No effective opposition

Mahmudur Rahman writes for DOT :
Bangladesh’s voters have made the choice of not electing a workable opposition in the eleventh parliament thereby denting one of democracy’s main arms. Effectively this means there will be no opposition to keep the treasury bench in some form of order. This was the norm in the last parliament where the only opposition Jatiya Party were thoroughly confused in their role bot with the government and against it. Nor did it help that Hussain Mohammad Ershad bore a role of special ambassador to the Prime Minister.
This time round with Awami League completing a full cabinet without taking on board its partners from the Grand Alliance, the partners are left with little option but to forge ranks as a viable opposition. Whether they will have the strength of resolve to do so remains to be seen especially given they were beneficiaries of seat sharing under the Boat symbol. Whether they will rise above the ‘beneficiary’ role has to be viewed with a degree of doubt. A strong and effective opposition leads to lively debates and at times considered opposition to laws and policies that the government may at times proceed with without considering the views of the electorate. That the electorate have voted the way they have does not for a moment suggest that anything goes.
As it stands opposition benches have a role to raise opposition to various treasury bench proposals far different from the previous parliament where it took treasury bench opposition to push back raised tax on bank deposits, cuts in government bond rates that benefit pensioners and retired persons as well as the ominous looking new VAT law. As it is, parliamentary debates are a pale shadow of some magnificent discourses of the past and new laws are at times passed with a rapidity that does cause one to flinch at the time.
Given that BNP and Oikkya Front have refused to be sworn in, their seats will fall vacant in 90 days time leading to bye-elections. BNP have already declared their opposition to any polls participation under the current government and have pit forward the demands of a fresh parliamentary poll under a neutral government. Their demands are unlikely to see the light of day leading speculation that Jatiya Party may well pick up some more seats and become more of a centralised opposition. The health of Hussain Mohammad Ershad is another factor in all this though G M Kader has been given charge of the party in Ershad’s absence. The fact of the matter is similar to all parties without their leader there aren’t ready made alternative leadership strong enough to take radical steps.
Unless all the Grand Alliance partners take on a strong opposition role we’re left with a scenario of the previous parliament with nothing new to offer.
The writer is an author, columnist, communications specialist.