BNP is not entirely wrong about the NCC. But there is a solution: reinstate the Citizens Coalition’s all-party parliamentary committee proposal. That solves all the problems.
The time has come for Tarique Rahman to exercise leadership and guide his party through the reform process. Leaving it to local leaders threatens to put BNP on the wrong side of history.
Prime ministerial term limits are a red herring. The Consensus Commission is getting played if it allows BNP to accept them instead of more substantive reforms.
PR-based upper house is not only good for the country, it will serve BNP's interest as well. The sooner the party understands why opposing PR is self-defeating, the better for everyone. Most crucially, for itself.
There will be no winners but plenty of losers from a protracted war targeting Iran. Paradoxically, it is almost certain that the biggest losers would be Israel, and, if it gets sucked into the quagmire, America.
An Upper House based on proportional representation would be the single most valuable reform that all sides could agree to that could truly make a difference to the Bangladeshi body politic. The BNP should take that deal.
We need to empower women to move forward as a country, and direct election to reserved seats is the only way to accomplish this.
We all want greater women's representation in the political process. But it is not clear that quotas are the best way to achieve this noble goal.
We have an uneasy truce but still a long way to go. If the BNP doesn't understand that a bare minimum of reform is necessary to end the impasse, give it legitimacy , and help set the table for good governance, then the nation will lose, including BNP.
There are still many pitfalls between now and timely, good elections. But if we can all agree to one single reform: a proportional Upper House, then in time all other reforms will follow automatically.
There is nothing that can be accomplished by an April election that could not also be accomplished by one in December, and much that could be lost.
How BNP’s tactical chaos could trigger a national referendum. The more the party questions the legitimacy of the interim government, the more fraught the political situation becomes. This is something Bangladesh can ill afford
Myanmar is the site of the current day Great Game between China and India for geostrategic control. What does this mean for Bangladesh?
Unless we reach a consensus on key issues such as the July Charter and constitutional reforms, debating whether the elections should be held in February or April are meaningless. With consensus, February makes most sense. Without consensus even April may not happen.
The NCP’s leaders must prioritize meeting and talking with the people. Moving away from social media-driven politics, the NCP should focus on fieldwork and direct engagement, as this is the path to building genuine public support.
Why can we not have a transparent timeline detailing what reforms can be achieved if the elections are held in December, another showing what's possible by April, and a third one with a June 30 deadline?
