Parties stress election roadmap with deadline, reforms

Reformation of different offices and announcement of a roadmap with a deadline for the next parliamentary election were two of the demands most repeated by the political parties during their dialogue with the interim government on Saturday.

The BNP demanded the formation of the Election Commission based on the consensus of the main political parties, its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters after the meeting with the chief adviser at Jamuna in the capital on that day.

The party also asked the interim government to provide a roadmap with the deadline for holding the next elections under the Election Commission accepted by all.

Mirza Fakhrul said, “We have highlighted everything including the Election Commission and the reform of the election system.”

“We have said the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Appointment Act, 2022 should be suspended and the Election Commission should be formed immediately based on the consensus of the major political parties,” he said.

Responding to a question about the election roadmap, Mirza Fakhrul said, “I didn’t talk about months and days. He (chief adviser) told us that holding elections is their number one priority. He also thinks that our demands are the demands of the people. Our demands are also theirs.”

Fakhrul also said, “The responsibility of the NID card was supposed to be taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs by passing a law. We have suggested cancelling it by issuing an ordinance. We have said no controversial person should ever be included in the Election Reform Committee.

“We have called for cancelling all union councils as all the elections held during the previous government were rigged. We have also asked to bring the then chief election commissioner and other commissioners to book for the biased elections.”

Fakhrul said, “We consider Justice Khairul Haque to be the mastermind of destroying the election system. He was the main protagonist in abolishing the caretaker government system. We have talked about taking legal actions against him for sedition.

The BNP also told the interim government that most of the collaborators in administration of the previous government – who helped the fascist in looting and prolonging lawlessness and genocide – are still in their respective places. So the party has demanded their immediate removal and appointment of neutral people in their positions.

Regarding the alleged irregularities in deputy commissioner (DC) appointments, Fakhrul said, “You have seen the reports in newspapers about DC appointments. We have talked about 59 of the appointed officials. We have asked the interim government to cancel the appointment of those against whom allegations have been raised. We talked about making a new ‘fit list’ of neutral people.

“We have proposed to cancel some contractual appointments. There are a couple of people in the interim government, who are disrupting the main spirit of the revolution. We have also asked them to be removed,” said Fakhrul.

BNP demands pending promotions for deprived officials

The BNP has demanded the chief adviser to give pending promotions to the government officials who have been deprived of promotion for the last 15 years.

Fakhrul said, “There has been no change in the High Court yet. Most of the appointments in this division were made on the basis of loyalty to the party. Thirty judges are working under the existing tenure. We have called for legal action against them. We also talked about recruiting PP, GP promptly.

He further said, “We see that people arrested on specific charges, including corruption and murder, are getting bails. This is very worrying. This is what we have asked to be looked into.

Besides, the BNP demanded necessary steps to withdraw all the false cases filed from 2007 to 5 August 2024.

Fakhrul also said, “We hear that some police officers, bureaucrats, ex-ministers of various ministries are fleeing the country. We have demanded finding out how and with whose help they are escaping.”

Regarding Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India, Fakhrul said, “We have recommended the interim government to talk with the Indian government to stop the misinformation campaign centering her (Hasina), which is run from India, and to withdraw her from such activities.”

“There has been an attempt to try to destabilise Chittagong Hill Tracts. We have called for strict measures in this regard,” said Fakhrul.

“Those involved in the disappearances and murders are still out of reach. No one has been caught except Ziaul Ahsan. We think they should be identified and arrested immediately and legal action should be taken against them,” he continued.

Fakhrul said a team of the United Nations has come to the country, but people involved in different departments are not cooperating with them. So, they asked the government to ensure their cooperation.

The BNP secretary general said some people of Sanatan religion are systematically inciting the people ahead of the Durga Puja. The party informed the government that some people are spreading false propaganda that the Hindu community is being tortured, which is completely false. The government should take these matters seriously and take necessary measures.

Jamaat to announce reform proposals on 9 Oct

Jamaat-e-Islami will hold a press conference on 9 October to highlight the issues that need to be reformed before the national elections.

Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman told reporters after the meeting with the advisory council of the interim government in Jamuna on Saturday that they (the interim government) did not come to rule the country. They came to build a fair way of governing the country.

