However, there have been some questionable moves, which inevitably invite doubts as to where exactly this government is heading.

• Indoor politics is banned, is it not? And yet the newly formed Progressive Democratic Party gets launched (perhaps unofficially) in full view on national TV. The party bigwigs (who are mostly the renegades of the other major parties) are going about (business as usual) with their usual press conferences and dialogues. Sadly, CTG is seemingly turning a blind eye to this phenomenon.
• Be that as it may, we haven't as yet found anything new in their party visions; in fact they haven't been as yet forthcoming with new ideas or new radically far-reaching policies which might perhaps get Bangladesh on the road to sustainable economic and indeed political progress. It seems as though they have formed a new "football club" with a new name and a new "governing body," and this new club doesn't at all seem any better than the other existing "football clubs" which are already feeling the heat of the ACC.
• A fair number of BNP high profiles (including Begum Zia's son) are right now languishing in jail or in police custody awaiting trial. The charges are grave. And even Begum Zia's other son was implicated, arrested and charged, and yet for reasons beyond our comprehension, he was released. However, the charges against him still stand. Whilst the charges are staring him in the face, how does a felon get to stay at large in cushy homey surrounding?
• Recently, it has come to light that our former PM Begum Zia has a considerable sum of "black money" (and "black" is black). And let's not pretend that our former PM has been busy naively stashing up these funds at the time, while the people and the nation were going through a dire condition. Is it not a shame for us as a nation or indeed for her? And she was elected to run the country? And now she wants to "whiten" those illegal funds? Rest assured, the fund is "pitch-black" and I do not know of any conceivable (legal) detergent that turns these blacks into whites -- even if it does, do we turn away and pretend that they never were black? Call it what you like, but this is a money-laundering of colossal proportion! Also, it's been suggested that there are numerous funds (locally and globally) allegedly opened in her name by her so-called fans -- and without her knowledge? Are we going to buy this story? Or indeed the ACC? How does one open an account (overseas) without the account holder's ID and signature, do tell! And yet, the CTG is seemingly turning a blind eye.
• As far as Jamaat-e-Islami is concerned, apparently ACC doesn't have sufficient evidence to file any charge against the Jamaat high profiles. This is like not noticing the elephant in the room! Several of the Jamaat high profiles have been known and reported (in the newspapers) to be involved in extortion, embezzlement, and murder by proxy (august 2004), and yet the ACC does not find any evidence to charge them.
• Finally, the price hike! How is it that over the last seven months the prices of the basic commodities galloped to an all-time high? It's mind boggling! And it is inconceivable that the CTG (or indeed the military authority) has failed to find the cause of the hike. If proper steps are not taken soon and if this price-hike persists then most probably the CTG might be heading towards an ignominy, which would indeed be counter-productive for all that this they stood for.

The case of Begum Zia sticks out like a sore thumb. Her immediate family has been indicted with serious charges of corruption, extortion, duplicity and other forms of profiteering, and yet she is perceived to be apparently innocent! Sadly, the government does not see the elephant in the room.

If indeed the government has no case against her, why then, only a few months back, serious allegations (of all sorts) against her were being reported in the mainstream newspapers and why the drama which was enacted on the issue of exiling Begum Zia? Let's not pretend that she was being sent into exile merely to collect her air miles (and perform Umra on the side).

Far from it! Nevertheless, the nation certainly felt, at the time, that government must have in their possession sufficient evidence to indict her and was simply being compassionate (questionable, perhaps) by sending her into exile to spare her total disgrace (being a former PM). But of course, the elusive exile was never to be!

And now we see her leading a very comfortable life (with the ghost of "exile" apparently gone), making statements and teleconferences, which are certainly damaging and divisive for the party, and moreover, it transpires that she has no intention of abandoning the idea of "familocracy." Where is this going, as far as "reform" is concerned? Can't the government at least contain her for the sake of a true reform in the party?

These apparent inconsistencies in the CTG/ACC moves are indeed inviting a whole lot of questions in the public mind -- these questions, if left unanswered, could very well lead to mass distrust, dissatisfaction, and frustration. Needless to say, the people of this nation have a lot of stake in this government. If this government fails, then so would the nation.

Dr. S. I. Zaman is a university professor.