Silence over BNP Jamaat’s undemocratic call for gabbing power without polls and arson attacks on voters are detrimental to democracy.
While several entities including TIB equated the absence of the BNP-Jamaat combine from the polls as the death knells for democracy, those organizations completely ignored the wave of violence unleashed by BNP Jamaat combine for the second time on voters.
The very assertion that BNP Jamaat has been an essential part of the polls to make it participatory is absurd.
A deafening silence over undemocratic demands raised by the BNP-Jamaat alliance for restoring the caretaker government, an unelected system to oversee the polls, alongside no alarm over the demand for grabbing power without polls what laid bare the one-sided observation of TIB.
Political scientists believe these demands are dangerous, undemocratic and an insult to politics and politicians, given the extraconstitutional role played during the last stint of the caretaker-led government directly placed effort to undermine democracy.
Yet no condemnation in the assessment for these unjustified demands made TIB’s observation biased and a threat to democracy. Observers described the absence of these criticisms as advocacy for these undemocratic demands.
In 2013, centering the tenth parliamentary polls, BNP-Jamaat duo unleashed a series of attacks including the firebombing of buses and trains leading to around a hundred being burnt alive with thousands suffering burnt injuries. Similar attacks on voters were employed by BNP Jamaat in the prelude to the last national polls yet the TIB assessment refused to criticize these demands.
On the other hand, silence on the elevation of Tarique Rahman, who stood well exposed for indulging in flagrant corruption including taking bribes from companies in exchange for awarding government contracts when his mother ruled the county, in the party is completely a betrayal to the stated objective of TIB.
Moreover, echoing BNP’s version of voter turnout at the polls instead of accepting the challenge of EC and offering any substantial proof, emerged as another gaffe in the TIB narrative.
In reality, the rejection of the BNP’s anti-election stance by the Bangladeshi populace signifies not only a rejection of disruptive tactics but also a marked advancement in democratic maturity among the electorate.
By actively participating in the electoral process, the citizens have made their voices heard, reinforcing the notion that active democratic engagement is crucial for shaping a nation’s direction.
Awami League’s victory seems difficult for such so-called bodies including TIB to swallow. So, these organizations should get over to act independently.
Earlier six global bodies including the controversial ANFERL issued a statement and called for a fresh election, a similar observation fails to condemn any such undemocratic demand on the part of BNP Jamaat.
