Yunus’s address merits serious reflection
Within hours of Prof Yunus's address to the nation outlining a way out of the persistent deadlock on July charter, our political parties started expressing their dissent, creating doubts as to whether they have really examined the merits of his assertions. Do they constitute the best possible solution? No. Do they address all underlying issues? No. But they are the most practical and doable ones at the moment. So, political parties shouldn't be so prompt in rejecting the chief adviser's suggestions.
His proposal for holding the election and the referendum on the same day is both sensible and practical. Jamaat's demand for the latter to be held on a separate day boggles the mind, given the logistical challenges it would entail. Moreover, no explanation has been provided as to what the problem would be if both were held on the same day. We hope Jamaat accepts this proposal.
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The suggestion regarding the formation of an Upper House on the basis of proportional representation (PR) of votes received through a free and fair election also seems the best option for Bangladesh. The idea of a second chamber in parliament is to restrain the arbitrariness of the majority party in the lower house. We have had too many instances where the majority party made laws that suited them, and even amended the constitution at will—the abolition of the caretaker system through the 15th Amendment in 2011 being a case in point. Therefore, the upper house should not be a mirror reflection of the lower house if it is to exert any restraint on it. A balance of power between the two chambers is necessary. We hope the BNP sees the merit of this change.
The NCP's central demand that a decision must be taken to implement the July charter has now been met. A gazette has been issued addressing all the legal aspects of this issue. But for them to state that they do not accept it because the president signed it is really throwing a spanner in the works of the charter's implementation. Our focus should be to lay the groundwork for its execution.
Naturally, differences between political parties are bound to exist. In fact, they are a healthy feature that encourages innovation in politics. We want differing ideas to percolate through our political discourse. But the existing habit of issuing ultimatums and threatening sit-ins and street agitations whenever demands are not met will only lead to further confrontation. We must move away from this habit.
The nearly nine months of dialogue held by the National Consensus Commission seem to have amounted to very little, as again evidenced by the instant political reactions to Prof Yunus's address. We believe political parties should take a more serious look at it. The election is only a few months away, and we need to focus entirely on holding it in the freest and fairest manner possible. We urge all parties to take a practical view of things and come together in a way that will restore confidence among the people that we are finally set on the path to restoring democracy and rule by an elected government.
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