Editorial
Resolve the issue of election
What one had hoped to see happen at the end of the last session of the parliament, with the BNP joining after a long absence, did not. While one was heartened to see lively debates, albeit interspersed with unprintable comments by some MPs, the closing speeches of the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition did not hold out any promise of resolution of the point at issue -- the modus of conducting the next parliamentary election.
Let us be clear on one important matter, which is also the general opinion of the people, that the 15th Amendment does not provide a level playing field, given that the parliament would still be in vogue and the current incumbents would still hold their status as MPs during the election.
Unfortunately, we find the reaffirmation of government's position in the PM's outright rejection of the opposition leader's call to hold talks on the election issue extremely inadvisable. It is not really the response to the opposition leader's call for discussion. Similarly, we are rather petrified when the leader of the opposition threatens to push the CTG system down the throat of the government.
The matter calls for a rational approach from both sides of the aisle because any posture that is based on a stone cast position can make things worse. We hope the two leaders are aware of the fact that there is no absolute in politics. Politics is the art of compromise, and both must work to achieve it.
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