The year 2006 ended on an optimistic note as the prospects of an election, with participation of all the major parties, looked bright. But now things are almost back to square one. The grand alliance has already announced a two-day siege program, which is likely to lead to the same political turmoil that caused so much dislocation to life in the last two months.

The political stalemate that persisted for so long, now sinks to a deeper level. In our view, all the parties have contributed to the process. The BNP's game plan was to test its rivals' patience and resilience on controversial issues, which the AL and its allies could not allow to go unchallenged. BNP was more interested in the letter of the Constitution rather than its spirit, which not only called for an election but also a free and fair one.

The caretaker government, which had the primary responsibility of resolving the crisis faltered at the very outset, and it failed to prove its neutrality to the AL and its allies. Its actions have since been viewed with great suspicion by all the parties except Jamaat-BNP, and an early end to the political crisis was never in sight.

The AL, unable from the beginning to come to terms with the flaws in the voter list and the fallouts of wholesale politicization of some vitally important institutions, could have articulated its demands much earlier to avoid the long-drawn political tug of war. It put forward one demand after another, thus making the task of reaching a consensus all the more difficult.

We now enter a very troublesome and uncertain phase in our political life, with hartals and other disruptive programmes staring us in the face. We once again appeal to both the alliances to rethink their politics.

Obviously, people's hopes and aspirations are not reflected in the present state of affairs. And how long can they repose their faith in the parties that cannot even agree to go to polls for keeping the democratic process alive?