KHALEDA ZIA’S CONVICTION OTHER VOICES

For Bangladesh’s democracy to mature, space needs to be given to political opponents to express themselves. Unfortunately, the AL’s actions have shown that perhaps Sheikh Hasina wants to build a one-party state where no opposition is tolerated.

The political vendetta between the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the ruling Awami League, steered by Sheikh Hasina, is one of the bitterest in South Asian politics. Over the past few days, a new twist has been added to this decades-old rivalry as a Bangladeshi court convicted Zia on a corruption charge... While corruption charges cannot be taken lightly, especially when Zia has served as Prime Minister twice, it is also true that the Awami League and the BNP have had a long and intense rivalry; therefore, it must be ensured that political enmity does not colour the pursuit of justice...

However, it is not just the BNP that has been targeted by the current AL-led government. Sheikh Hasina, especially in her latest stint as Prime Minister, seems to have taken a no-mercy approach towards all Opposition forces... There are ways to consolidate power in a democratic fashion, but decimating the Opposition is not one of them. For Bangladesh’s democracy to mature, space needs to be given to political opponents to express themselves. Unfortunately, the AL’s actions have shown that perhaps Sheikh Hasina wants to build a one-party state where no opposition is tolerated... For the democratic experiment to flourish in South Asia, political players must realise that they cannot eternally cling to power, and that the Opposition must be allowed to organise and express itself freely.