Calling the army out

Nobody contests the fact that the decision is well within the authority vested in the president, the ministry of defence being under him during the interregnum, but we are not convinced that objectivity has been the major determinant of his decision. If it is to help in maintaining law and order ahead of the forthcoming election, calling the army out six weeks before the election is premature, to say the least.

If it is the law and order that has compelled the deployment of the army one would have thought that the situation during the last week of October gave more compelling basis for calling in the army to quell the situation at that time. There is no condition on ground now that has precipitated to a level beyond the capability of the law-enforcing agencies that calls for supplementing their effort by the army's. The recent 14-party programmes were observed quite peacefully with some minor clashes only in some places, and even the siege of the Bangabhaban went off peacefully.

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So why this decision, which we understand, was the President's own? Given the fact that the president is also wearing the chief adviser's hat it would have been appropriate under the circumstances to take into account the advisers' dissent, who were not convinced that the current situation merited deployment of the army.

Thus we feel that sufficient ground did not exist to drag the army into this political fray. It is regrettable since the deployment does not in any way provide a way out of the political cul-de-sac that we find ourselves in. The president seems to be oblivious of the negative international impact of his decision. No doubt it will be seen as a serious weakness of our democratic institutions and our failure to move on without army involvement.

What the President and the caretaker chief must do is to rush to remove the political deadlock. The deployment of the army can give him no respite at all. Because, if it is his intention to use it as a ploy to chastise the 14-party alliance he will be ill advised to use it. Only a pragmatic approach and principled position rising above party affiliation will help arrive at a solution.