There was a possibility of a two-party system emerging in Bangladesh, just as in the United States and the United Kingdom. That was the idea which the public got from the four national parliamentary elections that took place following the success of the anti-autocracy movement. If Awami League was in power, BNP would be the main opposition. If BNP was at the helm, Awami League would be in the main opposition. It would be a contest of equals. They would have served to complement each other in restoring democracy.
But the big question mark that plagues the political circles is, whose fault is it that this has been foiled? If BNP is responsible for the 1/11 change of guard, Awami League cannot shrug off the responsibility of the prevailing crisis revolving around the election.
The bottom line is, our politics is not on a healthy course. Nor is democracy functioning properly. The minimum working relationship required in a democracy between the ruling party and the opposition, is almost entirely absent in Bangladesh. The political parties seek their own victory through the destruction of their rivals. Yet the basics of democracy are tolerance and respect towards dissenting views.
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Awami League has been in power for a stretch of 14 years. The party leaders claim that alongside establishing a true democratic system, they have uprooted fundamentalist and communal forces. They have instilled the spirit of the liberation war in the young generation. But then how has fundamentalist and religious politics grown in the country over the past 14 to 15 years.
The Daily Star’s investigations reveal that in 2008, the number of Jamaat’s permanent members or ‘rokon’ was 13,863. According to police intelligence reports, the number of the party’s permanent members has tripled to 73,046.
The reports say that the number of the party’s workers, at the same time, has also tripled from 221,000 to 639,000. Jamaat records reveal that the number of their women ‘rokon’ had increased by five times and women party workers by four times. Similarly, in 2008 the number of the party’s associate members was 13 million and that now stands at 22.9 million.
In this backdrop, giving Jamaat-e-Islami permission to publicly hold a rally after 10 years, has stirred speculations in the political arena. The police gave them permission to hold their rally at the Engineers Institution, but that spread right up to the Matsya Bhaban. Is the US visa policy the reason behind the government’s sudden liberal attitude towards Jamaat or is there any other mystery involved? There are six months to go for the national election.
There had been allegations that when BNP was in power, Jamaat would use state power to strengthen its organisational activities. Now apparently their strength is growing in leaps and bounds with Awami League in power. It is doubtful whether either Awami League or BNP even have 22.9 million associate members/supporters.
Interestingly, it was during the rule of Awami League that several of Jamaat’s top leaders were hanged for crimes against humanity committed in 1971.
Parties which do not believe in the democratic system are now Awami League’s contenders in the elections. These parties believe in religious rule
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The Narayanganj City Corporation polls were held in January 2022. While the votes of the other parties had decreased in this election, the votes of Islami Andolan saw an increase. Selina Hayat Ivy, who had won for the third consecutive time, had bagged 16,514 votes less than the previous time. The main contender Taimur Alam Khandakar also clinched 3,878 votes less than his predecessor. Yet Islami Andolan’s candidate Masum Billah, who came up third, saw a 10,073 vote increase. His hand fan symbol secured 23,987 votes. In 2016 he has secured 13,914 votes.
Islami Andolan has kept this pace up in the recent elections to the five city corporations – Gazipur, Barishal, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet. In three, the Islami Andolan candidate secured second place, and third place in two. In Gazipur, independent candidate Zayeda Khatun bagged 238,934 votes to win the election. The Awami League candidate Azmat Ullah won 222,737 votes. Islami Andolan’s Ataur Rahman won 45,352 votes.
In Barishal, the Awami League contender Abul Khair Abdullah got 87,812 votes and Islami Andolan’s Mufti Syed Faizul Karim 33,828. In Khulna, Awami League’s Talukdar Abdul Khaleque won 154,825 votes and Islami Andolan’s Abdul Awal 60,064 votes. After the Islami Andolan candidate in Barishal was injured, the party announced a boycott of the polls in Rajshahi and Sylhet. Even after that, amazingly their candidate secured 13,000 votes to draw up second in Rajshahi.
Awami League leaders are pleased that their party candidates easily swept to victory in four of the five city corporations. They say that this proves fair and peaceful elections are possible under Awami League rule. But how much joy is there really in those victories. A fair election is one where all sides contest. The people have a wide option to select their representative from. An election without one of the two major political parties of the country cannot be competitive.
Awami League claims itself to be the biggest party of the country. And yet they are afraid of creating an environment where all parties can participate in the election. The manner in which Awami League won in these city corporation polls, can be compared to a district level team playing with a national level football or cricket team.
The political leaders have brought the election politics to such a stage that it is almost impossible to have an equal contest. Parties which do not believe in the democratic system are now Awami League’s contenders in the elections. These parties believe in religious rule. Islami Andolan began with the objective of replacing the democratic constitution with an Islamic one. The party’s name had been Islami Shashontantra Andolan. They changed their name due to certain obligations in registering with the election commission. But it does not seem that they have changed their ideals and ideology. They have no fundamental differences with Jamaat-e-Islami. They just follow different paths.
Does the Awami League leadership want to carry out the forthcoming national election in the manner of the city corporation polls, where they will really have no tangible competition?
If Awami League can hold the election without its main competitor BNP (where the credibility of the election will certainly be questioned) then perhaps Islami Andolan and Jamaat-e-Islami will be their main contenders in the stead of the almost fractured Jatiya Party. Now it is up to Awami League therefore to decide, with who will they feel more comfortable to play, as they call it, the election ‘game’?
* Sohrab Hassan is Prothom Alo’s joint secretary and a poet. He can be contacted at sohrabhassan55@gmail.com
* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir