Stability must not be disrupted

The present state of law and order in Bangladesh is fragile and a matter of concern. Broadly speaking, Bangladesh is going through a difficult political transition. In the post-revolution environment, the kind of national unity we had hoped for has not been achieved because of political divisions.

We must remember that there is only one way out of this situation, a proper election. Our goal now should be to create, politically and collectively, an environment in which a free and fair election can be held. That is the only path to overcoming the present crisis and restoring democracy.

Sitting in India, leaders of the Awami League are issuing all sorts of various provocative statements and using their supporters and activists in Bangladesh to carry out incidents of sabotage in order to disrupt the situation. This must be suppressed with a firm hand. We must prevent, by any means, the emergence of a situation that would undermine Bangladesh’s stability.

In any country, in a post-revolutionary environment, there is a very fine line between national stability and instability. We must not forget that if we are driven toward an unstable situation, it will be very difficult to return from it. Therefore our law enforcement agencies must remain fully focused on their duties and crack down on this kind of incitement that the Awami League is attempting.

The weaknesses in our law enforcement agencies are also a major cause for concern. Our police force is not operating effectively. Even though a year and a half has passed, the home ministry has not been able to fully reorganise this force. As a result, there are significant shortfalls in the efficiency and operational capability they ought to have. At the same time, there are also major weaknesses and gaps in the intelligence capabilities required to handle a situation like this. So we must urgently address both areas and rapidly improve our capacities if we want to move toward a proper election.

Political parties may have differences of opinion. But those differences should never reach a stage where they disrupt our political or national stability. Everyone must keep in mind the bigger picture. In conducting all our activities we should take care that small matters do not obscure the larger goal. We must avoid creating any situation over trivial disputes that would cause us to lose our aspirations before they are realised.

We must remember, a post-revolutionary environment is a fragile one for any state. A single wrong step here can cause great harm.

* Major General (Retd.) ANM Muniruzzaman is President, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies