In the meeting held before Eid-ul Azha with the national consensus commission, BNP and most other political parties demanded that the national election be held in December this year. Some parties put the date at January or February. But Holy Ramadan begins mid-February. In that case, the election can be held in January or the first half of February.
At the meeting, the government did not come up with any day or date. In his address to the nation on the occasion of Eid-ul Azha, the chief advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus said that the election will be held any day in the first half of April next year.
Perhaps the government was wanting to avoid any fracas over the election date or roadmap. But to no avail. The sky wouldn't collapse if the election is held four months earlier or four months later. The problem is about who will relent and who won't.
The government feels that BNP and its like-minded parties are challenging its authority. This is not acceptable. On the other hand, BNP feel that the government is ignoring it and is biased towards a different party. This is unacceptable too.
The government has declared a possible timeframe for the election. They will now have to also resolve the complications that have arisen in this regard. They will have to explain why the election cannot be held in December, January or March. The political parties have given their explanation.
2.
Election-related apprehensions haven't dissipated even after the chief advisor's announcement. The government and the political parties are in confrontation concerning many others issues too, other than the election. This is not conducive to a transition of democracy.
According to report in The Guardian, UK Member of Parliament and former City Minister Tulip Siddiq wants to meet with the chief advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus to resolve the “misunderstanding” surrounding corruption allegations against her. The authorities have accused Tulip of taking extra advantages in Bangladesh during the Sheikh Hasina government’s tenure. Last August, under the pressure of a mass uprising, the Sheikh Hasina government was overthrown.
The Guardian report said, "Siddiq, whose aunt Sheikh Hasina was put on trial in absentia last week over crimes against humanity during her 15 years as prime minister, has been accused of benefitting from the former regime by the authorities in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka."
The report went on to say, "A series of allegations have been aired in the media including the claim from the country’s anti-corruption commission (ACC) that Siddiq or her mother had received a 7,200 sq ft plot of land through 'abuse of power and influence'"
"Siddiq denies the claims which her lawyers have described as being “politically motivated” and without foundation. She further claims not to have been contacted by the authorities over any of the allegations," the report said.
Tulip said, "I am a UK citizen, born in London and representing the people of Hampstead and Highgate in parliament for the last decade. I have no property nor any business interests whatsoever in Bangladesh. The country is dear to my heart but it is not the country where I was born, live in or have built my career in."
In her letter to Professor Yunus, Tulip went on to say, "I know you’ll appreciate how important it is to ensure those reports do not become a distraction from the critical work of doing my very best for my constituents and my country.”
Meanwhile, the chief advisor's press secretary Shafiqul Alam says that they received no from Tulip Siddiq.
Whether or not the chief advisor's office received it or not, the letter written by Tulip to the chief advisor has consolidated the government's ethical standing. The Awami League leaders who have fled, are in hiding or are fugitives abroad, have continuously been declaring the Yunus government to be illegal. What will they say now?
3.
Two more intriguing incidents took place on the second day of Eid:
1. Around 1:45 am on Sunday night, former President Abdul Hamid arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Footage of him being brought down from the plane in a wheelchair was also published in the media. He was accompanied by his younger son Riad Ahmed and brother-in-law Dr Naushad Khan. The former president returned to the country like an ordinary passenger.
On 7 May there was widespread criticism and protest over his departure from the country through the VIP lounge. Following that, the Superintendent of Police of his home district, Kishoreganj, and an Additional Superintendent of Police assigned to immigration at Dhaka Airport were withdrawn. Two officers with the ranks of Sub-Inspector and Assistant Sub-Inspector were suspended.
Regarding the decision not to take legal action against the former president, home affairs advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, “After the investigation, those found guilty will be brought under the law.” Earlier, he had said that if necessary, the former president would be brought back to the country through Interpol. In reality, that was not needed. He returned on his own.
The second notable incident is the departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s uncle, Sheikh Kabir Hossain, from the country. He left the country on Sunday morning via Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Multiple sources from immigration police and law enforcement confirmed this to Prothom Alo. During Sheikh Hasina’s administration, Sheikh Kabir exerted influence in various sectors including the financial sector. While the Awami League was in power, Sheikh Kabir held top-level positions in 23 institutions, organisations, and agencies.
There is much speculation in political circles about the lack of obstacles to Sheikh Kabir’s departure from the country and the smooth return of the former president. The common demand is that action should be taken against those Awami League leaders who carried out repression and were involved in killings during the July-August uprising. However, there is no justification for filing indiscriminate murder cases against hundreds of professionals including journalists, teachers, lawyers, and doctors, or for detaining some of them in prison. Human Rights Watch had called quite some time ago for an end to arbitrary arrests and retaliatory violence in Bangladesh.
Many see the unhindered arrival in the country of the former president Abdul Hamid and the unhindered departure of the former prime minister’s uncle Kabir Hossain as signs of the government’s conciliatory attitude. Is the government seeking not only to create an environment conducive for the elections but also, as described by the chief advisor, to find a way out of the "war-like" situation?
* Sohrab Hassan is deputy editor of Prothom Alo and a poet. He can be reached at sohrabhassan55@gmail.com
* Opinions are those of the author