Dispute over July Charter must end
In the febrile political atmosphere of present-day Bangladesh, the interim government is having to walk a high wire. Not long ago, the July National Charter was signed by nearly all major political parties, but that "unity" appears to be fraying as the charter implementation dispute drags on while the country is moving fast towards a planned February election.
The charter was meant to signal a democratic renewal. Instead, it has become a source of recrimination and brinkmanship. Consequently, the government has called on political parties to engage in intra-party dialogue and resolve their differences, but the invitation, perhaps to no one's surprise, has met with mixed reactions. Jamaat-e-Islami has cautiously endorsed the proposal but demanded that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus act as a "referee," implying a lack of faith in the parties' ability to successfully negotiate amongst themselves. Akhter Hossen, member secretary of the National Citizen Party, was less restrained, accusing the government of playing "snakes and ladders" with reforms. He also alleged a deliberate stalling tactic and an attempt by a "faction within the government" to "sabotage the reform process and disrupt the election."
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Time is not on anyone's side. The government has given the parties a seven-day window to arrive at a unanimous decision. Whether that would resolve the impasse remains to be seen. What we can say with certainty is that both the government and the political class must act with greater urgency and responsibility going forward. Any deviation from the road to the February polls is unacceptable.
In recent days, cracks around the proposed referendum on the July Charter have widened. While the BNP insists that the referendum should be held on election day, Jamaat-e-Islami wants it as early as November. This is not a minor scheduling dispute; it also reflects deep divisions over the substance of reform. Another flashpoint is the government's amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), which now bans electoral alliances from using a common party symbol. Jamaat-e-Islami, the NCP and Khelafat Majlish supported the move, arguing that a shared symbol unfairly benefits a particular political party, but BNP opposed it. The government's decision to enshrine the amendment in a gazette suggests it is determined to forge ahead.
That said, Bangladesh cannot afford a relapse into its cyclical pattern of political dysfunction. The interim government must lead decisively in that respect. At the same time, the onus lies equally on political parties to rise above narrow partisan interests. Their failure to coalesce around a shared democratic project would squander a rare opportunity for renewal. Time is running out, so the path to the February election must be cleared as soon as possible. Anything less would invite the familiar spectre of crisis back into our political life.
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