Prof Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam: The future of Jatiya Oikya Prokriya (process for national unity, a platform led by Dr Kamal Hossain) is not bright. Because, the leaders of the platform are saying anything specifically. The question of keeping or leaving out Jammat-e-Islami has not been resolved yet.
Will BNP join the process for national unity? Will 20-party alliance join the platform? Will a portion of BNP will remain with the platform and the other portion go ahead with its electoral campaign? These issues have to be made clear.
Some newspapers quoting Dr Kamal Hossain, AQM Badrudozza Chowdhury and Mahi B chowdhury reported that there would be no unity with Jamaaat-e-Islami.
However, two days ago, BNP leader Joynal Abedin Faruque, in a talk-show programme, clearly said that the Jammat-BNP unity remains intact and it will not be severed.
The question now arises as to how Dr Kamal Hossain and Convener of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Engineer Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah accepted Jamaat.
Whenever BNP joined the national unity process, Jamaat has come too as a shadow. Because, there is a unity between the two. Therefore, the inclusion of Jamaat into the unity process is not clear here. To me, the process for national unity will divide over the question of Jamaat.
BNP Jukto Front and Jatiya Oikya Prokriya has been created to face the upcoming general election and to push for some demands. Now if BNP participates in the unity process and keeps a separate entity concurrently, then the confusion will remain. We are not still clear as to how much BNP has joined the process. If BNP joins the process altogether, then will its ally Jamaat remain outside.
The process for national unity was done without answering some questions. I think the leaders should have done some homework before beginning the process for national unity.
It is not clear either what will be the role of Dr Kamal Hossain and B Chowdhury. The election is just around the corner. We hope that all political parties will take part in the election. There is no harm in the process for national unity. It will pose a challenge to the government. The government will be more careful. Digital Security Bill has been enacted. The government will take heed of the criticism centring the much-debated act if it comes from a big platform. Suck type equation is not uncommon and it is a good initiative for democracy.
Writer: Educationist, Political Analyst
Based on an interview by Ashiq Rahman, translated by Hossen Sohel