🇧🇩 Monitoring the political activities of BNP

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Interim govt must not be allowed to fail: Tarique

Stating that the current interim government must not be allowed to fail, Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said that Bangladesh would advance to the...

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Interim govt must not be allowed to fail: Tarique
Staff Correspondent 17 September, 2024, 19:30

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party holds a public rally in front of its Nayapaltan central office in the capital marking International Day of Democracy on Tuesday. | New Age photo

Stating that the current interim government must not be allowed to fail, Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said that Bangladesh would advance to the election roadmap along with the path of reforms.

‘Some activities of this government may not be considered as a success by all. But we all have to remember that the failure of this government is the failure of all of us and the failure of the pro-democracy people of Bangladesh. So this interim government can in no way be allowed to fail,’ he said while virtually addressing a rally.

The party arranged the rally marking International Day of Democracy in front of the party’s Naya Paltan central office presided over by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Tarique, however, said that the current government must also be careful so that it did not fail on its own account.

He mentioned that the BNP launched a 31-point programme back in 2023 for bringing reforms to the state.

But those 31 points were not the last word regarding reform, he continued, the BNP believed that reforms in any field of the state or politics were a continuous and ongoing process.

Therefore, his party welcomed those changes also that were even more necessary than its own 31-point reform programme, Tarique said, adding that even if someone thought that more new political parties were needed for a better and safer Bangladesh, there was nothing wrong with that.

‘In the end, there are the people who will decide who to support or not to support. For this reason, the BNP has repeatedly emphasised the right of the people to vote,’ he added.

He said that the interim government was working to restore order in the country following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s fascist and despotic regime.

Calling Hasina the head of the mafia clique, the BNP acting chairman said that though the fallen prime minister fled the country, their beneficiaries and evil forces continued to challenge the interim government from within the administration or hiding behind a façade of politics.

‘The people will not allow the government to fail amid various provocations from home and abroad,’ the BNP leader said, adding that the current interim government is the outcome of the supreme sacrifice of thousands of martyrs and the mass uprising of millions of people.

He urged his party people to earn the trust and admiration of people through their work.

‘I would like to say that the country will be on the electoral roadmap along the path of reforms. So, let us all earn the trust and love of the people through work. We should stand by the people and keep them with us,’ he said, adding that the reform programmes need to be carried forward keeping in mind the goal of establishing an accountable government, and a parliament formed by representatives elected by the people.

Tarique stated that without political empowerment and direct involvement of the people in the reform process, no democracy or reform is sustainable and effective.

Political empowerment of the people can only be ensured by establishing the right of voters to elect their chosen representatives through a free, fair and impartial election, he said.

The interim government had already undertaken reforms in several areas, he said, adding that his party feared that if the interim government failed to set priorities for setting agenda, conspiratorial circles might utilise opportunities to disrupt the success of the mass uprising.

Several hundred BNP leaders and activists joined the rally, triggering several hours of heavy traffic jams across different roads and alleys over a large area in the capital.​

 

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Post-August 5 politics: BNP, Jamaat drifting apart

The taunts and barbs leave little room for doubt that the 33-year-old ties have soured. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have differed in private and in public on various issues, including reforms and election timeframe.

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Post-August 5 politics: BNP, Jamaat drifting apart

The taunts and barbs leave little room for doubt that the 33-year-old ties have soured. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have differed in private and in public on various issues, including reforms and election timeframe.

BNP has made it known that it wants elections after a reasonable set of reforms. Its longtime ally Jamaat on the other hand has made it clear that it is willing to wait and allow Prof Muhammad Yunus-led interim government more time.

Experts say they have not previously seen such opposing views, that too in public, by the two parties that formed electoral alliance on multiple occasions in the past and even fought side by side to topple Hasina for years.

According to them, the two parties do not need each other anymore after the political changeover, as their "common political rival" Hasina is no longer in the scene.

BNP leaders say the rift between the two allies surfaced when Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman in a statement on August 26 alleged that BNP has already "grabbed 80 percent of the power".

"They [BNP] don't even need an election. They have grabbed whatever there is to grab – from footpath to begging business," Shafiqur had said.

