Staff Reporter:
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday called upon the interim government to promptly move towards holding elections, issuing a warning that the situation is becoming increasingly complicated as time passes.
“It seems the situation is getting more complicated with each passing day. Those who do not believe in democracy or a society free of exploitation are regrouping once again,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion titled ‘Expectations of the Mass Uprising and the Path to Democratic Transition in the Country’ organized by Ganatantra Manch at the Jatiya Press Club, the BNP leader spoke about the nation’s democratic future.
Fakhrul urged the government to “identify the problems without unnecessary delay and engage in dia-logue with political parties. Then, move forward towards elections. That seems to be the only way for-ward.”
Referring to the aftermath of the August 5 regime fall, Fakhrul noted that it had opened a new oppor-tunity to establish a democratic system in Bangladesh. “It seems the situation is becoming more compli-cated. Those who do not believe in democracy, people’s progress, or politics aimed at building a just and exploitation-free society are once again forming alliances. The fascist forces that we were once able to oust are now quietly reorganizing and conspiring to regain power.”
Expressing concerns over rising incidents of mob rule, killings, muggings and enforced disappearances, Fakhrul warned, “If we lose this opportunity, Bangladesh will fall further behind. Every time, our peo-ple and youth give their lives to create an opening. It is unacceptable that we would squander such chances due to our own irresponsibility.”
Fakhrul said, “The 1971 and independence are at the heart of our philosophy. There can be no compro-mise there, or in our commitment to democratic governance. Through dialogue, tolerance and acceptance of differing views, we believe we can reach a point where we can re-establish a truly democratic sys-tem.”
Zonayed Saki, Chief Coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolan; Nurul Haque Nur, President of Gono Odhi-kar Parishad (GOP); Akhtar Hossain, Member Secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP); and Saiful Haque, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party were, among others, present.
