Awami League for over nearly five decades has dominated the changing political scenario. It is undoubtedly the largest and the only political party with a very large calling at grassroots level. It can also "boast" of spearheading our War of Liberation. It also enjoys the support of a large group of professionals including academicians, ex-bureaucrats, media people.

I am not a politician but certainly a conscious citizen keenly interested and committed to the welfare, peace and prosperity of my country.

I completely fail to understand the justification for Awami League to stay out of the Parliament for months or years on. It looks as though it is yet to come out of its long culture of taking things to the streets. The party must realise that it also must uphold its commitments to the people who elected its members to the Parliament. Looks as though it has taken a vow to oppose anything and everything that the Ruling Coalition is engaged in or contemplates to do. It looks absurd to me, that while it is unwilling to talk about various issues of grievances or various miscarriages of justice of the government at the Parliament, it is quick to "present its case" to the foreign diplomats and visitors. Awami League and its front line leaders must realise that the other changing dimension in the statecraft for the lesser and the third world countries after 9/11 is that, we must proceed with cautious optimism while dealing with the developed countries of the west. I was taken aback by a statement by no less a person than the party chief and that too in a foreign land at a gathering of perhaps party cadres that the last election was rigged. I also find it rather strange that at every juncture of impending political turmoil its chief "decides" to be away from the country. I am not too sure as to how compelling and urgent are the causes for such visits. Although a few of them in the past were certainly avoidable as was also indicated in the local media.

As I said earlier about the glorious heritage of the party it must also be remembered that its legacy is not without blemishes. For people during the early years of the Party's rule it would be rather difficult to forget even to this day the innumerable gross miscarriage of justice, widespread corruption including the excesses carried out by the then Rakkhi Bahini. Indeed, carefully considered assessment of the situation will tell any intelligent mind that the seeds of misrule, abuse and violation of human rights as we see them today, were sown then and have now blossomed.

I find it rather annoying that Awami League who is so high on democracy and democratic traditions is working tooth and nail in toppling the coalition government. Irrespective of any consideration whatsoever, I believe we should allow an elected government to complete its tenure of office in order to allow the institutional build up of democratic traditions to take its roots. Frankly I do not find any justification particularly when a little over a year is left before the forthcoming national elections. Such a demand can only be described as illogical and senseless.

May I also most humbly point out that Awami League of today appears to be even more arrogant (contrary to the belief of many). Many of its frontline leaders do suffer from a crisis of self-confidence and direction. It was both farcical and nothing short of being cheeky for none other than the Secretary General of the party to pull a stunt like the famous and notorious "30 April deadline"! And now it has forged a 14-Party Alliance. A dispassionate look into the credentials and the credibility of the Alliance partners will tell any one with minimum insight into our pattern of politics that this Alliance is aimed at creating street violence, law and order situation and thus force the government to resign. Some of the Alliance parties have little or no following at either grassroots level or any other sizeable section of the society. Their leaders happen to represent either the so-called elites or have a limited following. On the other hand a few of the parties, which have been long in the business, have never been able to influence or have any real impact on the overall political management of the country.

It is high time for Awami League to come out of the psyche that "it is the one and the only political party of consequence". It is high time for its leaders and think tank to do some serious soul-searching. Politics is a continuous competitive process; hence no party can rely too much on its past glory.

Shamsher Chowdhury is a freelance writer.