"BNP and Jamaat came closer to face Awami League though their ideologies were different. But after the fall of the Awami League government, there is no need for them to stay together." — Prof Al Masud Hasanuzzaman, Jahangirnagar University.

Earlier on August 11, Dhaka City North unit member secretary of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth front of BNP, Rabiul Islam Nayan, allegedly led a mob that tried to take control of Islami Bank's main branch in Motijheel. Jamaat, which allegedly wanted to establish its dominance over the first Shariah-based bank in Bangladesh, was upset by this, according to Jamaat insiders.

The gap between BNP and Jamaat appears to have widened centering also on appointments in key government posts, as both parties seek to solidify their control over various institutions.

BNP leaders say the interim government removed pro-Awami League people from different government positions, educational institutions, banks and insurance companies. Many of these posts have been given to pro-Jamaat men.

The differences became visible soon after Prof Yunus's address to the nation on August 25, where he did not mention the election timeframe.

In his reaction the next day, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the chief adviser failed to address the election issue.

On the same day, the Jamaat chief said the nation will not accept any political party's demand for an election at a time when hundreds of people are still lying on hospital beds from injuries sustained during the July uprising.

As if in a direct response, Fakhrul told a press conference at the party chairperson's Gulshan office on August 28 that those who do not have public support and cannot run government have different thoughts about election. "Those who cannot afford to win are against elections," he said.

Although both parties are in favour of reforms, BNP wants a reasonable level of reforms to some institutions, while Jamaat supports sustainable reforms, according to sources in the two parties.

Multiple Jamaat leaders said they want to allow the interim government more time for the sake of their own preparations for the election. They also said they are likely to join polls on their own. Before that, they want to "brighten the party image" through extensive social work. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal party matters.

Talking to The Daily Star on August 28, Mirza Fakhrul said Jamaat is no longer their ally and that BNP is making preparations to run in the election on its own.

Saiful Alam Khan, a member of Jamaat's central executive council, denied that there are any strains in the relations between the two parties.

"The two political parties have their own perspectives and opinions, and they will speak on the basis of their opinions. That does not mean that a tense situation has been created between us," he told The Daily Star.

BNP and Jamaat became political allies in 1991, when they formed government for the first time after the fall of HM Ershad, an autocrat.

In the 1991 election, BNP won 140 seats out of the 300 and needed 11 more to form government. Jamaat, which bagged 18 seats, extended its unconditional support to BNP.

BNP formed an electoral alliance with Jamaat in 1999, and the two parties went to the polls under a common banner, and eventually formed an alliance government in 2001.

BNP and Jamaat participated in the 2008 election under the four-party alliance banner and lost heavily to Awami League.

From 2013 to 2015, they launched a joint movement against the AL government.

The relations developed some cracks over seat sharing before the 2018 election, when Jamaat was first given 25 seats, which was later revised down to 22 seats.

As Jamaat lost its registration with the Election Commission in 2018, its candidates participated in that election with BNP's electoral symbol.

In 2022, the two parties officially broke up their alliance, and started a separate yet simultaneous movement against the AL government.

In the July uprising against Hasina's 15-year rule, both parties lent support and joined the movement, but separately.

Talking to The Daily Star, several mid-ranking BNP leaders said the differences with Jamaat essentially centre around politics of power and policy.

"This is not a conflict; it is rather a difference over beliefs and policies. And this difference is permanent. Jamaat is dreaming of assuming state power and then fulfill its desire," a BNP leader said, asking not to be named.

Asked about the differences between BNP and Jamaat, Prof Al Masud Hasanuzzaman of government and politics department at Jahangirnagar University said, "It's obvious. BNP and Jamaat came closer to face Awami League though their ideologies were different. But after the fall of the Awami League government, there is no need for them to stay together."

According to him, BNP and Jamaat are the main beneficiaries of the student movement that forced Hasina to flee to India.

"Both parties are now busy with their own political calculation. So they are keeping distance for their own interest now," he said.​

 

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We will face the same fate if we start behaving like AL: Mirza Fakhrul

Fakhrul urged party members to strengthen their presence among the public, stressing that their future success depends on gaining popular support

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We will face the same fate if we start behaving like AL: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today warned party members against adopting tactics similar to those of the Awami League, saying that they would face the same consequences as AL did.

