DECEMBER 29, 2008, will go down in Bangladeshs history as a significant turning point in democratic governance. The ninth parliamentary elections held on that day witnessed an unprecedented, above 80 per cent, voter turnout, and in what seemed like a mass awakening the people delivered a resounding verdict in favour of the Grand Alliance (mahajote), the main constituent of which is the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League. Unmistakably, the voters were desperate for a change. The en masse vote for Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the nations slain founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, proved this only too well.
Analysts began immediately to draw parallels between the December 29 elections and the historic elections of 1970 when the entire Bengali population of East Pakistan voted decisively for the boat symbol of Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans Awami League. That mandate was, however, rejected by the military junta and politicians of West Pakistan, and this impelled an entire population to revolt and engage in a bitter war, which led to the liberation of East Pakistan and the formation of Bangladesh in 1971.
The mood against the right-wing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its main alliance partner, the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, was visible even before the elections. So much so that the victory of the Grand Alliance was almost certain; only its extent could not be guessed.
Sheikh Hasinas promise to improve the economic conditions of the people, provide better governance, and rid Bangladeshi society of the scourge of conflict, provide quality education to the younger generation, and carry the benefits of information and communication technology to every village, so that the next generation could face the challenges of the 21st century, received a positive response from the people.
The Grand Alliance bagged 262 of the 299 seats for which elections were held. (Election to one seat was countermanded following the death of a candidate.) The Awami Leagues individual tally is 230, more than the strength required to form the government and also to bring about vital constitutional reforms.
The Jatiya Party (J.P.) of deposed President H.M. Ershad, a partner of the Grand Alliance, gained significant ground. It won 27 seats, coming out from its base in the greater Rangpur region and making inroads into Sylhet and Chittagong.
Political commentators credited Sheikh Hasinas political acumen and vision for the mahajotes commendable win. Her call ignited patriotic fervour, particularly among the new-generation voters who constituted 33 per cent of the electorate. The youth saw in the Vision 2021 document, unveiled by Sheikh Hasina in her election manifesto, the blueprint for a new Bangladesh.
It is a victory for non-communal democracy against communalism. It is a victory of governance against misrule and of peace against terrorism, Sheikh Hasina said in her post-election press conference. The second-time Prime Minister said her government would not pursue the politics of vengeance and urged the cooperation of the opposition parties in running the government effectively. We will not pursue the politics of vindictiveness and vengeance. We want to present a new political culture. Let us come forward to bury all the differences and work together, she said.
Revealing a more constructive thought, she said: We do not consider the opposition in terms of number as it is very much a part of the government. She labelled poverty as the number one enemy and said united efforts were needed to fight poverty and improve the living standards of the people. Our first task will be to reduce the prices in order to bring them [essential items] within the reach of the poor.
There are many significant aspects to the December 29 elections. While they were transparent, free and fair, and registered a high voter turnout, the people exercised their franchise conscientiously and wisely, not emotionally.
When the final results came, two-time Prime Minister and BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia was shocked into silence. The BNP-led four-party alliance secured only 32 seats, its lowest parliamentary strength ever. More than 80 per cent of the partys senior leaders were defeated miserably. Khaleda Zia, however, managed to win all the three seats she contested.
The alliances debacle could be attributed to many factors. It offered few new ideas to the voters and appeared to have learnt nothing from its two years on the sidelines (the country came under a military-backed caretaker government after Khaleda Zia handed over charge in October 2006), during which period several senior BNP leaders, including Khaleda Zias two sons, were incarcerated on corruption charges. The BNPs defeat is seen as a public verdict against the unprecedented level of corruption and tyranny that marked its rule between 2001 and 2006. The BNP failed to address vital issues such as the soaring prices of essential commodities. Instead it focussed on consolidating power in its hands and misusing it for personal and political gains.
Political analysts maintained that the candidates belonging to the four-party alliance, in particular Khaleda Zia, paid scant attention to the needs and aspirations of the voters and, instead, conducted a negative campaign based on identity politics. She repeatedly invoked Islam and requested the people to vote BNP to save Islam and to save the country.
The election verdict is a total rejection of the politics of religion, of extremism and of militancy. It is an endorsement of secularism and religious and political tolerance. The Jamaat-e-Islami, considered the strongest fundamentalist force to have emerged in Bangladesh politics, was practically routed: its top leaders suffered ignominious defeats, and its strength got reduced to two seats from 17 in the previous Parliament.
Significantly, the Jamaat, which opposed the liberation war and is considered the mother of Islamist militancy in the country, faced the debacle at the hands of the children of liberation, the new-generation voters. Campaigns by the Sector Commanders Forum, an organisation of military commanders of the liberation war, about the Jamaats role in the genocide of 1971 and its countless acts of criminal assault on unarmed civilians, made voters reject the party.
For the past two years, the Forum has been demanding the trial of war criminals and anti-liberation forces. Sheikh Hasina, in her partys manifesto, promised to hold the trial to put the liberation history records straight.
Held under tight security, the polls saw none of the unrest that forced the cancellation of the January 22, 2007, vote and the takeover by a military-backed caretaker government. Reports of violence were few and far between and the incidents were less intense than those in the past. The introduction of voter identity cards prevented bogus voting.
An overwhelming majority of women thronged the polling centres this time. The number of women voters stands at 4.12 crore, which is more than half the total number of voters. Poll surveys showed that the majority of women voted for the Awami League.
Despite the two-year interregnum, the people did not forget the misrule of the BNP, the days of loot and plunder, or the politicisation of institutions and organisations. They registered their strongest protest against the perpetrators of these acts.
The huge voter turnout is viewed as a manifestation of the peoples rejection of authoritarian rule and their aspiration for the rule of law. The manner in which voters came out in droves and celebrated their constitutional right to elect their representatives is indicative of a verdict in favour of democratic governance.
Significantly, the majority of the voters have spoken in favour of the spirit of the war of liberation and the quest for an egalitarian society built on the principles of secular democracy.
Sheikh Hasina has once again emerged as the undisputed leader of Bangladesh. The mandate has bestowed a great responsibility on her. The country is faced with myriad problems and she has to address these as she embarks on her new journey as Prime Minister. The alliances overwhelming presence in Parliament should be used judiciously to build consensus within the House and without so that the nation can march forward. The victory is also a challenge and an opportunity for Sheikh Hasina. It is also an opportunity for her to redeem her election pledge.
Khaleda Zia has already disappointed the people by not accepting the election results. Without substantiating her allegations, she said rather emotionally that the elections were stage-managed and rigged by the Election Commission to install a particular party and alliance in power. However, the allegation has no merit when seen in the light of the opinion of international observers, who declared the elections to be free, fair, credible and of world standard. They said they did not find any instance of election manipulation as alleged by the BNP. They urged all the political parties to accept the results for the sake of strengthening democracy in Bangladesh.
The biggest challenge before the Awami League now is how it is going to handle the huge parliamentary strength, given the fact that any government with a two-thirds majority, in Bangladesh or in other South Asian countries, has often failed to meet expectations. Complacency, like the kind displayed in the post-liberation period by the pro-liberation forces, may also bring about disaster.
After all, the right-wing forces are still powerful. Particularly in a country like Bangladesh, a new, broad-based secular combination should be more cautious than ever before.
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