Last 5 years of Bangladesh opposition sacrifice can not be allowed to go in vain

The bottom line is, this government will last for 5 years unless the opposition can fill the streets with angry people. Those who think they can achieve something without sacrifice; they do not know anything about crude politics of Bangladesh. It seems Begum Zia, and at large the opposition have washed their hands relying on some foreign diplomats, as if the plate will be given to them without sacrifice. No government with firm grip on Army and administration will fall without people’s participation in mass magnitude and in violent uprising. USA and others may apply some pressure to restore democracy, but they will not jeopardise their long term interest in Bangladesh for the opposition unless the opposition can put up a strong fight. At the moment BNP lacks this ability, or is unable to motivate the people with good leadership, and Jamat don’t have the mass support base as BNP. As for the Army, I have many times in the past have said that the Army has been compromised from no 1 to 10 with the Pilkhana massacre. Nothing will happen from the Army unless some fragments are stupid enough to do the daring like Col. Faruk Rashid. That only leaves the ordinary people to do a revolution like that of Egypt, and in my opinion the opposition don’t have that kind of charismatic leadership at this moment to motivate people. Government talk about Jamat alliance with BNP is only an issue to divert attention from the real issue of restoring all party democracy, having an inclusive election that envisage a free, fair and credible election under a neutral government.

I don’t know the true position of the friends group on Bangladesh next government, or how quickly they envisage an election, or whether their public stand is different from their private position with the Awami Government. Dan Mozina is shrewd and USA is shrewd. If anyone believes every word they say then they are naïve or lack ability to understand regional or international politics. Just to clarify my analysis, let me point out where my doubt about their true intention lies. When Mozina met with Begum Zia, he firmly underscored the need to stop violence, because American investment in BD is being affected. What he really was trying to convey to Begum Zia was that blockade was having an effect on American businesses interest. I have no idea what Begum zia had said in return to him, but if Dan Mozina was serious, instead of reminding Begum Zia to stop political activities, he should have met with Hasina, and strongly should have told her to stop indiscriminate killings, arrest of their leaders and activists, and allow the opposition to open all of their political offices and let all the banned newspapers and TV station to be re-opened, and immediately announce a new election, but no such strong wording came from Dan Mozina. I suspect all of these diplomats went to Begum Zia only to pacify her and hold her back from agitation.

Many of the western diplomat’s hypocrisy really piss me off. Publicly Dan Mozina may be saying one thing, but privately they don’t really like any political party which adheres to Islamic politics. For Awamileague, Jamat is a tactical vote issue, they know very well that in a fair election, Jamat voters hold key to many constituencies, so naturally they would want Jamat to be as far away as possible from BNP. Jamat and BNP have no ideological unison other than patriotism and the need to remove this unjust government. And this issue is a burning issue for overwhelming majority of the people of Bangladesh. I don’t agree that our fate is at the hand of foreigners, in fact the future fate of India and USA’s strategic policy in this region is in our hand, but our leaders and people have given up on this belief, and wilfully have surrendered their potential to the foreigners including to India. If Jamat alliance with BNP is a problem for Hasina accepting a fair election, then this would have been a peanut issue to resolve. It is not simply black and white. What Awami wants from Begum Zia is not only a separate ways, but an agreement with BNP to completely severe ties with jamat, and agree to accepting a government crackdown on them, banning it as a political party, not allowing their activists and leaders to rehabilitate under new party or merge with any other party. The issue now should not have been about Jamat alliance with BNP, rather the issue should have been about Awami tyranny, their dictatorship, illegitimate election, the formation of one party government, and human rights abuses by the government.

I don’t understand what Jamat had to do with one party election or any future election. Right stands distinguish from wrong. If BNP thinks it can secure an early election from Hasina by severing ties with Jamat, then by all means it has right to choose what it sees best for them, but I don’t believe Awamileague will accept an early election if the streets of Bangladesh becomes quite. But from my perspective I see BNP faltering and in severe weakness, both intellectually and politically. If they want to regain momentum they need to quickly plan their strategy and put this to the people of Bangladesh, otherwise without a vision, firmness and a destination, no one will follow them and the entire issue of an early free, fair, and credible election will be buried in the cold.

It is clear now that Awamileague has no mandate. The government has become illegitimate by none confidence of the people casting only 10 percent of vote. Since this government lost confidence of the people, anything this government does or orders becomes illegal. Therefore, ministers, MP’s of this illegal government can be treated as criminals, and as such, people could make citizen arrest of those ministers and MP’s and hand them to the people’s court for sentencing. A house of a person is his property, and when someone forcefully occupies it, it becomes a duty for its residence to remove him by all means, similarly I believe, a country is the property of the people, and when someone occupies its treasury and parliament forcefully, it becomes a duty on the people of the country to remove them by whatever means. It will fall under the law of trespass. Awamileague MP’s are now trespassing on our property and they should be removed by all means. Some foreign countries want to see Bangladesh as a subservient nation, but people of Bangladesh want to see a country free from tyranny and in peace with one another, but as long as Sheikh Hasina’s doctrine of one party rule lives, we can have no peace