Celebration of usurpation, contrary to SC verdict

Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

Preparations are going on to celebrate the 36th anniversary of grabbing state power at a gun point by general Hussain Muhammad Ershad. His Jatiya Party has got the permission for holding a rally on 24 March at historic Suhrawardi Udyan, at a time when Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country's principal opposition party, is denied permission for and faces obstacles to holding meetings and rallies.

It is a mockery that the top leaders of JaPa held an organisational preparatory meeting at a convention centre in Gulshan for gathering thousands of people in Dhaka to, what they said as, free people from the 'misrule of two parties'.

Raushan Ershad, the official opposition leader in parliament, urged the leaders and activists to focus on how to bring the party to power. The Awami League-led 15-Party Alliance, Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led Seven-Party alliance and left-leaning Five-Party Combine waged a joint movement, terming Ershad a usurper.

Defying the constitutional rule, he declared the martial law and ousting by force president justice Abdus Sattar who ascended to power through an election.

Being the rival of the BNP, the AL did not conceal their content over ousting of the BNP from power. However, as a matter of ethical stand-point, the AL never accepted the military rule of Ershad; even if it is a strategy of the party, the AL remained vocal against usurpation by a government official terming it unconstitutional and illegal.

The political parties, that launched movement against the military rule of Ershad, played opposing roles against each other for going to power and counting gains and losses.

But pro-democracy students, workers and people forgetting all differences and imbued with the spirit of the liberation war became united against the military ruler who later turned into an autocrat through a farcical election.

Noor Hossain, who embraced martyrdom by painting slogan 'Gonotantra Mukti Pak, Swairachar Nipat Jak' (let democracy be freed, down with autocracy) on his back and chest, is the embodiment of all democratic movements in the national history after 1971. But our democratic achievements in over three and half decades are far behind from our expectations compared to untold sufferings and sacrifices of uncountable number of leaders and activists for nine and half years.

The main actors of anti-autocratic movements, willingly or unintentionally did not play any role in establishing the rule of law and good governance or strengthen the historic democratic institutions. We have seen the competition among the actors to make closer relations with the fallen autocratic ruler. We have also seen the barbaric grenade attack during the BNP rule to eliminate the AL.

At the celebration of 36 years of the promulgation of Ershad's martial law, we recollect the 5th amendment of the Supreme Court, specially the verdict of the 7th amendment in which the usurpation by Ershad was declared illegal. Whereas he is supposed to be tried in the light of the verdict on the 7th amendment, it is unfortunate that he and his party men with status of ministers are now in power.

His trial is now a far cry, rather his party is now chanting slogans of democracy, and will observe the black day. We acknowledge the rights of JaPa to hold the rally but we must say that their intention to celebrate the proclamation of the martial law is illegal and which goes against the verdict of the Supreme Court.