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Transition period sees violence wanton, |
Bangladesh has entered another transition period ,which stretches from three months before election to three months after election. If election is scheduled to be held early January or mid January, then transition period will end at the end of March or mid April next year.
Back in April ,2019,I wrote about then transition period titled "End of Another Transition Period"1. Highlighting some parts of it:
…It is only comparable with the twilight or dawn when the nature tries to adapt itself to the changes.
In Bangladesh, this transition period bears a negative connotation as it is marked with violent political events and regime changes. The administration during this period behaves more freely than under any other regime, people believe. But rival political parties here have inveterate tendency not to walk along the path of reconciliation. So any proposal that involves cooperation with the rivals is often faced intransigence from feuding parties. The result is violent clashes.
…Though ruling party has an overarching influence over the transition administration, transition administration could boast the figure as its success. Casualties from intra party clash left a blot on that claim.
As per the annual stat of Odhikar, there have been 281 incidents of factional clash in Awami League and 14 incidents of infighting within BNP. Intra party clashes resulted in 53 deaths and 3225 injuries for Awami League and 3 deaths and 115 injuries for BNP. My personal observation is that the figures would go up if we have taken into account undocumented incidents and extrajudicial killings. Clearly it is a proof that the transitory administration failed to reign in intra party violence.
Another striking thing I noticed in the last half of the transition period is the rising number of workers' unrest and fire incidents. While the former managed to raise the basic salary significantly, the latter caused deaths of innocent civilians and triggered suspicion among general population. Government should immediately form a judicial investigation committee to probe on the fire incidents to dispel any suspicion. Fatalities from road mishaps have also gone up in the above period. These incidents call into question smooth functioning of transitory administration.
In the past we saw that bloody tragedies struck in this period taking full advantage of the lethargic state of transitory period. The main task of this kind of administration is to pass the baton from one elected government to another. In doing so, breaking down of public order often destabilizes homeostasis of the state.
This transition period is no exception. It begins with the fire incident at a commercial building that housed largest servers of Google and Facebook in Bangladesh. It also served as hub of local broadband internet companies. The incident claimed lives of two people. Authorities claimed the fire incident slowed down the internet across the country. Later a cargo train ignoring instructions of stationmaster hit a passenger train ,killing 18 people and snapping rail links between Dhaka and Chattogram for more than six hours. The incidents occurred few days before grand assembly of the main opposition party in Dhaka.
The assembly was marred in widespread violence, killing one policeman in the line of duty and injuring scores of others. Interestingly ruling regime also called on gathering in Dhaka on that day. Dozens of cars were set on fire and police hospital and judges’ residential complex were also attacked. What is interesting this all happened at the stretch of an area where a circle with a 1-km-long radius includes important police installation like detective branch training school,NSI headquarter, several police stations, Secretariat building, installation of President Guard’s regiments and other key public installations. Killing and mayhem without resistance is unthinkable in such a security-tight area. Later opposition called a one-day strike and series of blockade across the country. These programs also witnessed loss of lives(4 opposition activists killed including a journalist) and vandalism. Senior opposition leaders and thousands of opposition activists were detained. Like the previous transition period, this period also witnessed widespread garments workers' protest for wage hike, resulted in factory attacks and killing of two workers. In some parts, protest continued in spite of hike assurance. Shut down of 200 factories ensued. What I do not understand is that how on earth garments factories continue operation in the busiest parts of Dhaka when govt earlier prohibited their activity in Dhaka Metropolitan area. Who are the owners of these factories? Where do the workers of these factories reside in?
On March 26,2021, hundredth independence day anniversary of Bangladesh was marred in violence in Brahmanbaria. Google search on Bangladesh on that day trended the stories and images of those violence instead of stories of independence day celebration. This time too the stories of political violence in Bangladesh is trending across international media.
Govt is inaugurating key infrastructures which many thought impossible in this country even a decade ago. Riding on these success stories,it is confident that it is going to win the next election. There is speculation that this violence and widespread detention could be a mean to coerce the opposition. While economy is in a dwindling situation, a packet of biriyani or a meager-amount of money may induce one deranged person to engage in subversive activities, chanting slogans of political parties . In this situation, it is invidious to blame squarely the opposition for the violence at the time of transition period. BNP ,which draws its support from the middle and lower-middle class, has never been well versed with street agitation. It landed itself into such a position by throwing such a street movement, which has all the chances of being hijacked by agent provocateurs. All this consolidates the narrative of depoliticization. It is the economy that faces the gravest risk of uncertainties emerging from the political impasse. Longer the stalemate, wider the budget deficit and bigger the fall of taka. Internal and external Investment will be shelved for a favorable climate, making harder the economic recovery.
To make the transition period trouble free and violence free,we have to make all the government agencies accountable to the Parliament and the press. In USA,Federal Tort Claims Act2 allows victim American citizens to sue US government or agencies for compensation. In India, then RAW chief RN Kao once appeared before the Parliament to offer his explanation on the role of his agency during the emergency rule,which was marked by gross violation of human rights. I think we should pass laws in the Parliament to make these agencies accountable and restrain them from doing unwarranted acts.Reconciliation and judicial probe could make the transition period as well as the future peaceful.
Notes And References
- " End of Another Transition Period ",Rezaul Hoque,April 10,2019.. https://hoquestake.blogspot.com.Here is the link:https://hoquestake.blogspot.com/2019/04/end-of-another-transition-period.html?m=1
- Federal Tort Claims Act.Here is the link:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Tort_Claims_Act
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