Opposition terms PM's reforms call cosmetic

They said the call itself was vague, part of a propaganda campaign and meaningless in the current political context.

The ruling BNP has given the call under the guidelines of the World Bank in order to receive more foreign funds, some of them observed.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia made an appeal to "bring a qualitative change in our old-fashioned politics" at the national convention of Bangladesh Political Science Association (BPSA) on July 19.

She urged all concerned to discard hartal and stop parliament boycott and other harmful activities.

Her party's Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan repeated the same appeal on July 19. He told a press briefing that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the ruling coalition leader, requested the speaker to take an initiative to bring the main opposition party back to the Jatiya Sangsad.

Earlier, Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui took an initiative to hold a dialogue between the BNP and the main opposition Awami League.

Abdul Hamid, deputy leader of the opposition, said the government was running Bangladesh in a autocratic style. "They do not believe in what they say," he alleged.

"The government's attitude to the opposition parties is not good. They are shifting the blame for their failure in running the country onto the opposition," he alleged.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, told The Daily Star yesterday that the appeal was part of a propaganda campaign by the government to show the people that it was interested in bringing about changes in the political culture.

"If the prime minister had been sincere, she should have taken an initiative to purge her party of criminals and godfathers. The government started the propaganda in line with the suggestion of the World Bank,'' Selim said.

Bimal Biswas, general secretary of the Workers Party, said the prime minister took the initiative to bank on people's sentiment to advance her political ends. "It's nothing, but sheer propaganda," he said.

"If she really meant political reforms, she would have taken some definite steps," he said, adding, "Terrorism and corruption are part of major political politics.''

GM Kader, presidium member of the Jatiya Party (Ershad), told The Daily Star yesterday that the government was not sincere in its proposal.

"The prime minister is proposing for a national consensus on vital issues at a time when she is also threatening the opposition with dire consequences," he said.

"It is not an attitude for cooperation."

Hasanul Haq Inu, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, called the government's appeal as vague and said Khaleda needed to start reforms from her own party.