Opinion: In punishing Khaleda Zia, was Awami League being vindictive

On the 8th of this month Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, who was two-term PM and first woman in Bangladesh to hold the office, was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment for embezzling over Tk 21 million ($252,000) from foreign donations intended for a charity named after the former President Ziaur Rahman, Khalida Zia's husband, by a special court based in Dhaka. Not only Zia, but her son Tarique Rahman was sentenced for 10 years in the same case.

BNP and ruling Awami League are two large political parties in Bangladesh. It is with great anguish that I watch how the number of opposition politicians is steadily reducing in numbers and it is possible that ruling Awami League is behind it.

Earlier, Abdul Kadar Mollah of Jamat-e-Islami was executed in 2013 on the charges of mass murder during the Bangladesh liberation movement. Jamat-e-Islami was the third largest political party in Bangladesh as per its institutional strength. The party was broken after Mollah was executed. With Khaleda Zia behind bars and Kadar Mollah executed, it leaves the ruling Awami League as the only large political front.

The decimation of the Opposition has led many to question whether the Awami League is purposefully seeing through the punishments meted out to its main opposition figures. Another way of looking at it would be to check whether Awami League helped to embolden Democracy in Bangladesh or not.

Earlier, a caretaker government used to be appointed during the crucial election process. This caretaker government which was earlier headed by the chief justice ensured a neutral poll process. This commitment to neutral government died as Sheikh Hasina returned to the power. In 2011, Hasina abolished the caretaker government system, citing that they can't allow unelected people to oversee national elections. The 2014 general elections were boycotted by Zia’s BNP and Jamat-e-Islami and other opposition leaders, citing cheating done by Awami League.

The 2015 municipal polls were a blot on Bangladesh's face. Journalists covering the election witnessed the Awami League workers taking control of major electoral booth. The dismay with the situation was expressed by international figures, including the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. The incident of Swedish envoy being heckled near a booth was also condemned worldwide.

PM Hasina's Awami League seems to hold on to power by pulling down the opposition rather than recourse the rough climb to power. This crab-like the behaviour of Bangladesh's prime minister is condemnable as she is competing with Zia in a negative manner.

As far as the February 8 judgement is concerned, which gave prison to Khaleda Zia, there are glaring discrepancies. Firstly, according to Surendra Kumar Sinha, the former Chief Justice of Bangladesh, only the Supreme Court is reliable and independent court in Bangladesh. It is the only institution which is free from executive pressure. He told the dark fact that 80% of lower courts are not under the purview of Supreme Court. Even the Pakistan judiciary is better than its Bangladeshi counterpart. The 16th Constitutional Amendment added fuel to the fire. This ammendment allows the parliament to impeach any High Court judge with a 2/3 majority. This parliament is currently occupied by Hasina’s Awami League.

Zia's trial took in a special court based in Dhaka, which according to the former Chief Justice's logic, the judgment is possibly not given by an independent judicial body The claim of BNP that the judicial trial is politically motivated needs to be investigated thoroughly.

It is said that Hasina is good friend of India. Her father took steps to improve the bilateral ties when Indira Gandhi was India's prime minister and Hasina took some measures with Manmohan Singh and Modi as well. But what is the use of being the best friend of India who is killing democracy in her own home? If Hasina wants to befriend India then she must befriend the ideology of democracy which kept India alive these years.

A democracy without political opposition to the government is unimaginable for Indians. Unfortunately, our neighbours don’t share a similar fate. In Nepal, we have only opposition no government! In Myanmar, the democracy is shared with the military junta. Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan have democracy but excessively influenced by Chinese aggression. And here in Bangladesh, we have a democracy without any opposition.

The reason is, the journalists in those nations are sleeping. Or they might have been purchased.

I want to request all the journalists in every country to ensure the safety of their democracy since it is their duty to do it. Especially, I want to say to every Bangladeshi journalist to wake up please, to think of the next generation which will want to experience the ultimate pleasure of democracy and freedom.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)