Revisiting The Fall of Ershad: AL, BNP ruled like Ershad
Dr Kamal Hossain
Dr Kamal Hossain, who played a key role in formulating the modalities of the interim government of 1990, says that the democratic spirit behind the 1990 upheaval against HM Ershad has been destroyed by greed for power and money by the country's political parties.
Looking back at the fall of Ershad, which set the nation dreaming of a conflict-free democratic society, Dr Kamal in a interview with The Daily Star said that other than getting governments through elections and an expansion of the media there has been no basic difference between the autocratic rule of Ershad and government by the two leading parties since 1991.
The eminent jurist, who served as law minister and then as foreign minister in Bangabandhu's government between January 1972 and August 1975, said the ouster of autocracy in 1990, the scope of a return to parliamentary democracy and Justice Shahabuddin's taking power from the autocrat --- all of these were the achievements of fair, people-oriented politics. But since that moment of triumph, sick politics has been destroying the nation's achievements, he added.
The Awami League-led 15 party, BNP-led seven-party and left-leaning five-party alliances signed a historic framework on November 19, 1990 to force Ershad to resign and introduce true democracy and a democratic system in the country.
"There are 300 MPs in parliament but they can't say anything out of fear they might not become ministers or get nominations at the next election," he said, adding it would be difficult to bring any real change unless the election was held under a caretaker government.
He said the political parties had become a syndicate where fear and money dominate. "A landlord system is seen among the politicians, with the political parties somehow winning the election in order to become landlords."
A few people today can remember the outline of three political alliances, those who belonged to the alliances, regretted Hossain. He added both the then BNP government and Awami League were reminded of the outline after the 1991 election, but no one paid any heed.
Criticising the politicians of the two major parties for repeatedly breaking their promises, Hossain said people did not trust them as they said one thing but did something else. "Greed for power and money is on one side while the country, patriotism and people's rights were on the other. Unfortunately, greed for power and money gets priority."
He said for twenty years the country had been witnessing the sick politics that had emerged due to the failure of some people to rein in their unlimited greed. However, he said the people of the country had not lost hope as there were still politicians like Selina Hayat Ivy. "Her speeches have proved that patriotism and ideology are there in a practice of fair politics."
The neutral application of rules has gone fugitive due to the sick nature of politics, said Kamal Hossain. The entire administration has been politicized and interference in the working of the police has been institutionalized.
Asked to what extent the parties are accountable to parliament, Dr Hossain said there has been no rational or logical debate or discussion on issues of national importance in the last twenty years. "What we observe in parliament is that everything approached from a party point of view. What the ruling party says is good, while the opposition pounces on the ruling party, terming its acts as being very bad. This practice is contrary to the spirit of democracy."
Explaining the pre- and post-90 situation, he said Ershad had wanted to import the Indonesian pattern of political governance in Bangladesh. He sent his army officials regularly to that country to see how parties, the army and the state could be brought under control. "Ershad wanted this so that there could be no checks and balance and accountability, leaving parliament a rubber stamp," said the internationally renowned lawyer.
About establishing democracy and democratic governance system on the basis of the spirit of liberation and independence, Dr Hossain said, "We have already lost the achievements of the liberation war; political parties have become landlords somehow by winning the elections."
He said Ershad had committed murdered and had plundered wealth but he was now moving around as a free man. Although all the alliances promised not to give him any space, yet the two major parties had been wooing Ershad and his identified loyalists to cling to or grab power.
There was a proposal to form a national government by AL and BNP through holding the first election after Ershad's fall, he said, adding, Khaleda Zia was almost agreeable but not Sheikh Hasina, who was confident that her party would win the 1991 election. "Qualitative changes in politics could come had there been a national government."
Instead of repealing black laws, a major point of the 1990 outline, he said both the parties had enacted new black laws. He said not only Nur Hossain, but also the heroes of the liberation war are being neglected.
Hossain said the nation had overcome three major crises in 1971, 1975 and in 1990 and hoped that the countrymen will again overcome another crisis. "We would not have faced this kind of crisis again had the outline been followed."
Sheikh Hasina simply abolished the caretaker government system. He said the election would not be held without a caretaker government. "No real change will come unless the election is held under a caretaker system." He said there will be no guaranty of fair elections under a politically elected government. "You need a check a balance."
Referring to the division of the Dhaka City Corporation, he said now everything is done on the basis of what Sheikh Hasina says or does. Obviously, he implied that nothing else matters. Ershad split the High Court into six parts while our elected democratic government is dividing the city into parts with little or no justification. "This is not democracy or rule of law. This is total autocracy."
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=213137
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