Does Awami League Victory Offer Hope for Real
Change?
Sun, 2009-01-04
04:50
Sunday Column by Dr. Richard L. Benkin
Dr.
Richard L. BenkinBangladeshi
elections had been put off for so long that it was difficult to predict what
they might produce. On December 29, 2008, however, the people of Bangladesh
answered that question clearly by giving Sheikh Hasina’s
Awami League (AL) a landslide victory. That’s both
good news and bad news for the left-center party good news in that it need not
make any dubious deals to being other parties into its ruling coalition; bad
news in that the world will hold Hasina and her party
responsible for what happens next. The AL
is inheriting an economy in shambles, a still-corrupt officialdom, a nation
infested with Islamist terrorists, and a seemingly ineradicable tradition of
minority oppression, even ethnic cleansing. Curing those ails is an enormous
task, and one key to success will be actions the AL takes to secure foreign support for its
effort.
In January 2007, I met with former Bangladeshi Home Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar at his home in Dhaka, three days before a military coup suspended
elections scheduled to be held later that month. The reason for the military’s
intervention was that Babar’s party, the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP), had rigged the upcoming vote so transparently as to
render any potential outcome illegitimate. At the time of my meeting with Babar, there it still appeared that the election would take
place as scheduled; and Babar along with the rest of
the BNP was planning their next move as the nation’s leaders.
Babar asked me how I thought the United States could help Bangladesh and
what we could do to secure that aid. I responded that “Bangladesh and your
party in particular” are going to have a tough time convincing anyone in
Washington or anywhere else to support you until "you take real action to
stop three things: massive corruption, tolerating and even sponsoring radical
Islamists, and the oppression of minorities, women, and journalists."
During the BNP’s long tenure in office, matters grew
worse on all three dimensions. Babar himself remains
in prison having been arrested by the interim government for his own role in Bangladesh’s
seemingly endemic corruption. Often, the Awami League
has touted itself the antidote to these ills, particularly the last two; and
while there is no question that it is preferable to the BNP and its Islamist coalition
partners, the swooning we see in some quarters are pre-mature. The AL has a long and hard road ahead of it, and it
ultimately will be judged on its actions and their effectiveness for the people
of Bangladesh;
not on its fine words or the a priori support of others. And thus far,
its actions fail to live up to its words.
Let us remember the unique situation that transpired just prior to its
assumption of power. First, the BNP transparently rigged and somehow expected
that the opposition, the entire diplomatic community, and most importantly the
people of Bangladesh
would not notice. By doing so, it revealed a level of corruption so deep that
cheating was considered acceptable enough to be done in the open. But the AL only made matters
worse. Its rants against BNP mendacity found the entire world on its side, but
instead of proving itself to be in a class above the BNP, it showed itself to
be no better. When I arrived in Dhaka AL leader Hasina
was on television and in the press calling for violence in the street to “shut
down” the nation. Instead of capitalizing on her support and going to various
embassies in a statesman-like way, she acted like a demagogue that would bring
the country to greater misery that it already was. The general impression in world
capitals was that both the BNP and AL would bring the country to ruin if it
meant scoring points against the other; that their leaders cared less about the
national interest than they did about their own petty feuds. The AL’s actions confirmed that impression and so no one saw
either party as a palatable alternative. In an
historically unprecedented action, every western democracy called on the
Bangladeshis not to hold elections.
Not long before that, the AL
abandoned its stated principles of religious freedom and a secular government
by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the radical Islamist
Bangladesh Khelefat Majlis
(BKM). In exchange for BKM’s support, the AL stipulated that Islamic clerics’ fatwa would be
binding on the entire nation if the AL
won the election. The MOU parties also promised to ban any law deemed contrary
to Quranic values, put madrass
degrees on the par with public schools and universities, and outlaw any
criticisms of the Prophet Muhammad. Undoubtedly, AL defenders would remind us that the party
rescinded the MOU, but that was only after the elections were
cancelled—and almost a month after it at that.
While the Awami League frequently identifies
itself as the defender of minority rights, its record is less than convincing.
Professor Abul Barkat of Dhaka University
has conducted the most authoritative study on Bangladesh’s Vested Property Act
(VPA). The VPA was modeled after Pakistan’s Enemies Property Act,
and like its predecessor is a racist and retaliatory law aimed at Hindus and
other minorities. It empowers the Bangladeshi government to seize the property
of non-Muslims and distribute it to Muslims of their choice. As Barkat has shown, the percentages of the spoils collected
by the BNP and AL are almost identical with their positions flip flopping
depending on who is in power. At the end of its tenure in 2001, the AL passed the Vested
Property Return Act, but that was recognized as an empty gesture that would
never be implemented.
