Such a pitiful plight of the so-called opposition Jatiya Party in Parliament is hardly unexpected in the background of the parliamentary history of the country. But what is unexpected and unacceptable is the hide and seek being played by the present leadership of the party. After giving various negative indications regarding the party’s participation in the elections, Jatiya Party President GM Quader finally decided to join the elections. He may have had an explanation in response to the discontent within the party, but he did not bother to give any clarification to the common people about his ambiguous stance.
Now after the elections, when he faced severe criticism and opposition within the party, he is still not saying anything clearly. In response to allegations by party leaders that he had taken money and also ensured his wife’s nomination, GM Quader asked Prothom Alo, “What is the evidence or proof that I took the money?” It seems as if politicians always adopt a policy of being transparent about their and their parties’ financial transactions. Is there ever any witness to political horse-trading? The truth comes out only when one of the parties concerned becomes agitated.
Then in another interview, this time with Samakal, the way GM Quader talked about the seat-sharing understanding with the Awami League was shrouded in mystery and insinuation. He referred to the ‘brokers’ of the talks as ‘they’, pointing to some invisible influence. When asked who ‘they’ were he said, “I can’t say right now.” I will not say anything on these issues. But the circumstances were such that the leaders of the caste party were also in favor of the elections. If this does not happen then the existence of the party will be in danger. There could have been all kinds of problems. For the sake of party politics and survival, participating in elections was the best option. “Anything else could have gone bad for us.”
He did not talk about direct bargaining with Awami League. He mentioned a third party, ‘they’. How and why are ‘they’ so powerful that they are able to pose a threat to the existence of his party? Every citizen has the right to know his identity. But he kept this thing hidden.