Political parties are not organised for democracy or good governance
Mainul Hosein
Given below is the summary of an interview of Barrister Mainul Hosein, Chairman, Board of Editors of The New Nation, telecast by the ATN News Channel at their 10 pm prime news hour on Monday night. A former Adviser for Law of the last Care-taker Government Barrister Hosein, dwelt at length on the initiatives taken by the army-backed Care-taker Government to bring back order and restore democratic rule. The interview lasted 40 minutes. The interview was taken by Ms. Munni Saha, Head of News of the ATN News Channel.
In answers to various questions Barrister Mainul Hosein said, the present political parties are not organised for ensuring good governance or saving democracy. Both the Awami League and the BNP are dominated by retired government servants and businessmen. Politicisation of all areas of public life has created vested interest groups everywhere under the guise of party politics. Thus a big and well entrenched body of people is busy serving self-interest instead of public interest. The few real politicians to be found in political parties are isolated and helpless. Political parties have become business houses securing self-gain. They divide among themselves state power and benefits.
Clarifying the situation in which he decided to serve the most unusual Care-taker government, he said, our Care-taker Government was a collective government of armed forces and Advisers. This was the reality. I joined thinking, as army wanted help to save the democratic process when only alternative left was martial law in the no-government situation (in 2007), we should help. I thought army and us working together for avoiding martial law and helping restoration of democracy was a praiseworthy move.
Barrister Mainul refuted the allegation that there was any intention to de-politicise the country. We did not want to continue in power and we did not. The move against corruption was essential for democracy to work and corruption cases were initiated by the Anti-Corruption Commission independently without interference from the Advisers.
"In my view the mistake was to start anti-corruption campaign against everybody instead of just few top corrupt ones among the politicians. We wanted to make politics free from corruption but the media insisted that all corrupt ones be punished. So I could not prevail." Barrister Hosein continued, it was forgotten, we were a temporary government with the political goal of making democracy stable.
Barrister Hosein also emphasised that it is not democracy to have permanent political leaders. The Care-taker Government wanted political reform "but as I made clear at that time that political reform was to be done by political parties themselves. The Advisers did not go about trying to interfere with party politics."
Barrister Hosein claimed that two leaders are also helpless being surrounded by self-seekers and job-seekers.
He expressed it boldly that Advisers under the Chief Adviser Mr. Fakhruddin Ahmed worked hard together selflessly to save democracy, and as promised, power was handed over after two years.
In answer to a question about loss of popularity of the Care-taker Government Barrister Hosein's swift answer was; "The organised vested forces became antagonistic with us for the anti-corruption drive but we were popular with general public and still we are. The people then lived peacefully and safely," Barrister Hosein said.
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