By Ashis Biswas
In Bangladesh, interim Chief adviser to the caretaker regime, Dr Mohammad Yunus has tasted success in an entirely unintended manner: He has succeeded remarkably in bringing about a political unity of sorts. Defying conventional wisdom and analysis, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have opposed the ban declared against the Awami League (AL) by the present rulers. Both parties have also strongly pressed for early elections in Bangladesh.
These parties like the AL enjoy considerable mass following in Bangladesh. Their demand for fresh elections indirectly helps the AL’s recent agitations defying the ban against them declared by the caretaker regime and protesting the arrest of scores of its leaders by the police.
This leaves Dr Yunus and his administration politically cornered. The ruling officials are backed only by the army. It is common knowledge that neither the declaration of early elections in Bangladesh or allowing a reprieve for the recently ousted AL were among top priorities of the present ruling dispensation.
Their major demand for fresh elections directly contradicts the official position adopted by Dr Yunus and his advisers. The present regime maintains that an urgent reform of the present system of elections must be carried out without delay. Therefore, consultations with all parties barring the AL were urgently needed. .
As for the banned AL, there were too many allegations of major criminal activities and serious corruption charges against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and scores of former AL Ministers, legislators and officials. Already legal proceedings had started against some AL leaders including senior Ministers and party leaders. Some had been arrested.
Further, moves were afoot to ensure the return of Mrs Hasina, former Prime Minister, from her sojourn in India to return to Bangladesh to face charges against her and the administration she had led.
During the days immediately following the anti-Hasina coup on August, 5, such sentiments were readily lapped up by millions of frenzied protestors opposing the AL. However, the loss of momentum in Dr Yunus’s work, not to mention controversial announcements made and steps taken by political advisers appointed by him, as the new administration completed 100 days in power, gradually complicated the scene.
At the moment, it is common knowledge that despite his known base of support among the Democrat party politicians led by the former President Bill Clinton and his influential wife Hilary in the US, Dr Yunus may well be skating on thin ice, as the saying goes. President elect Mr, Donald Trump is known to be not quite friendly with the present rulers of Bangladesh.
The fact is, quite apart from mounting financial distress affecting large sections of the people, the new army-backed unelected interim ‘rulers’ Yunus leads , have lost a great deal of support among large sections of the people in Bangladesh. Their post coup announcements assuring the people of immediate elections and improvements in the economic situation, ironically, led to an erosion of public faith in the new ruling dispensation.
What hurt them most was the indication that massive new administrative reforms, both in the spheres of governance as well as in the election system would be carried out, as necessary first steps before the next general elections. It was officially admitted that the process of reforms would take longer than estimated — in fact this could take as long as four years!
This one announcement, which the Yunus team later tried to deny, especially ruling out the four year period indicated, not only enraged the concerned political parties whether in the opposition or the AL itself, it angered common people. Suddenly, the old familiar allegations often made against the Nobel laureate economist Yunus of hankering for personal power, above all else, seemed to be true! The rulers it seemed were keen only to rule for an indefinitely long period, instead of providing early relief to the people.
This lent a new energy and ensured growing support for the thousands of AL supporters who staged protest marches on various issues to demonstrate to the interim administration that merely banning a mass bade party like the AL could hardly stifle the voice of political opposition in volatile Bangladesh. Worse, even the BNP which had initially supported the advent of Yunus as the new (if untested!) Messiah to guide Bangladesh out of troubled waters, began to question his motives.
Prominent BNP leader, Ms Rumin Farhan announced that she had been the sternest opponent of Ms Hasina and the AL party. But she insisted she would never support the idea of banning an organisation like the AL, which like the BNP was a political party that fought regular elections, enjoying a mass support. Criminals within the AL or other parties could be tackled under the due process of law. There was no reason she felt to keep the AL out future negotiations over elections in Bangladesh, etc.
Other BNP leaders as well as spokesmen of the JEI who announced their stand later, also indicated their opposition to the banning of the AL. They also opposed the denunciation of the AL as a Fascist organisation by the present dispensation.
.These developments indicate that Yunus and his team may well be losing the plot. in Bangladesh. Not only the AL, but even the BNP and the JEI, other major forces in the country were distancing themselves from his team. This would have never happened unless they had already lost their faith in the new administration, according to Bangladesh press reports.
Sadly enough, Yunus may not even get adequate credit for his one major achievement: the interim rulers have managed to keep some control over a rapidly unravelling economy with increased remittances from workers and a rise of exports in some sectors. There has been no further drop in recent weeks in the forex reserves, no mean achievement in the present situation.
There can be no denying however that common people are suffering acutely in financial terms, thanks to rampant inflation, continuing shortage of essential food and other items, power outages and corruption. The law and order in many districts remains poor.
According to BNP leaders, the number of Bangladeshis currently suffering from food security is not less than 60 million, including people forced to cut down on their daily intake of calories. (IPA Service)
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