BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is wrong to claim that the government does not have the right to set a budget for the next fiscal year.
The BNP made its own decision to boycott the January 5 election. It is neither accurate nor constructive for it to be questioning the legitimacy of the government. The one-sided election was deemed necessary to ensure a government which was constitutionally legal.
By the same token, the election should not be considered a popular mandate to serve out a five-year term. The public expects the AL to negotiate with the BNP and hold a fresh election in which both parties participate, and every voter has the opportunity to vote.
We are concerned that neither of the parties appears ready to resume dialogue about the country’s political future.
The government has demonstrated an unseemly willingness to deny political space to the BNP by interfering with or obstructing its programs. The BNP meanwhile has drawn attention away from its critiques of current policies by ill-advisedly disputing the legitimacy of the government.
An opinion poll conducted for the Dhaka Tribune in February made clear that a clear majority of voters, regardless of voting preference, want the current government to hold new, inclusive elections well before the end of its term.
The poll also made clear that the public abhors the confrontation and violence of last year’s hartals and blockades. Talks must be held soon to overcome the political divide to remove the possibility of any reoccurrence.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
