At the moment, Bangladesh is not only mired in political crises, the entire nation is utterly distressed psychologically as well. Despite the prevailing political tug of war, the non-violent movement of the oppositions had created a sense of relief amidst various concerns. That sense of relief disappeared after 28 October.
Especially, there is no satisfactory and prudent explanation of the one sided path that the ruling quarter has chosen by conducting drives to make arrests indiscriminately; if the country’s interest is the main concern.
In response, the opposition parties have taken up programmes like blockade and strikes, which has further raised the uncertainty in general.
The unilateral opinions without any credible investigation and presenting it before the nation convincingly, are further escalating the situation in the political arena of the country. No proper explanation is being presented before the nation regarding the mass arrests of the opposition party members, from central leaders to local activists.
The visible practice of exerting force is not only leading the country on the verge of political turmoil, it is further intensifying the economic crisis at the same time.
Our economy is highly at stake now with the vulnerable macroeconomic indicators, intolerable pressure of price hikes and pending issues like settling the garment workers’ demand of raising their wages. The prolonged political instability has created the risk of further decline in our economy.
Such a situation in Bangladesh is not expected at all. Everyone has a role to play to overcome the crisis. However, those who are in charge, have the main responsibility in this case. The opposition parties, though the situation is tough for them, have some liability too. They should make sure that their movement doesn’t turn violent.
In this case, some certain recommendations should be taken into consideration. First, the ruling party should move away from the mind-set of proceeding through force. Secondly, they should take some initiatives to regain people’s confidence in politics. For instance, they can stop the mass arrests across the country and release the people already detained.
Besides, a credible investigation of the 28 October incidents and its convincing presentation are also needed. Thirdly, initiatives should be taken to implement some meaningful propositions to rise from the crises.
*This opinion appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashish Basu