May Milam's fears prove wrong
Prothom Alo recently published an article of former US Ambassador William B Milam. In the article, Milam said that the last parliamentary election in Bangladesh took place virtually without participation of the people. It was a one-sided election through which the government strengthened its power base. At the same time it is being totally intolerant of the opposition. It has formulated a broadcast policy to keep firm control over the media. He concludes from this analysis that Bangladesh is moving towards an authoritarian rule.
William B Milam is a career diplomat. He retired in July 2001. He was ambassador to Bangladesh at a turning point in the country's history. That was from August 1990 to October 1993. He was a keen observer of the country's journey towards democratization.
Milam has vast experience in South Asia and West Africa. He was recalled back to duty twice after retirement. Firstly it was a nine-month stint as partner in the multilateral rebuilding process of Afghanistan after the 911. Then in 2007-08 he was made Ambassador to Liberia. While he had been there in 1995-98, the seven-year civil war had come to an end and a credible election was held. He now is a senior policy scholar on South Asian affairs with the Woodrow Wilson Centre.
One cannot dismiss the views of this versatile and experienced diplomat. It may not bode well for us, but his opinions make sense. It was not just him, but the entire west held the same view on our January election. The US State Department expressed is dissatisfaction the very next day after the election. Both US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal and the forthcoming US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat told the Senate committee on foreign affairs that the January election had been a faulty one. Present US Ambassador Dan Mozena said that these statements were part of the US state policy. They feel that the major political parties need to come together for dialogue to establish a representative government as soon as possible.
Milam's comment that the country is moving towards an authoritarian rule has an element of truth in it. We need to rectify ourselves and prove Milam's analysis wrong. Instead, there are quarters who seem quite determined to further establish his apprehensions. The onus lies with the government and the country.
Unfortunately, our political culture is such that when in power, the government has the propensity to reject any recommendation or advice from home or abroad if it goes against their party interests.
The Constitution is being amended to give the parliament power to remove persons in constitutional offices. This system is in keeping with that of democratic countries, says the government. There is a lot to be said both for and against this. There are many factors related to the issue that remain overlooked. Those whose example we are claiming to follow, can also be emulated in holding a free, fair and participatory election.
The government has a stark stance of intolerance. This is nothing new, but it is on a steady rise. All the governments have been practicing the same attitude, but this must come to an end at one point.
Peaceful gatherings of the opposition are being obstructed. Their leaders are facing a multitude of cases. The opposition had behaved in a similar manner when in power and that is why the people had rejected them. When will the present government realise this?
There was ample scope to ensure that the last election was a participatory one, even after the fifteenth amendment. Many prominent persons had put forward their views in this regard, but apparently the government did not want it so. BNP too walked into the trap. Both the parties have suffered losses. In the previous election the government had come to power with the participation of the people. They have lost this position of pride now. And BNP too lost its chance to come to power or at least to be the main opposition in the parliament.
The main victim has been the democratic system. The government has become more and more dependent on the administration, the law enforcement agencies and other powers of the state. It is only natural that such a government moves towards intolerance and authoritarianism.
Problems have cropped up in the law enforcement institutions too. Conscious quarters have been alarmed ever since RAB took up extra-judicial killings. Initially they would target killers, terrorists and others of the criminal underworld. The general public was quite pleased. The force displayed unprecedented success in tackling terrorists. They didn't need extra-judicial killings then. Then what happened? In the absence of proper supervision, certain members of this force themselves became killers. The Narayanganj incident has tarnished the image of this force.
The force has come to a standstill, somewhat. This is nothing good. The force is needed, but it also needs to be reformed. A zero-tolerance attitude must be adopted regarding any breach of discipline in RAB and all law enforcement agencies.
In the Narayanganj seven-murder case, the main accused person simply fled the country with help from persons within the administration. The position of the administration in this regard shocked the people. It seems as if people of the government ilk can get away scot-free with the most reprehensible crimes. It cannot be wrong to call such a rule authoritarian.
All said and done, we are optimistic. Milam and others who share his views, will at one point be proven wrong. At the demand of the democracy-loving people of the country, the political parties will have to change their behaviour for the sake of survival. They will drop their authoritarian attitudes. They will give priority to the aspirations of the people so we too take a firm position among the democratic nations of the world.
In 1974 the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had made derogatory remarks about this country. He had called it a bottomless basket. But the successive governments and especially the backbreaking hard work of the farmers, the garments workers and the expatriate workers, have proven his words to be wrong. William B Milam's analysis must be proven wrong too. The political parties must play a pivotal role in this regard.
Ali Imam Majumdar: former Cabinet Secretary
(Translated and abridged)