M. Serajul Islam
Dr. Sadat Hossain, former Chairman of the Public Service Commission and former Cabinet Secretary in his matter of fact way perhaps articulated the current situation and the BNP’s predicament of election and level playing ground better than most Talk Show participants. Amidst claims by the government that it has done everything for holding free, fair and credible national election and that none should have any concerns to the contrary, he narrated his experience on the road the day the AL and its supporters were marching in processions to the party’s head office to collect election forms that gave a graphic picture to viewers of the type of level playing ground that the BNP could expect in elections held under the Awami League.
That day, there were umpteen processions, of various sizes proceeding to the party office. The police was working overtime, holding traffic to let these processions go by, some in tens, some more, but all accorded the courtesy of free passage at the expense of the people on the road and their immense sufferings After all, the processions were of those belonging to the ruling party and therefore deserved the courtesy, the sufferings of the people notwithstanding!
Level playing misnomer
The point the former Cabinet Secretary made was a simple one; that come the day of elections or in the days leading to it, the police, that would no doubt play a very critical role in whether the playing ground is level or otherwise, would no doubt give this courtesy to the ruling party and the people would have to watch and wonder where the level field the CEC promised in his address had vanished. In fact, Dr. Hossain made it a little bit easier for people not to go into denial. He said based on his lifelong experience in government that if a Minister or even the Prime Minister, were to ask the police out of sheer embarrassment not to extend such courtesy, the police would beg to be forgiven and tell them that they simply could not do anything else! If readers were to consider the extent of politicization that has gone into the police force, then they would be able to conclude that the BNP would not even have a field to play in election under the ruling party.
I wonder if the CEC had seen this particular Talk Show. I think he did not because there was no reason for him to watch this particular Talk Show or for that matter any other Talk Show these days because he surely knows too well what these Talk Shows discuss. He also knows as well that when he and the Election Commission are the subjects in the Talk Shows as they frequently are, the views of the participants are anything but complimentary. For once though since the current political situation became the bread and butter of the Talk Shows, there was a sudden change of heart
Source: Weekly Holiday
