Violence spreads in Bangladesh as poll day nears
Amidst yet another enforced nationwide shutdown, the pre-poll violence that has gripped Bangladesh is testimony to the destructive political agenda pursued by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the coalition it leads. Since Saturday, when the 18-party Opposition alliance imposed its 72-hour blockade of roads, railway and waterways across the country, about half-a-dozen people have died and several more injured. There has been rampant looting, arson and vandalism. The security situation is particularly bad in Dhaka, where 11 crude bombs went off on Monday alone, as well as in Opposition strongholds where party workers have violently clashed with security personnel and minority communities have come under fire. But despite the worsening condition, the Opposition alliance shows no signs of letting up. It has extended the ongoing blockade, which was to be lifted on Tuesday, till the end of Thursday. This 131-hour long strike comes on the heels of last week's three-day long shutdown from November 26 to November 28, which was equally violent and claimed the lives of at least 20 people. The enormous amount of pain and suffering that these shutdowns have caused to the common man, and the tremendous damage that it continues to inflict upon Bangladeshi economy, is indeed monumental.
As the political atmosphere in the run-up to the general election scheduled for January 5, 2014, becomes increasingly polarised and vitiated, there are no signs of respite. At the crux of the matter remains the old debate over the pre-poll caretaker Government: The Opposition wants to continue with the tradition of a non-political interim administration overseeing the election, while the ruling Awami league is opposed to it since a caretaker arrangement had previously derailed Bangladesh's democratic process. But given the resistance of the BNP and its allies, the Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina eventually agreed to meet them half-way with an all-party caretaker Government. But the Opposition has torpedoed even that effort, arguing that no Government led by the Prime Minister could ensure a free and fair election.With the Election Commission confirming the election date and making clear last week that it will proceed with the voting, the Opposition has gone into an overdrive to disrupt the poll process. While the BNP, its allies and their anarchic brand of politics are responsible for the disaster in Bangladesh, the ruling party must exercise caution. The political atmosphere in Dhaka is already toxic — one the one hand, the BNP office is in lockdown, Opposition spokespersons are resorting to online telecasts because they fear being seen in public; and on the other, bombs are being hurled at the homes and vehicles of Awami league Ministers. In such a situation, incarcerating rival activists, including the BNP's central leadership, will keep them away from the negotiating table. This is not as it should happen.