the 7-party alliance, termed the election farcical. The COP however was satisfied with the election results. It had bagged 19 seats. As was predicted, Jatiya Party won an overwhelming victory with 251 seats of 300 parliamentary constituencies.
The fourth Jatiya Sangsad started its journey amid a volatile political situation. Dr Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, professor of government and politics at the Jahangirnagar University, in his book titled "Role of Opposition in Bangladesh Politics" writes that although the treasury bench and the 'loyal opposition' attempted to become active in performing their designated legislative job, their lack of legitimacy in the eyes of the public made them totally dependent on the whims of HM Ershad for their very existence.
“Remaining within a Parliament which itself was characterised by subserviency, the loyal opposition had hardly any scope for discussing vital issues of national interest that might contradict the intentions of the regime. Finding themselves in a meaningless position, the opposition MPs credously gave their consent t the proposals forwarded by the regime. Thus they approved executive orders and controversial bills like the Zila Parishad Bill and the Eighth Amendment bill to the constitution declaring Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh," writes professor Hasanuzzaman.
The life of the fourth parliament came to an end with the fall of Ershad in December 1990.
More than two decades after, Ershad, the deposed dictator, has emerged as a key player in the country's political landscape. If he opts to boycott the next general election, it will be very difficult for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her government and her ruling AL to go ahead with the polls.
In the parliamentary form of the government, the role of the opposition is to question and challenge the government. The opposition also seeks to establish itself in the eyes of the electorate as a credible alternative government. The effectiveness of the opposition depends on the caliber of its MPs and of the leader of the opposition.
Will the Jatiya Party, if it emerges as the main opposition in the new parliament, play the due role of opposition or remain loyal to the ruling party and the government, and above all to the all powerful prime minister, who is now the uncrowned queen of Bangladesh in terms of the power she weilds?
The writer is Senior Reporter, The Daily Star.
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