Editorial
Nation awaits a dialogue
Take the process forward
The proposal of the ruling party to form a committee with equal representation to undertake the solemn responsibility of organising the dialogue on electoral reforms is a positive step forward. In response to the Awami League's letter containing some queries sent nine days back, the secretary general of BNP replied with the specific request to the opposition to nominate five representatives from the 14-party alliance to the proposed 10-member committee. The committee is to accommodate non-parliamentarians as members presumably in deference to an opposition wish to make it broad-based, which would also infuse an element of dynamism into the process. No doubt through this flexible approach taken by the ruling alliance another hump has been crossed. It may be recalled that the opposition had tabled its 5-point proposal on caretaker government and electoral reforms on February 12 and the prime minister agreed to form a joint committee to discuss the reforms issues. But, in between, the ruling alliance and the opposition alliance kept going with their usual politics of diatribe that threatened the prospect of formation of a committee to get things moving. The sit-in programme of the opposition alliance on 30 March and the government reaction to it had the potential of aggravating the situation, but thankfully, it did not. Instead, it took a turn for the positive with the proposal coming from the BNP high command for forming a committee. Understandably, the proposed committee, once formed, will sit to evolve a modality and fix the reforms agenda on the basis of which the talks would go forward and hopefully reach a meaningful outcome. Thus the common standpoint should be that no side must take a cast-iron attitude and verbal restraints should be applied so that the committee can start functioning without much ado. The overarching fact is that whatever understanding is forged between the two sides, it will have to be legislated in parliament to amend the relevant constitutional provisions. Now that some form of engagement has commenced through exchange of letters it is of paramount importance that this be taken forward to its ultimate goal by ensuring an atmosphere congenial to furthering the process of the dialogue.
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