Leaders of Bangladeshs top political parties have warned of tough actions in a dispute over a home of ex-prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, a controversy analysts say may deal a fresh blow to the countrys stability.
The rivals staged protests in the capital Dhaka and other main cities over the weekend, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas government said it was determined to get Khaleda out of a sprawling house within the army barracks in the capital.
Khaleda, who leads the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has lived in the house since her general-turned-president husband Ziaur Rahman died in an abortive coup in 1981. The government revoked the lease of the house to her last week, saying she has another leased house in Dhaka.
"This indicates the frivolous and volatile nature of the countrys politics, from which, unfortunately, the major parties have again failed to break out," Ataur Rahman, a Dhaka University professor and chairman of Bangladesh Political Science Association, said of the dispute. "They are (fighting) each other on a largely non-political issue at a time when the country badly needs a new democratic structure and a sustainable administration," he told Reuters on Sunday. Analysts say such disputes are a distraction when Bangladeshs government should be concentrating on measures to stem corruption and increase transparency, steps that would help attract much-needed investment and aid to the impoverished South Asian country of more than 140 million people.
Asif Nazrul, a law professor and analyst, said the government and opposition should go to court to resolve the dispute over Khaledas residence. "It could temporarily calm down the situation. But the mistrust created through this incident may manifest in various ways and impact future politics," he told Reuters on Sunday.
Bangladesh looked set to achieve a degree of stability following a peaceful and credible election in December which ended two years of rule by a military-backed "interim government" that took over amid political violence in January 2007. Such hopes were soon dented when paramilitary rebels killed nearly 60 of their commanding officers, all drawn from the army, and triggered fears of more unrest.
Hasina, leader of the ruling Awami League, managed to cool the tension by promising to conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the February 25-26 mutiny in the Dhaka headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles, whose primary responsibility is to guard the borders. But now the country faces the possibility of growing protests and rallies related to the house lease issue, and the possiblity they will turn violent or seriously disrupt economic activity, as has happened with Bangladesh street politics in the past, analysts say. Thousands were already involved in demonstrations over the weekend.
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