Hartal and democracy

25 September 2011, 18:00 PM

Md. Nurnobi Islam,Dept. of Marketing, University of Dhaka

Photo: Mahabub Alam Khan / driknews

No doubt hartal is a democratic tool to protest undemocratic actions of the government, but its undemocratic use violates the democratic system. The purpose of hartal should be to ensure people's interest through its proper and peaceful use. Calling hartal without any logical reason is undemocratic and unacceptable. In our country hartal is called not for the betterment of the people, rather it is used by the politicians to gain personal benefits. The government should perform its duty well so that the opposition parties fail to call any hartal on any illogical ground. We expect that our government would refrain from dealing with questionable national issues and think about the consequences of their action. The opposition parties should also avoid anarchy and vandalism in the name of observing hartal. The government and the opposition should work hand in hand to restore true democracy in our country.