It seems BNP is not habituated to take clean water. What the country’s main opposition political party is doing is still confusing. They have returned to parliament after staging a lot of drama, which made the party a laughing stock before the world. They could have conceived the election defeat as a democratic practice.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), formed in the cantonment by the then army chief general Ziaur Rahman, who reportedly played a key role in the assassination of country’s father of the nation, has the history of killing opponents and breaking up political parties. In the party’s history they never practiced democracy.
With their rhetoric before and after the national election held on 30 December, 2018, the BNP has tarnished the image of Bangladesh as a development role-model before the international community. And about the election, the BNP spared no words to pronounce against the government and the polls. They have clearly told everyone that the government is illegal. They held several meetings on several occasions with the diplomats and briefed them about their position. Moreover, they have requested the diplomats not to cooperate with the government.
Driving towards a point of no return should not be the regular practice in politics. But BNP didn’t utilize the opportunities to be accustomed with the practice of democracy since its inception. There was a time after the 2008 election, when BNP got the opportunity to learn and practice democracy but they didn’t do that. Not a single moment they were in a mode which helps flourish democracy. Neither they themselves practiced democracy nor did they allowed the government to run the state smoothly.
Democratic art, culture, and behaviour make a person perfect in building a sustainable democratic society. Every civilized country has its own rules and regulations under which the public activities are being conducted. If you want to hold a public meeting, you have to take permission from the local administration concerned under some terms and conditions. Giving permission to such public events is their prerogative. They may give you permission or they may not.
That doesn’t mean you have lost your democratic rights; and you have to start a nation-wide violent activities that will lead to the deaths of hundreds of people. And it is no democracy that even when people are dying in dozens, you will not show any reaction or you will not take immediate steps to stop the killing. That is not democracy and once you become habituated with that practice you will never be able to bring back democracy in the country.
If we recall the January 5, 2015, we see that the government didn’t allow BNP to hold a rally marking the day which they termed as ‘Democracy Killing Day’, but taking security aspects into consideration the police didn’t allow BNP to hold the rally. And in response, the BNP had started nationwide blockade programme and general strike. Under the programme, the BNP activists had resorted to a deadly killing spree with petrol bombs.
Dozens of innocent people were killed and hundreds received serious burn injuries. The environment had really turned deadly and painful. The heart rending cry of the burnt men, women and children might have shook both heaven and earth, but the BNP leadership didn’t show any sign of remorse. Such heinous crime cannot be termed politics.