Post-election crisis to be challenging: Experts

Bangladesh faces a challenging path ahead as it approaches the 7 January parliamentary elections amidst mounting economic and foreign pressures that threaten to aggravate the ongoing political crisis, said representatives of various stakes in society during a roundtable discussion held in Dhaka today.

Former bureaucrats, economists, businessmen, NGO representatives, and ex-law enforcement officials called on the government to address the post-election crisis now in the roundtable titled "Difficult path towards election" organised by the Editors Guild, Bangladesh.

Even though there are many challenges such as one-sided voting without the BNP, ruling Awami League's alternative or dummy candidates, economic and foreign pressures, analysts in the discussion said they believe that the upcoming parliamentary elections will proceed as scheduled.

They argue that due to the continuous boycott of elections, the BNP is gradually losing ground as a political party.

"Elections have been controversial several times under party governments. Elections ahead are still very much a one-sided game, as one of the major teams is not taking part in it," Ali Imam Majumder, former cabinet secretary, said.

Describing the upcoming elections as a "friendly match," he said that through these elections, the constitutional obligations may be somewhat fulfilled but it will gradually deepen the political vacuum.

Economist Ahsan H Mansur said now the national elections are going to be held like a Chinese model. "But the problem with this model is that one party fixes everything," he added.

"New issues arise every day, and the drama is being staged in a new way. There is one player here. It can be understood that it is heading towards the end," he added.

Criticising the BNP, he said, "The sad thing is that they are only campaigning for elections. People do not know whether they have any economic agenda or social agenda. They could have offered people an alternative during the economic crisis, but they did not do that."

Ruling out the possibility of sanctions from the Western countries, including the United States, he said, "There will be no sanctions on trade from the Western countries as our situation is not like Ukraine."

Siddiqur Rahman, former president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said, "The big question is who will actually lead the BNP during the elections. That is why they are not taking part in the elections. And due to the continuous boycott of the elections, the BNP is gradually losing ground as a political party."

Regarding the US ban on the garment sector, he said, "Even if they want to, they cannot purchase garment items from an alternative market overnight. The garment sector faced many challenges in the past and was able to move forward. If any challenge comes, we have the ability to deal with it."

NGO leader Khushi Kabir said, "It appears that an election will take place in any way. Now it should be ensured that the post-election situation remains alright, meaning the decisions should not come from one place or they should not be seen as one-sided."

She further said, "The presence of the opposition is crucial for democracy. But, if the opposition turns extremist, it becomes a danger for everyone."

Former IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandker said law enforcement forces have the capacity to deal with any unruly situation. He emphasised on putting attention towards the post-election situation.

As the moderator of the event, Mozammel Babu, president of the Editors Guild, said, "We are on the road to a challenging path leading to the 7 January elections. Foreign entities are creating a difficult situation centring on the upcoming elections. The reserves of Bangladesh Bank are depleting again. Furthermore, the BNP and its allies are preparing to obstruct the holding of elections."

Citing some experts he said, "The BNP could not make any impact after boycotting elections in the past because of the booming economic situation in the country. But this time the economy is flagging."

Among others, former FBCCI president Sheikh Fazle Fahim and senior journalists Mohammed Manzurul Islam and Nazmul Ashraf also spoke at the event.