Editorial
President's statement
What is there to end the impasse?
After remaining conspicuously cloistered of his own volition for quite a while, President-cum-Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed came up with a statement that helped little to pave the way for a political settlement leading to participation of all the parties in the election. The tone and tenor of what he said did not reflect any change of heart, or direction on his part while the situation is manifestly worsening with the passing of each day. He prefers to stick to his inflexible posture even though the nation is veritably on the edge of a precipice. It is only an elementary perception now that one wrong move by any quarter could send it plummeting down to an abyss. We wonder why the president had to refer to the already elected candidates (Unopposed) to seek the shelter of the Supreme Court in case of need when their names have not been gazetted by the Election Commission. It smacked of taking a side and talking on behalf of them, which no doubt has surprised many discerning citizens. By doing so, he has virtually sent the signals that the door to further negotiations for the election has been shut down. His quoting of the Awami League chairperson Sheikh Hasina on the 90-day dictate of the country's constitution on holding election when she was in power is curious because it is not analogous to the present situation, and it has been taken out of context. We fail to comprehend why the president talks with a tone of finality while the voter list remains unpublished and the Election Commission not fully prepared to undertake such an important task of holding national election. We understand that no election can be hundred percent foolproof but it cannot be held either with an overwhelmingly flawed voter list, and keeping too many loose ends trailing behind. We believe in being optimistic, therefore, we would urge the president to reconsider his position. We understand that he has given his consent to his advisors to take some initiative. We hope he gives them his sincere backing and works towards an election participated by all. Only that would ensure his fair place in our national history.
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