BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that if his party comes to power, they will form a national government with participation from all political parties that supported them throughout.
Speaking at a discussion, he said, “If we are elected, we will not run the country alone... So, where is the problem? Where is the doubt?”
The discussion was held at the National Press Club in the capital on Tuesday. The Bangladesh Sammilita Peshajibi Parishad, a platform of pro-BNP professionals, organised the programme to mark National Revolution and Solidarity Day, commemorating the "civil-military uprising" of 7 November 1975.
Mirza Fakhrul called upon the interim government to provide an election roadmap to maintain public confidence. He also called on the advisers of the government to refrain from misleading people with their unguarded remarks.
Emphasising on the need for holding an election swiftly to save the nation, Mirza Fakhrul asked the interim government to focus on specific reforms. “The people of the country have started doubting you (interim government). The people in the government are creating confusion by making various remarks. Focus should be on fixing the Election Commission (EC), administration, and judiciary to prepare for elections. The rest of the work will be done by those elected,” he added.
Highlighting lack of political expertise in the current administration, he said that factories, which are major assets of our country, are being set on fire. Why can’t they address this? Because there is no politics here. They lack political strength.
“None of these people (advisers) have political experience. Politics involves specific calculations and equations, which only politicians understand,” he mentioned, adding that delays will only exacerbate existing problems and create new ones.
Referring to the recent protests by the students of Government Titumir College, Mirza Fakhrul questioned the interim government’s preparedness. “Were they not intelligent enough to foresee this? Why were preventive measures not taken?”
Asking the government for a roadmap to elections, the BNP leader said, “We demand elections for the interest of the nation, not for BNP's benefit. We have given reform proposals supported by 62 parties. Review them and decide on which ones to implement.”
He also said that announcing an election roadmap will restore public confidence. He, however, wants the nterim government to succeed in their ventures. “We do not want Hasina to return,” he said.
Meanwhile, BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan at a separate event criticised the interim government’s position on holding elections after reforms, calling it illogical, reports UNB.
He said the main responsibility of the interim government is to restore the people's right to vote by holding a neutral election after completing necessary electoral reforms.
“The interim government will carry out reforms, and no one is opposing that. However, the problem is that the reforms I implement today may need to be revisited tomorrow,” he said.
He made the remarks while inaugurating a workshop organised by BNP on the party's 31-point state structure reform outline at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.
Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, a standing committee member of the BNP; said that reform is a continuous process that never truly concludes. “It is illogical to say that we'll complete the reforms and then hold elections, handing over the responsibility of governing the country to the people. Reforms are going on, and this argument doesn't hold.”
The BNP leader said that the government must understand that reforms are a perpetual necessity as civilisation itself progresses through continuous change. "So, when will reforms end? There can be no valid argument that elections should only be held after reforms are completed."
For the past 15 years the youth who have led revolutions and people from various professions have been deprived of their voting rights, he stressed, adding that restoring these rights is the prime responsibility of this government.
Abdul Moyeen Khan expressed confidence that a credible election could be ensured by safeguarding the voting rights of the people. "True representatives of the people will form the parliament, which will then establish a government."
He reiterated that BNP is committed to implementing the 31-point state reform outline if voted to power. "If voted to power, we will take on the responsibility of serving the people, not ruling them."
He also clarified that BNP does not support paper-based reforms but advocates for reforms that will genuinely benefit the people.
