Sorry saga of BNP oath-taking

The oath-taking of four Members of Parliament elected with the tickets of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Monday has once again exposed the sorry state of our politics.

Perhaps, the word sorry is an understatement to describe the political health of the world’s eighth largest country.

The event, to a significant extent, demonstrated as to why majority of the people of our country do not trust what our politicians say and do. 

In a democracy, it is perfectly normal for elected MPs to take oath. And, no one would say anything about it. But, the problem here with the BNP, who had run the country for quite some years, had rejected the elections on December 30, 2018 outright, bringing several severe allegations including stuffing the ballot boxes on the night before.

The BNP hierarchies always maintained categorically that since the elections were illegitimate, there’s no question of taking part in the parliament.

The position of the BNP-led Jatiya Oikya Front, headed by Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain remained the same. The Oikya Front secured eight seats – BNP six and Gono Forum two -- in the 300-member parliament.  

And, when Gono Forum leader Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, who was elected with BNP’s symbol, Sheaf of Paddy, took oath on March 7, apparently violating the decision of his party as well as the platform formed prior to the December 30 elections, he took a lot of heat. He was even called traitor.

Also Read- All BNP MPs-elect except Fakhrul take oath

Listening to the Oikya Front leaders, it appeared that the sky had fallen. The fate of another elected Gono Forum leader Mokobbir Khan, who took oath on April 2, was the same.

To make the issue even more interesting, a BNP elected leader, Zahidur Rahman, from Thakurgaoan-3 constituency took the oath of office on April 25, prompting his own party to expel him for his decision.

Then came April 29, a day before the 90-day time frame within which an elected member must take oath. BNP MPs Harun Or Rashid, Aminul Islam, Ukil Abdus Sattar and Mosharraf Hossain took oath. BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a press briefing on the day said that the decision had been taken by the party.

The saga does not end here. On Tuesday, Mirza Fakhrul, who was also elected as an MP from Bogra, said that although the four BNP MPs took oath, he would not. It was the decision of the party to allow the four to take oath, he said. At the same time, he added that it’s also the decision of the party that he would not take oath.

The veteran politician termed the BNP stance political strategy.

Well.

What kind of a strategy is it which cannot be understood by the common people who are supposed to be benefited by politics?

Who knows? Perhaps, there is a good reason behind these decisions, but the politicians are keeping it to themselves.

For a long lime, there has been a piece of news circulating among the people. That is that the BNP MPs would take oath and imprisoned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia would travel abroad for treatment.

Is it true? No one knows.

Politics is meant to serve the people of the country with utmost honesty and integrity. Politics is not about deals between the government and other political parties.

Politics is meant to have a government that will be fairly elected to serve the people ensuring good governance and rule of law.

Politics is meant to ensure that there will be a responsible opposition that will hold the government to account.

Most importantly, politics is meant to always tell the people truth, only truth, nothing but the truth.

Given the present scenario including the drama of Monday and Tuesday, nothing mentioned above is happening.

The shifting of the goal-posts so frequently delivers nothing but disservice to the people, who, according to the constitution, are the owners of the country. It does nothing to increase the trust people have in politicians.

Undoubtedly, over the last several years, people’s interest in political process has diminished to a great extent, and the very recent event is not going to help.

It is always said that conscious and really-educated people do not enter politics, which is perhaps the best way to directly make a positive difference in people’s lives, due to the sickness of the country’s current politics.

It is incumbent upon the day’s politicians to create a situation that will bring back the interest of people to politics, decent politics which will be none other than by the people, of the people, and for the people.