Staff correspondent

Politicians, business leaders and journalists on Saturday emphasised that the politicians should exchange ideas to reach a consensus before joining dialogues with the military-controlled interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed to hold credible national elections.

The politicians attending the roundtable, however, remained divided over the formation of a national government before joining the national elections. Dialogues should be held among political parties as well as between the government and political parties on holding credible elections, the Gana Forum president, Kamal Hossain, said at the roundtable at the National Press Club marking the first anniversary of Manabzamin publication Janatar Chokh. Beginning the discussion, former Bangladesh Today editor M Asafuddowla said interference of the military in politics must be totally stopped.

Awami League presidium member Amir Hossain Amu said the party would work out a coordinated proposal by holding talks with like-minded parties. He criticised the law adviser, Hassan Ariff, for his statement in which he nullified the constitutionality of a national government.

The Workers Party president, Rashed Khan Menon, gave a warning saying forming a national government before holding the general elections would be an act of short-sightedness bypassing the constitution. Criticising civil-military relation, he said the role of the military is defined in the constitution. Awami League presidium member Matia Chowdhury demanded release of detained former prime ministers, Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and Khaleda Zia of the BNP, so that people could decide on their (Hasina and Khaleda s) fate.

The Communist Party general secretary, Mujahidul Islam Selim, said it would be difficult to restore democracy without an uprising. The president of a Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction, Hasanul Haq Inu, said political parties should hold dialogues among themselves to reach a consensus on the formation of a national government to implement specific programmes within a specific period. Barrister Rafiqul Haque criticised foreigners, including British foreign secretary David Miliband and high commissioner Anwar Choudhury, Indian high commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarti and US charg d affaires Geeta Pasi, for interfering in the politics of Bangladesh. He hoped good senses would prevail on the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, we do not know whether there are weaknesses of the Appellate Division.

I hope good senses would prevail on them [the Appellate Division]. The Regulatory Reforms Commission chairman, Akbar Ali Khan, said both the government and politicians must discharge their responsibilities to resolve the political crisis to get rid of economic predicaments as a constitutionally fragile situation is prevailing now. Rifiqul and Akbar also said the state of emergency should go as the ordinance is no longer needed. The acting Jatiya Party chairman, Anisul Islam Mahmud, said political parties should hold discussions among themselves before holding dialogues with the government. Barrister Abdur Razzak, an assistant secretary general of the Jamaat-e-Islami, said politicians must play their roles, with foresight, to resolve the political crisis.

The Progressive Democratic Party convener, Ferdaus Ahmad Quarishi, supported the activities of the military-controlled government. Some happenings may be oppressive. But a number of incidents of corruption, including the one related to the king of the forests, have been exposed. Journalist Mahfuz Ullah said politicians should tell whether they would come forward to restore democracy, leaving behind their corrupt colleagues. Editor, Nurul Kabir, criticised the government for its attempts to restrain people s voice when the country needs free discussions. The country is in a crisis political, economic and cultural.

It is necessary to hold more discussions now. But, unfortunately, the press has been suppressed more this time in one way or the other. Reposing trust in people, who, according to him, are the highest authority of the country, he said, The people had chosen the correct path in the past whenever the country plunged into a crisis. I believe they would come forward once again, on time, to resolve the present crisis. Journalist Amir Khasru criticised the creation of a number of alternative informal power centres within and outside the government.

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