Bangladesh and Pakistan are going through similar crisis, however it will be interesting to see how well Bangladesh manages to pull through the whole scenario, writes Sualiha Bint-e-Nazar
The two neighbors, but not so "neighborly" countries namely Pakistan and Bangladesh, for sometime, have been going through somewhat similar political crisis. Both the countries’ head of the state are directly or indirectly related to the army. In Pakistan’s case, the much controversial President Musharraf was once the Chief of Army Staff and after much reluctance has resigned from his post very recently due to mounting pressure from the opposition. However, Fakhruddin Ahmed, who is now the Chief Advisorto the interim caretaker government of Bangladesh, was once an economist rather than an army official. Still, when the army took over, they handed over the reins to Fakhruddin.
Strange as it may seem, the army didn’t appoint a military official as the head of the state. A smart move on behalf of the army as, they didn’t link themselves directly with the government and avoided the criticism our ex-general had to face. Another neat act was of employing Fakhruddin Ahmed as Chief Adviser to the Interim Caretaker, who is respected on both sides of the sharp political divide in Bangladesh and is credited with bringing an end to the anarchy that had threatened to sweep the troubled nation. His appointment was welcomed by the general public and didn’t meet much criticism unlike that of President Musharraf, who as many says was "thrust upon Pakistan".
The seven year regime of President Musharraf has been turbulent with all sorts of political, economical and social chaos. The case has differed in case of Bangladesh’s interim government, which since its appointment has have not faced any such problematic issues. The support has been there for them from the general public as well as most of the politicians. But from recent reports, the mood seems to be changing as the military-backed government is now under pressure to lift the year long emergency rule.
According to the press reports, the call was made when a top official of London-based Amnesty International (AI), Irene Khan ended a weeklong visit to Bangladesh to review the country’s human rights record. She demanded the leaders to reassess limitations on freedom of expression, assembly and association due to the state of emergency. She also expressed the hope that the current state of emergency will not be adopted as a life long mode of governance.
Irene Khan visited Bangladesh in accordance with the military action taken against those who were rebelling against the separation of judiciary from the executive, making it an entirely independent entity. In spite of the uproar from various government officials, who wanted the judiciary to be under the government, this act of separation marks another success for Fakhruddin apart from creating an independent Anti-Corruption Commission, reforming the Public Service Commission, reorganizing the Election Commission and also trying to free it from the control of the prime minister’s office. Another success which goes into Fakhruddin’s "bag of achievement" is the sacking of many senior politicians brought under an anti-corruption purge designed to clean up politics ahead of the election.
However, Fakhruddin’s most brave step i.e. of untying the judiciary from the government might unravel his year long career as the acting head of state. The extreme action taken against the rebels came under notice and Amnesty International claimed that the interim government has failed to protect human rights. The press has quoted Irene Khan as saying that she has had heard accounts of abuse of power, arbitrary detention and mistreatment from victims. This was the final straw and it gave Fakhruddin’s rivals a chance to voice their thoughts openly. What added fuel to the shoddier state of affairs was the price hike of basic commodities especially rice and wheat. The repeatedly occurring floods and cyclones proved a havoc for the two most consumed crops (rice and wheat) of the region. The shortage made it mandatory for the government to import it from other countries. This forced the prices to go up in the local market increasing inflation. This problem is similar to what the Musharraf’s regime is facing now days.
Now the scenario reveals that it is being demanded to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible. The opposition wants Fakhruddin to hand over his power to the elected government. Many are voicing the fear of Fakhruddin denying giving up his position. The analysts fear that if the emergency is continued for long then it may have adverse effect on the economy as the Western countries, unfavorable towards the emergency imposed, contribute the lion’s share of development aid. The interim government which was favored by most is now losing popularity due to record-high inflation, uncertainty over the political process and a sharp slowdown of economic growth.
Nonetheless, the interim government has decided to hold the free and fair elections in December 2008. According to analysts it will be a difficult task and any sort of error will leave a black mark on the interim government’s face. Nevertheless, the government is trying its best to ensure impartial elections. For that matter the government is organizing a fresh list of voters, with photographic identity cards, and is planning to use transparent ballot boxes to guard against fraud. According to report, the government has also reorganized the Election Commission and is now putting the final touches on plans to free it from control of the prime minister’s office. The list will be completed by the end of June. Also Fakhruddin assured the public that there is no need to panic as there is no reason why the elections won’t take place on time. There are chances that the elections might be held sooner than the given date. Still the politicians are concerned and demand that the elections be held in early July.
If to be believed, then the only matter of concern that remains is that if Khaleda and Hasina, who alternated as prime minister for 15 years until October 2006, are found guilty and convicted, will not be able to contest the elections. Hasina and Khaleda both face multiple corruption charges along with other 170 key politicians. It is a good thing for a country often rated the world’s most corrupt state. Still, the problem is, will the major parties contest the election if their key leaders are detained on corruption charges. According to political analyst Talukder Moniruzzaman, some sort of reconciliation is needed. Also the parties are demanding their leaders to be released as they were arrested on false and fabricated cases.
In just a year, the interim government, which initially was met by cheers, is now becoming ostracized with the masses. Even though Fakhruddin was better than most as in Musharraf’s case, the people now want democracy restored in their country. They might accept that the ex-economist was good for their country but still, he was imposed on them and they, like the rest of the world want a democratic leader, no matter how bad he might be.
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