Isn’t the law created by BNP becoming a Frankenstein for BNP?

Opinion

The BNP-dominated National Parliament has approved the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance issued during Yunus’ interim fascist regime.

This ordinance has now become a law. As a result, a provision has been added to the anti-terrorism law to prohibit the activities of any entity. That is, along with individuals, organizations have now also come under the ambit of punishment.

I congratulate the BNP-majority parliament on the ordinance becoming law.

Many people think that because it has become a law, the ban on Awami League’s political activities has become permanent, and that any court will ‘ban’ Awami League along these lines. I do not think that this public perception has a far-reaching basis. The reason for this is history. Our history shows that in the era in which any law is enacted, any organization is formed, that government later has to suffer because of it, because of them. But this history should not be forgotten, how the RAB created by BNP became Frankenstein for BNP.

After the ouster of the Awami League government on August 24, all state policies are being determined to stop the Awami League. We are seeing the results of this in two and a half years. Even during this long period, the Awami League has not been wiped out. Rather, they have secretly accumulated strength. An election has been held by keeping them out, and they have not even made an announcement to ‘stop’ that election. This is nothing but a plan. I think the Awami League understands very well when to move forward and when to retreat on the battlefield.

Everyone outside the government is aware of the Awami League’s ‘hot-headed politics’, but no one has any idea about their ‘cool-headed politics’ from the same position. This is basically ‘off-syllabus’ politics. The Awami League is now doing this off-syllabus politics well. After the initial instability of two and a half years, at least the politics that has been seen in the last six to eight months shows that they have started to bandage the wounds well. They have been successful in many areas. I see the possibility of this phase lasting until the end of the twenty-seventh year.

However, after the passage of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance in Parliament, my reaction here is that its long-term impact will burn first Jamaat-e-Islami and then BNP. Right now, it may seem that Awami League is its victim; but this is only temporary. The wrath of banning political parties or entities is supposed to fall on Jamaat-e-Islami at some stage first. Because they are proven genocide perpetrators of 1971, they played a role in the genocide by collaborating with the Pakistanis in the party decision.

When the top war criminals Ghulam Azam, Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mujahid, Abdul Quader Molla, Mir Kashem, Kamruzzaman, Delwar Hossain Sayedee were convicted of crimes against humanity in 1971 by the International Crimes Tribunal, their party’s name was immediately linked to their crimes. Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami got away with it because there was no provision in any law to ban a political party. Now, when a law has been added to punish a party or entity, Jamaat is automatically falling into this trap. I don’t know if BNP will do this, but the Bangladesh of the future will not be only BNP’s, or it can be said – it will not be any specific party.

BNP will come under this law if they are ousted from power. Because time is not always the same for everyone. During their long rule, Awami League used to give BNP leaders a run for their money when elections and movements came, but they never said to ban the party. They didn’t say that because it wasn’t in the law. Now that BNP has turned the fascist regime’s ordinance into a law, who can say that it won’t be rushed towards them like the result of the creation of RAB!

At the moment, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are doing politics in the country. Outside of them or with them, there is a new party called NCP. There is a lack of people in the country who believe that these will be in politics in Bangladesh for life. That will not happen. I think that Awami League will definitely bring back its political rights. If that happens, it will not be unprecedented, because Awami League did politics during the Pakistan era, and it was Awami League that did politics after breaking Pakistan and giving birth to Bangladesh. It does not seem that BNP-Jamaat will be able to stop them for long. The reason for not thinking this is not only the public support of the party in the country, but geopolitics will definitely play a role here.

The Awami League has nothing to fear now. Attacks, cases, riots, mobs, jails, oppression, sentences, hangings, bans; everything has been done against them. Whether the ordinance has become a law or not is also a big problem for them. Just as the ordinance of Yunus’s era had not become a law, they would have had to struggle to return, even if it had become a law, everything would remain the same. So it does not seem to be a big problem for them.

Today’s Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act is going to be a trap for many. Those for whom this law is for, they will struggle to survive under the blows of this law; but now it can become a death trap for those who are lost in the joy of using it.

Here is half of Khana’s saying—”One generation plants palm trees, the next generation takes care of them…”

-Kabir Yahmed