Staff Reporter:
Mentioning that election would never be fair under ruling Awami League (AL), writer and elderly politician Badruddin Umar on Friday said, “BNP is saying that they will not take part in election under Awami League. BNP should say that they will thwart the election.”
He made the remarks at a discussion arranged by Ganasangskriti Front at National Press Club in Dhaka.
Fair election under Awami League government would never be possible because of the way they (AL) are controlling bureaucrats and police, said Badruddin Umar adding that “They (AL) must go, and they should be removed from the power. No election should be organized by them.”
Addressing BNP, Badruddin Umar said, “BNP is saying that they will not take part in election under Awami League and demanding election under caretaker government. I think it is logical.”
He further said, “BNP says that they will boycott election. They (BNP) are not saying that no election would be allowed to happen.”
Badruddin Umar said, “Actually voice should be raised to prevent the election. Demand will be raised before election, people will be organized, election will be prevented– it should be said like this. Awami League would organize the election in previous style if they sit idle by boycotting election.”
Quoting Awami League’s comment that ‘opposition wants to foil the election,’ he said, “Election must be thwarted. Did not you (AL) prevent the election in 1996? It is you who staged movement demanding the caretaker government. It was such a movement for which not only not only the election was cancelled but also cabinet members of the then BNP government resigned. Then the caretaker government system was introduced. The same thing should be repeated now.”
About freedom of media, Badruddin Umar said not only the media but everything is being repressed.
“Everything is correlated. Today’s movement for freedom of media is related to the people’s movement for freedom of speech. No scope to separate it,” he said.
As a whole if we cannot fight against the attack which is continuing on people, failed to understand the whole situation then the fight will go in vain, said Badruddin Umar.
The programme was addressed, among others, by Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury, journalist Sohrab Hassan and the New Age editor Nurul Kabir with Ganasangskriti Front convener Iftekhar Ahmed in the chair.