"Today, we are breathing free air, but it will remain free only as long as we can protect it. If we start behaving like the Awami League, we will face the same fate," Fakhrul said at a public meeting held at Eidgah ground in Haripur upazila, Thakurgaon.

He urged party members to strengthen their presence among the public, stressing that their future success depends on gaining popular support, reports our Thakurgaon correspondent.

Fakhrul accused the AL government of orchestrating violence against BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami activists, alleging that "the fascist Hasina government" was responsible for the deaths of two thousand people, with many more left severely injured.

"The Awami League set up an 'Aynaghor' for BNP-Jamaat activists. People have lost their hands and legs, and in many cases, their skulls were blown up. We must ensure justice and avoid committing similar atrocities," he said.

"Don't let the victory that has been achieved in the country go to waste. Let's not lose the opportunity that is coming to heal the country and make it better," he added.

Reflecting on the hardships faced during the Awami League's rule, Fakhrul stated, "We have suffered for almost 16 years under Sheikh Hasina's regime, facing repression and imprisonment for our political beliefs. That era is ending."

He also referenced Awami League leader Obaidul Quader's comments, jokingly offering him a place in his home.

"Quader once mocked me, saying he would not flee the country. Now I say, come and take a place in my house," Fakhrul said.

Addressing religious harmony, Fakhrul emphasised the responsibility to protect religious minorities, particularly ahead of the upcoming Puja festival.

"The people of Hindu religion are our responsibility. Let no harm come to them during their worship."

He also spoke about the need for electoral reforms.

"The voting system needs to be fixed so that everyone can vote and elect representatives of their own. We should give time to the interim government," he said.

Regarding India, Fakhrul said, "We want to maintain good relations with our neighbours, but if there is injustice or oppression against us, we will protest."

BNP district unit General Secretary Mirza Faisal Amin, Treasurer Md Shariful Islam, and Haripur upazila unit President Jamal Uddin were also present in the meeting.​

 

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BNP forms six panels for reforms

The BNP has formed six committees to formulate the party’s reform proposals in line with its 31-point outline aimed at reforming the constitution and state system and ensuring economic emancipation, said party sources.

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BNP forms six panels for reforms

The BNP has formed six committees to formulate the party's reform proposals in line with its 31-point outline aimed at reforming the constitution and state system and ensuring economic emancipation, said party sources.

The party will put forward the proposals to help the interim government carry out reforms.

The BNP, which has not formed any government since 2006, is making this move at a time when the interim government has formed six commissions, led by six eminent personalities, to amend the constitution, reform the judiciary, election system, police administration, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the public administration.

According to BNP sources, the number of panels and their size may be expanded.

The party thinks that different government organs have become almost ineffective due to the misrule of the previous Awami League government and that long-term reforms are necessary.

If the BNP is voted to power, it intends to carry out sustainable reforms. Keeping this goal in mind, the party has taken an initiative to finalise its plans from now.

Before discussing reforms with the interim government, BNP wants to determine its position on reforms so it can put forward specific sector-wise reform proposals. The party's standing committee discussed this issue in its last meeting on Monday.

Sources said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will lead the party's panel on state reforms. The other members of the committee are BNP standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, former bureaucrat and BNP chairperson's advisory council member Ismail Zabihullah and party media cell Convenor Moudud Alamgir Pavel.

Salahuddin will head two committees on reforms to the public service commission and public administration. The other members of the two committees are Ismail Zabihullah and former bureaucrat and BNP chairperson's adviser Bijon Kanti Sarker.

BNP standing committee member AZM Zahid Hossain will lead the panel on reforms to the education and health sectors, while Nazrul Islam Khan will head the committee on the reform to the Election Commission.

Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury will be chief of the committee on reforms to economy, banking and commerce sectors. Party Vice Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo will be its member.

Asked about the committees, Nazrul told The Daily Star that the bodies have been named in line with their tasks. He, however, refused to give details.

The six committees will finalise the BNP's stance and reform proposals after discussing the issues with different stakeholders. Those will also work to drum up public support for BNP's 31-point outline, said party insiders.

Unveiling the 31-point outline on July 13 last year, the party said it wants to implement the reform proposals to turn the country into a democratic state in the true sense.​