Humanitarian corridor, JS Polls: What do the Army chief’s recent remarks signify?

On Thursday, during an "Officers' address," Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman stated that national elections should be held by December, stressing that only an elected government should decide on key issues, such as the proposed Myanmar corridor and the management of Chittagong Port. 

The proposed Rakhine corridor has been subject to much controversy. Although High Representative to Chief Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman has said the government did not discuss giving a 'corridor' to Myanmar, he then mentioned that they were talking to the UN about channelling aid, food and medicine to Rakhine. This means the debate goes on, as many consider both to be the same. 

He further noted that the army is adopting a stricter stance on law and order, warning that violence disguised as mob justice will no longer be tolerated. He also clarified that he has not been consulted on the ongoing reform process and is unaware of its specifics. 

The Business Standard reached out to experts to assess the implications of his remarks.

Illustration: TBS

For matters of national importance, it is best to build a national consensus 

Humayun Kabir, Former Bangladesh ambassador to the US

An interim government typically has limited time and capital. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on judicious and prudent allocation of this capital and time. 

It goes without saying that we are currently in a democratic transition, which involves building consensus among all political parties on major reforms in various key areas, and ultimately completing a sustainable political transition through an upcoming election. These are, by themselves, huge responsibilities.

Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that no other diversions shift our focus away from these priorities. So, beyond what the Army Chief has said, I believe we should be prudent in terms of using the time, energy, and capital we have at hand to basically steer Bangladesh towards a sustainable democracy.

Additionally, next year we are graduating from LDC status, which will bring a lot of economic challenges. We need to focus on how to prepare the nation to manage and handle them. 

I believe our attention should be primarily directed towards these matters at this moment.

The Rohingya issue is also critical. We should always focus on how to begin and accelerate the repatriation process. Introducing any other topic now might create a diversion. So, it is better to avoid them in the current circumstances.

Bangladesh is part of the international community. So, any government in Bangladesh, no matter how long they stay in power, has to conduct normal diplomatic activities with our neighboring nations as well as our partners all around the world. I believe the government needs to be engaged in such activities.

However, if a very significant initiative needs to be taken, I believe extensive consultation is necessary. And democratically elected governments possess the paraphernalia to conduct such consultations; so it's easier for them. 

An interim government will naturally face challenges in this regard. But again, to resolve challenges that arise during normal diplomatic activities, the interim government will certainly continue to work. 

Yet, for matters of national priority or importance, I believe it is best to build a national consensus through broader consultations.

Humayun Kabir spoke to TBS' Jannatul Naym Pieal over the phone. 

Sketch: TBS

Law enforcement agencies are not yet fully able to perform their duties

Major General ANM Muniruzzaman, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS)

The Army Chief said that the army should return to the cantonments, but even after the election, the army might have to assist the civilian administration for a few months.

Such decisions come from the government. So, it is primarily a government decision.

The police and other law enforcement agencies are not yet fully able to perform their duties, so they are not yet fully prepared. Therefore, the army is definitely needed to fill the gap that exists here, and the government has made that decision.

As the election approaches, there is potential for increased unrest and chaos in the country. Therefore, not only the army but also all responsible parties, including the police and other forces, need to be more stringent. More importantly than being stringent, however, is properly fulfilling their duties. That is what is essential.

The army has been granted magisterial powers. Despite this, the law and order situation in the country has not significantly improved. This is because the massive number of personnel required to maintain law and order across the entire country cannot be provided by the army alone. 

This responsibility primarily belongs to the police. The army is merely playing a supportive role alongside them, as the army is not present everywhere in the country and does not have that many personnel. Only the police do.

Meanwhile, the Army Chief stated that policy decisions such as establishing humanitarian corridors to Rakhine or offering opportunities to foreign companies in Chittagong port should be taken by a political government. I also agree with this statement.

These are highly sensitive decisions related to national security, typically made in parliament through discussion. Since there is currently no parliament in Bangladesh, these decisions must be made through discussions with the leaders of the major political parties in the country.

Regarding the extent to which an interim government can operate in foreign policy and how much should be left to an elected government, there are specific guidelines in the Supreme Court's order. This was very clearly stated in the advice the Supreme Court gave during the formation of the government. The interim government should abide by that threshold.

Major General (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman spoke to TBS' Jannatul Naym Pieal over the phone. 

Sketch: TBS

The sooner elections can be arranged, the sooner we'll be free from the disturbance of the mob

Ahsanul Karim, Senior Supreme Court lawyer

First of all, those who are currently running the government are not capable of maintaining law and order. They are also not capable of carrying out any so-called reforms. And they've been in power for quite some time now, almost a year. 

Since they haven't been able to do anything in all this time, and no sign of any reforms has been seen, let there be elections, and let the elected governments do the reforms. I think even if they are allowed to continue to hold on to power for the next five years, there will not be any significant developments regarding the reforms. The country will remain in this chaos.

There should not be any constitutional complications regarding holding elections by December at all. This is because the constitution requires three months' time during the period of a caretaker government to hold an election. The caretaker government would then arrange the elections within three months from the date the parliament ceases to exist.

If a caretaker government can do it according to the constitution, then why should there be any problem for an interim government? They aren't even a caretaker government. They ought to have exercised much diligence in arranging the elections, which was their main purpose.

We've seen that a group can create a mob and achieve any demands they want. The sooner elections can be arranged, the sooner we'll be free from the disturbance of the mob.

We saw that just two days ago, the NCP besieged the Election Commission, demanding its reconstitution and the swift organisation of local government elections. 

Now, this interim government itself reconstituted the Election Commission; no one else did. And this government was accepted by all, including the students' group as well. So, if a matter or decision goes against them, they'll besiege – this practice needs to stop. There must be some end to this.

Ahsanul Karim spoke to TBS' Jannatul Naym Pieal over the phone.