BNP’s shilly-shallies over oath taking

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) decided not to take oath and join the 11th parliament as the party alleged the 30 December election was not an election at all. 

 
The principal opposition BNP won only six seats while the ruling Awami League won most seats out of 300 constituencies. Gono Forum won only two seats. Kamal Hossain-led Gono Forum along with BNP forged an electoral alliance, Jatiya Oikya Front.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on different ocassions said BNP MPs-elect would not take oath, terming the election ‘farcical’.   

Moreover, it was a decision of the alliance that none of their MP-elects would take oath. But after four months, the decision was changed. But Gono Forum's two MPs-elect took oath.

On 29 April, the last day for being sworn in, the BNP MPs-elect took oath. They are Aminul Islam elected from Chapainawabganj-2, Harunur Rashid from Chapainawabganj-3, Ukil Abdus Sattar from Brahmanbaria-2 and Mosharraf Hossain from Bogura-4.

After taking oath, the BNP MPs claimed they took oath as per instruction of party acting chairman Tarique Rahman who is now living in London.

Refraining from taking oath, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a programme said this was a political strategy of the party.

"The party's decision is final to me and time will say whether it is right or wrong," Mirza Fakhrul told Prothom Alo.

He also confirmed that BNP MPs-elect took oath following orders of Tarique Rahman. Fakhrul’s Bogura-6 constituency has already been declared vacant.

However, BNP expelled Zahidur Rahman Zahid as he took oath on 25 April, ignoring the party decision. He has been elected from Thakurgaon-3 constituency.
 
"I wanted BNP to join parliament and talk. But the way BNP joined parliament was a mistake. The decision was right but the way was wrong," Gonoshasthaya Kendra trustee physician Zafrullah Chowdhury told Prothom Alo.

He is sympathetic towards BNP.

BNP could have joined parliament after after informing all including the standing committee memebers, Zafarullah argued.

He also observed that BNP should have taken a concrete decision on taking oath and joining parliament.

BNP insiders said the party was compelled to take such a decision. The four MP-elects would anyway have joined the parliament no matter whether the party had allowed them or not.

The party might have split and the weakness of leadership would have been exposed, they added.

Although Mirza Fakhrul defended the party decision saying it was a political strategy, but politicians and analysts differ.

They see BNP’s irresolute decisions as a sign of the party’s weakness. BNP is losing control over its leaders and activists, analysts viewed.

An educationist, who is indirectly involved with BNP politics, said this was inappropriate that there were different decisions for different persons on oath taking. It is confusing, the educationist said adding that there were no alternatives either at the last moment.