“The nation was deprived of three elections in a row. Their job is to pave the way for presenting a fair, acceptable and peaceful election environment to the nation. For that, they have to reform some basic things. We have talked about what fundamental things they will reform,” he said.

Shafiqur Rahman said, “Earlier we asked for two roadmaps – one for reforms, another for elections. Elections will be successful only if the reform is successful. That’s why we have given importance to both.”

Stating that the law and order situation of the country was discussed in the meeting, Shafiqur Rahman said, “We have talked about those things that can keep the nation united against all kinds of conspiracies. We are hoping that the current government will be able to conduct the elections from a neutral point of view without adopting any kind of biased mentality. “

He also said, “We have been saying from the beginning that we want to give reasonable time to the government for reforms. We will soon work on what that logical time will be.”

Manna wants accountability govt officials

“They should be informed in advance that if any untoward incident happens and if they are found negligent, then disciplinary action will be taken against them. Everyone, including the chief advisor, agreed on this,” said Mahmudur.

After the dialogue with the chief adviser Mahmudur Rahman Manna, coordinator of the Ganatantra Mancha, said they have called for ensuring the accountability of the deputy commissioners, upazila nirbahi officials, and officers in charge of police stations.

“They should be informed in advance that if any untoward incident happens and if they are found negligent, then disciplinary action will be taken against them. Everyone, including the chief advisor, agreed on this,” said Mahmudur.

He said, “We have made it clear to the chief adviser that the honour of this interim government, including him, depends on how successfully they will hold the election and hand over the office to the next government.”

After meeting the advisory council, Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon, said a national structure needs to be formed for discussion with political parties, students, and various stakeholders. Democratic elections, establishment of new political settlement in the country, law reform are important parts of reformation. Reform without election or election without reform does not contradict each other. These two complement each other.

Saiful Haque, general secretary of Biplobi Workers Party, said, “We think that a perception has been created that there is distance between the interim government and the political parties. For this reason, we advised to continue the discussion with the political parties as the main stakeholders in the democratic transition.”

Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, “We told the interim government to remember that the previous government was ousted in a coup because they worried the people. This government should not worry the people like that. Already two months have passed, but the prices of goods are terrible, and the deterioration of the law and order situation has not stopped yet.

“We have said that these should be taken as an urgent duty, because if the people are hopeless, they will not listen to talks about any good work or reform.”

Prince said, “It is not the responsibility of this government to do all the reforms. We appreciate the initiative for reforms in various areas but chief among them will be the reform of the electoral system.”

Along with the six existing reform commissions, Islami Andolan Bangladesh has proposed the formation of nine more reform commissions. During Saturday’s meeting, they proposed formation of the Law Reform Commission, Civil Service Reform Commission, External Affairs Reform Commission, Education Reform Commission, Freedom of Speech Reform Commission, Health Reform Commission, Labour Reform Commission, Minority and Ethnic Affairs Reform Commission, and Women and Child Reform Commission.

AB Party Member Secretary Mojibur Rahman Manju said they presented six observations and 11 recommendations to the advisory council in writing.

Gana Adhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan said, “We have presented 12 demands. We have said the roadmap of the interim government should be published. Since the reforms have to be done properly, we have talked about increasing the scope of the advisory council.”

Besides, the party demanded to form a bicameral parliament and make the term of that parliament four years.

Govt working on ways to bring collaborators of fascism to justice

After the dialogue, Mahfuz Alam, special assistant to the chief adviser, told the media at the Foreign Service Academy, “The government holds a position on how to bring the collaborators of fascism to justice.”

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser, said, “The chief adviser, his special assistant, and two other advisers participated in the discussions with the political parties. They have informed us that the commissions will engage in discussions with political parties and various stakeholders in Bangladesh over the next three months.

“The commissions will submit a report within this period. After receiving these reports, the government will again consult with political parties and different segments of society to reach a consensus – a minimum consensus – on the extent of reforms. The timeline will depend on this, as it will depend on how much reform is needed and how long it will take to implement them.”

The chief adviser also mentioned that the election-related tasks will continue during this time, he said, adding, “Preparations for the election, including the formation of the Election Commission, will progress. Therefore, we cannot specify the exact timeline at the moment.”