Moment of truth
April 28, 2021
There’s always room for compromise in politics. But sometimes a U-turn is not an option – you have to decide between two parallel paths, and both have their own pitfalls. This is the dilemma the government is faced with at the moment.
The violent protests by the TLP left the government in a quandary. The protesters were demanding the government follow through on its previous purported deal. The government, terrified by possible economic and diplomatic repercussions of sending the French diplomat back home and at the same time perturbed by recurring demonstration of street power by the religious group, took the extreme step of placing the TLP on the list of terrorist groups. But the continued resistance by TLP supporters forced the government back into negotiations and ultimately led to another pact, which may possibly lead to the reversal of the ban on the party in the weeks ahead.