This is not to say that the world should despair that there will be no
change under the new AL
administration; but it should caution everyone not to assume things will change
based on words alone. There is hope, however. This AL’s landslide victory presents the party with an opportunity
it has not had in the past; namely, to operate free of the pressures and
interests of coalition needed partners. Sheikh Hasina
has stated that the economy and the people’s welfare will be her top priority,
and success will require her government to tackle the issues mentioned in this
article in order to win international credibility for Bangladesh. Her
government can take some basic actions to secure that.
As one of the AL’s
first actions, repeal the Vested Property Act and set up a commission to return
seized properties to their rightful owner. By this point, even members
of the government have called the VPA "a black law" in that it has no
justification by any standard of human rights and jurisprudence. All parties
interviewed about the VPA said they are looking for the AL to right this historical wrong. It would
be easy to do and do quickly as a message to the world that this Bangladeshi
government is committed to act and not just talk in upholding the principles
basic to the people and culture of Bangladesh.
Secure cooperation of the United States
and NATO and announce that Bangladesh
will work jointly with them in a grand alliance against Islamist terror. There
was a time that Bangladesh
was identified as a moderate Muslim nation and one that would stand against
terror. That time is long past thanks to a BNP government that abetted the
expansion of radical Islamists in its country. It has been rumored that even
Osama Bin Laden has at times found safe haven in Bangladesh. To re-establish its
anti-radical credentials and win international goodwill, Bangladesh must
show that it is ready to back up its words with action.
Control the open border with India that allows contraband and
terrorists to flow freely between the two countries. I have been to
that border and saw how easily people and goods move illicitly between the two
countries. That is not good for Bangladesh
or India.
It has devastated the border areas and costs both countries enormous amounts in
resources dealing with the consequences. The AL has maintained cordial relations with its
giant neighbor, and controlling the border could be the first step in building
a new relationship that will benefit both countries greatly.
Conduct behind-the-scenes negotiations and then announce that as a
moderate Muslim county, Bangladesh
will act as an honest broker in the Middle East
conflict. In 2003, I published “Dear Bangladesh” in which I recognized
that Bangladesh
was uniquely positioned to take on this role. Since then, however, hard-line
statements by BNP officials (many far more strident that those heard anywhere
in the Muslim world except in rogue states like Iran) have made such a role less
likely. There have always been efforts to establish some level of contact
between Bangladesh and Israel, and one that would not compromise Bangladesh’s support for the Palestinians or
jeopardize its expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia. It would be another
way for Bangladesh to
re-establish its moderate Muslim credentials, and it would change Bangladesh’s
role from that of a poor victim to a major international player that needs to
be courted.
Immediately allocate police and military resources to enforce laws
against minority oppression and attacks on minorities. Make this RAB’s primary role. The AL has said all the right things about
supporting an end to this rampant minority oppression and ethnic cleansing of
Bangladeshi Hindus; but it has yet to say how it will enforce laws that have
proven invulnerable to enforcement. Not only do anti-minority incidents in
Dhaka and other large cities proceed with impunity (and this is the case
whether the victims are Hindu, Christian, Ahmadiyya,
or any other minority), but the countryside has been open season on non-Muslims
for decades where even local law enforcement participates in or allows the
atrocities. It would be another way the AL
can show it is ready to back its words with action. And it might turn its human
rights albatross (RAB) into an instrument that enforces human rights.
Continue the mandate of the Anti-Corruption Commission. Strengthen
the Commission and staff it with individuals from all major parties and the
military so its justice will be handed down equitably. Add provisions to
prevent this variety from paralyzing its efforts.
Launch an initiative for international investment and tourism in Bangladesh.
A prominent AL
supporter told me, "We don’t want handouts, we want joint ventures."
The future of Bangladesh
lies in its ability to attract foreign capital. There are resources that have
not been tapped, unmet needs of this giant population, and natural beauty and
wonder that would make anyone’s vacation a memorable one. By showing the world
that she truly is leading a new Bangladesh,
Sheikh Hasina can build the international confidence
needed to sustain her people well into the 21st century.
- Asian Tribune -