June 27, 2007
Reformist Pressures Split
Bangladesh Political Parties
Dhaka
Pressures from political reformists in Bangladesh are causing cracks
within the parties. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jatiya
Party have already faced splits, while the Awami League leadership
is faced with a strong revolt.
Bangladesh's third largest political party Jatiya Party is divided
between into husband-wife factions. Former first lady Rawshan
Tuesday declared herself as the party's "acting chief", ousting
husband H.M. Ershad, a former military ruler.
The pressures on political parties were triggered by a call for
"political reforms" by the interim government that has banned all
political activities since January under a spell of national
emergency.
BNP too faced outright rebellion against its chief Begum Khaleda
Zia. A hundred former ministers and lawmakers defied Zia, who has
been the country's prime minister twice. The rebels openly declared
their support for the party's secretary general, Abdul Mannan
Bhuiyan, The Daily Star said Wednesday.
Awami League, the country's oldest party, has fared relatively
better. Its chief, Sheikh Hasina, also a former prime minister, has
staved off rebellion by taking up a position more radical than the
reformists.
She pre-empted the rebels by appointing committees to review the
party's constitution and the organisational framework.
In a well-publicised move, she authorised the committee to get
inputs about constitutions of political parties from the US, the UK,
India and some other countries.
But she too is not without criticism from some old timers who were
with her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Tofael Ahmed and Suranjit
Sengupta are among those who have been openly critical of the
working style of the "supreme leader", as Hasina is known by the
party's rank and file.
Hasina has been criticised for signing a poll pact with an Islamist
militant organisation, Bangladesh Khelafat Movement, without
consulting her colleagues. However, she justified her move by saying
that defeating "communal" forces - Jamaat-e-Islami, once a part of
the BNP-led coalition - was more important.
Political analysts say things could worsen for the incumbent
leaderships of all parties once the government lifts the ban on
overt political activities.
The reforms could end the domination of the political arena by the
two women leaders Zia and Hasina, the analysts say.
The government's call for reforms has been viewed with suspicion in
some quarters because it made abortive attempts to oust Zia and
Hasina from the political scene.
Hasina, virtually under house arrest these days, had to fight hard
to return home after a foreign visit in April. Last week, she was
not allowed to go to the US.
Zia quit the country for Saudi Arabia under a "deal". She was
reportedly under a lot of pressure from the interim government.
There is now a move by former BNP lawmaker Firoze Ahmed to float a
new political party, allegedly under official patronage.
Ahmed has been trying to gather second and third rank leaders and
workers from other parties, a move that has raised the heckles of
the established parties.
"What is the guarantee that leaders of these parties are above
corruption?" Hasina asked last week.
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