Jatiya Oikya Front
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Jatiya Oikya Front (English: National Unity Front; bn, জাতীয় ঐক্য ফ্রন্ট) was a Bangladesh-based political alliance of primarily four parties led by
Kamal Hossain Kamal Hossain (born 20 April 1937) is a founding leader, lawyer and politician of Bangladesh. He is known as the "father of the Bangladeshi constitution" and regarded as an icon of secular democracy in the Indian subcontinent. Hossain currently ...
. The front officially declared its formation on October 13, 2018 at the National Press Club ahead of the
national election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
. The front currently comprises Gono Forum,
Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
,
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal ( bn, জাতীয় সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল, 'National Socialist Party') is a political party in Bangladesh. It was formed in 2002, through a split from the original Jatiya Samajtantrik Da ...
and Nagorik Oikya. Later, on 5 November 2018,
Krishak Sramik Janata League The Krishak Sramik Janata League () is a political party in Bangladesh. Bangabir Kader Siddique is the president of the party, and Habibur Rahman Talukdar the general secretary. In the 2001 parliamentary election, the party won 1 out of 300 elect ...
, led by Bangabir Kader Siddique joined the front. The front declared seven demands and eleven goals for a free, fair and credible election and to ensure the balance of power in the government structure.


Members

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Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
#
Gano Forum Gano Forum ( bn, গণফোরাম), literally ''People's Forum'', is a political party in Bangladesh. GF was formed through a split of the Awami League and the merger of civil society groups in 1992. The party is headed by one of its found ...
#
Nagorik Oikya ''Nagarik'' ( bn, নাগরিক), also spelled as ''Nagorik'', ''The Citizen'' in English, was the first feature-length film directed by legendary Indian director Ritwik Ghatak. Completed in 1952, it preceded Satyajit Ray's ''Pather Panch ...
# JSD


Background

With the Grand Alliance Victory in 2008, an
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
-led government took charge in January 2009, and abolished the caretaker government system that used to oversee the national elections since 1991.


Abolishment of caretaker government

Though the election, through which
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...
and their allies got elected, was conducted by an election-time technocrat
caretaker government A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
, the government abolished the system in 2011 following a court verdict that declared the thirteenth amendment of the constitution illegal. The abolishment of an agreed system to oversee the national election enraged the opposition groups who boycotted the general election in 2014 and took streets demanding the restoration of the caretaker government system to oversee the election. When the government started suppressing the opposition movement, they retaliated violently that caused death to no less than 300 people across the country.


2014 national election

In the election of 2014, only 12 of the 42 registered parties took part and 154 constituencies were left disenfranchised. The opposition leader of the parliament,
Begum Khaleda Zia Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
was placed under house arrest before the election that continued for another week. In March 2014, after months of turbulence, Begum Khaleda Zia called off the strike and urged to forge a national unity. Later, in 2015,
Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
again enforced a country-wide blockade when their chairperson was not allowed to take part in a procession and put under house arrest in her office building. They demanded the restoration of neutral caretaker government system again, but to no avail.


Jatiya Oikya Prokriya floated

In August 2016, against the backdrop of a political uncertainty,
Kamal Hossain Kamal Hossain (born 20 April 1937) is a founding leader, lawyer and politician of Bangladesh. He is known as the "father of the Bangladeshi constitution" and regarded as an icon of secular democracy in the Indian subcontinent. Hossain currently ...
floated the platform “Jatiya Oikya Prokriya” that loosely translates into National Unity Process in English. The platform aimed at working to expedite a national unity among the battling political groups by reducing their differences by holding talks and seminars. Throughout 2016 to 2018, Oikya Prokriya held several seminars and invited leaders from prominent political parties aligned with the spirit of Bangladesh Liberation War. On September 13, 2018, after months of talks Oikya Prokriya declared to work together with a newly formed political force led by former President Badruddoza Chowdhury of Bikalpadhara Bangladesh. On September 22 of the same year, Jatiya Oikya Prokriya held a public rally at Dhaka. BNP, Bikalpadhara, Nagorik Oikya, JSD, Gono Forum,
Bangladesh Jatiya Party The Bangladesh Jatiya Party is a political party in Bangladesh. It is a splinter group of the original Jatiya Party, that was founded by the former President of Bangladesh Hossain Mohammad Ershad. It was previously known as Jatiya Party (Naz ...
and some other parties shared the stage in the rally. They declared a four-point-demand in the rally. Also, a declaration to work from the same platform came from the podium that day.


Formation

Jatiya Oikya Prokriya spearheaded by Gono Forum arranged several meetings with BNP, Bikalpadhara, JSD and Nagorik Oikya from the last week of September to the second week of October. Finally on October 13, 2018 the top-tier leaders of all the parties except Bikapadhara sat together and chalked out their demands and goals in a long meeting, and declared the emergence of Jatiyo Oikya Front (National Unity Front), through a press conference held at National Press Club. Bikalpadhara parted ways from the front as their demands were not fully met.


Demands and goals

The front unanimously placed seven demands and eleven goals. The seven demands are placed to ensure a free, fair and credible election. While the eleven goals are the basic outline of how the front will run the government if elected. The front has a major focus on ensuring a balance of power among the ruling party and the opposition groups.


Demands

The seven-point-demand of the front includes: # To hold a free and fair election, the government must step down; parliament must be dissolved and an election-time neutral government must be formed following discussions. Khaleda Zia must be freed. The government must withdraw all cases against her and other BNP leaders and activists. # Reforms to the EC with the appointment of people acceptable to all parties through discussions. Electronic voting machines must not be used in the election. # Ensure freedom of speech for individuals, newspapers and electronic and social media, and all political parties’ meetings and rallies. # Withdraw all cases against students involved in the protests for reforms to the quota system in government jobs and road safety measures, and against the journalists “charged for expressing their views”. Scrap all ‘black laws’, including Digital Security Act. # Deploy the army with judicial powers to all polling stations from 10 days before the election to the formation of the government after the polls. Hand over the control of law enforcers to the Election Commission before the polls. # Local and international monitors must be allowed to observe the elections without any hindrance. # Halt proceedings of all political cases between the announcement of the schedule and the election results. Police must not file any new case against politicians.


Goals

The front has set eleven goals for themselves. They have promised to fulfil the goals if they are elected to power. These are: # In order to build the country in light with the spirit of liberation war and reduce one person's executive power, the balance of power will be ensured among President, Prime Minister and government, the administration will be decentralized and Ombudsman will be appointed; # Amendment of the Article 70 and formation of the constitutional commission to appoint non-partisan, neutral and honest persons in constitutional vital posts of the state; # To ensure independence and power of the judiciary; # To ensure necessary reformation of the Anti-Corruption Commission with a view to building a corruption-free, transparent administration and reduce corruption in government and private level; # Merit will be the only criterion in recruiting officials of the state to create pro-investment atmosphere and to reduce unemployment; # People's basic human rights, empowerment of woman, education for farmers, labours and poor and their medication will be ensured by the government; # All state institutions including civil administration, police and local government will be free from corruption; # Discipline in the banking sector, best of resources and proper distribution and welfare based economic growth will be ensured; # Making sure no militant group can use Bangladesh territory; # "Friendship with all, enmity with none" policy meant for other countries, and formation of a national unity to resolve political enmities; # To modernize and organize the armed forces.


Dissolution


References

{{Bangladeshi political parties Political party alliances in Bangladesh Politics of Bangladesh Bangladesh Nationalist Party Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal