New Age Editorial 15/11/10
An indecent act by a govt intolerant of opposition
THE eviction of the former prime minister and BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, from her cantonment house on Saturday was illegal, inhuman and politically myopic on the part of the government, and might contribute to further worsening of the acrimonious environment of the ruling class politics. It was illegal because the case over the legally disputed house is still pending with the highest court; it was inhuman because she was forcibly ousted by the police without even allowing her time to pack, particularly when her children and grandchildren are abroad; and it was short-sighted politically because the cruelty and embarrassments inflicted on the leader of the opposition in parliament would vitiate the political scene further, which, again, might affect the interests of all the citizens of the country irrespective of their political affiliation. Besides, the government action was absolutely inconsistent with its electoral promise of the ruling party that it would introduce `decency and tolerance in political culture'. Fed up with indecent gestures and intolerant attitude of the political camps towards each other, the ordinary millions liked the electoral slogan; now, the people at large have reasons to feel betrayed. The eviction of Khaleda Zia was an act of indecency by a government intolerant of the opposition, although it is not the lone example of the government's intolerance with the opposition party and dissenting views of the citizens. The political wrath of the government against Khaleda Zia reached such a proportion that it refused to wait until November 29, the day set by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to hear her petition for `leave to appeal' against the High Court verdict declaring illegal the leasing out of the house to Khaleda, a hapless widow after the murder of President Ziaur Rahman three decades ago.
The people running the government today may have enjoyed watching the tears that a humiliated Khaleda shed publicly on Saturday evening, but the same tears, capable of touching the hearts of apparently disempowered millions, might decisively flash out many a powerful of the day from the citadel of powers tomorrow. The tears of Sheikh Hasina, the president of the Awami League, after all, have substantially served her to dethrone her political rivals, and rise to state power more than once. The country's poor millions have always been moved by the tears of the powerful rich, although the latter have hardly shown any sympathy towards the tears of the powerless poor.
However, while it is only politically natural that the opposition BNP would protest against the illegal eviction of its party chairperson, a dawn-to-dusk shut-down called by the party, particularly a couple of days before the Eid festival, does not speak highly of its sensitivity towards the millions of city dwellers eager to return to their rural homes to enjoy the festival with their near and dear ones. Besides, it is not morally sound for the party to enforce a hartal in protest against the eviction of its chairperson, when it did not do so against the governmental failures to honour its electoral promises like keeping the price of the essential commodities within the reach of low-income groups of people, adequate supply of gas and electricity, fighting against extortions and tender manipulations, restoring law and order, et cetera,
From the top leader of a political party, that too, claiming to be nationalist, it is only expected that the unfortunate situation that she has just been exposed to would help her realise the pains of homelessness of millions of poor people of the country and, therefore, guide her party to pursue an egalitarian political and economic agenda that would help the country's homeless millions get their own houses in the years to come. As for a sense of political vendetta that the illegal eviction could easily regenerate in her, Khaleda's challenge remains, though very difficult for anyone to meet such a challenge, not to waste her abilities and strengths in retaliation for the humiliation, rather utilise them positively to do public goods for the rest of her life.
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