Hartal and oborodh have lost appeal

FOR the last 50 days, pessimism has gripped the citizenry because of the hartal and oborodh enforced by BNP-led alliance. More than 100 have died in petrol bomb attacks, and thousands injured with life-threatening disabilities, and the economy is bleeding profusely. Most appalling, it is the poor and innocent daily wage earners who are not at all linked with politics who have become the targets.

Taking advantage of this unusual situation, some clandestine groups who were waiting in the wings to create trouble seem to have jumped into the fray to destabilise the country. The country is now witnessing an unprecedented upsurge of violence and destruction. It seems that those involved in these horrendous activities are not humans but agents of destruction from other planets. Unfortunately, the divisive politics, now totally explosive and catastrophic in intent and strategy, has bred pessimism, helplessness and despair in the citizenry. What is most needed now is for politicians of all hues to be imbued with sensibility and responsibility, because it is only their concerted action that can lift the nation from the depths of darkness it is now in.

Since January 6, BNP has chosen the wrong path in the name of mass movement and restoration of democracy. If they have succeeded in achieving anything in the last 50 days through hartal and oborodh, it is that their 'kill and burn mission' has created fear and panic among the public. BNP leaders ensconced in their safe home or in hiding are issuing press releases about extending hartal and oborodh, and poor people are falling victims to cocktail and petrol bomb attacks. The country, in the meantime, has suffered a loss of Tk.1 lakh 20 thousand crore in lost business, farm production and export earnings.    

Believably, the image of the BNP and its allies is at stake because of their actions in the past days. Though claiming to be a political party rooted in the masses, BNP has led the country to almost darkness and obscurity. They did not take the people into confidence when they announced their blockade programme. Without assessing for a moment how their dastardly actions have affected people or the administration, hard core party activists mounted terrorist attacks on people. Rather than involving people in their movement, they targeted the people.

The movement suffered from leadership crisis and policy failure from the beginning. It is true that BNP could not hold rally on January 5 and the BNP chairperson was kept confined in her Gulshan office. The people most unequivocally condemned that move of the administration. But can she retaliate against this action of the administration by imprisoning the whole nation for months and by asking her activists to carry on this nefarious game? What people now feel is that some clandestine groups with vile motives have found convenient bases in the BNP hierarchy and are making covert attempts to turn this country into a failed nation. There has always been a fear of divisive culture gaining ground in this country and there has been an undeniable increase in intolerance, violence, militancy and human rights abuse. Steps must be taken to ensure that the offenders are brought to justice.

Despite the reservations the political parties may have, there is no denying that politics in this country is sick to the core and some politicians have nurtured the disease without ever thinking of healing it. Ever since the transfer of power through a free and fair election after the fall of Ershad regime in 1990, issues like the establishment of rule of law, preservation of fundamental rights of the people, steps to make the administration accountable to the parliament and scrapping of all laws that infringe the rights of the people have been sidelined. After the BNP-led alliance came to power in 2001, anarchy has been the order of the day with lawlessness and terrorism gripping every sector of the society.   

The elections held in 1996 and 2001 could neither heal the malaise nor pave the way for a peaceful transition to true democratic rule in the country. Rather it heated up the political fever to a dangerous extent. Now the need of the hour is for the parties to display maturity and statesmanship and ward off political confrontation, killing and burning spree immediately.  

People cannot take any more pain and they cannot see their lives totally ruined just to feed a small section of unscrupulous politicians who have triumphed over the mute majority. All sections of people, including BNP stalwarts and followers, have noted with concern that those institutions that are supposed to keep the country going seem to be corroded by vanity, cynicism and arrogance. The optimism that was bubbling in every mind has given way to fear for the future and anger at those politicians who have seemingly mortgaged it for short-term gains.

Leaders, especially in the BNP hierarchy, in this hour of distress seem to be blind to the cataclysmic situation developing in the country, which may ultimately throttle everything. A virus of pessimism is spreading across the country and ultimately it may infect the whole population. The euphoria over the glory and achievement of what we have been doing in each of our fields of activity may be wearing off.

The writer is a columnist of The Daily Star.
E-mail: aukhandk@gmail.com