BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman had called upon the interim government to manifest its commitment to ensuring voting rights of the people through a credible election in a bid to strengthen ties with people and build their trust.
Speaking at an event, he warned that people will not tolerate it if they find the incompetence of the government in running the country. “If priorities are misplaced in the efforts for reforms, it will be considered as the government's inefficiency by the people,” he said.
He was speaking virtually as chief guest at the third council session of the Nationalist Textile Engineers Association of Bangladesh (JTEB) at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) on Sunday.
Referring to a recent incident where people injured in the July Revolution were discharged without adequate care, Tarique Rahman said, “The question may arise why rehabilitation, treatment, and safety of the injured were not higher on the priority list.”
“The interim government has taken over a devastated country after the fallen dictatorship. It is not possible to clean the mess left behind by the Awami League government in just three months. However, it is not unusual or unfair for people to raise questions about the success or failure of the government after three months,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said, “The interim government has already taken an initiative to restructure the Election Commission (EC). People expect to cast their votes freely, without fear, in a neutral and transparent environment and to elect their representatives.”
He said that the relationship between the government and people will grow stronger if the public can maintain their confidence in it. When people will see that the government is genuinely working to uphold their voting and other fundamental rights, their trust in the government will naturally deepen, he added.
The BNP leader also said all the evil efforts of plotters will go in vain if the interim government can meet even the minimum of the people’s demands. “If the political and economic empowerment of the people is not ensured, then no matter what we call democracy, development, or reform, none of it will be sustainable,” he said.
Tarique Rahman further said that the main tool of a citizen’s political power is the right to vote. If people are not given the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, their relationship and partnership with the state will not be established, he added.
He said the deposed autocrats and their associates, both within the country and abroad, as well as elements within the administration, are actively working to fail the interim government. “If they succeed in undermining this government, they will also fail democracy and the millions of Bangladeshis who cherish democratic values,” the BNP leader said.
In such a situation, he said, some decisions of the interim government appear to ignore the people's aspirations, instead imposing what they believe is best for the public.
“Despite numerous dissatisfactions and shortcomings, the people wish to maintain their trust in the government. But does the government want that? If the trust between the government and people is strong and close, the conspirators will not succeed in spreading their plots,” he said.
Speaking at the programme, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the country is facing a very critical time. “We must navigate this period with great caution,” he said.
He called upon the interim government to quickly complete the necessary electoral reforms to ensure credible and acceptable elections, in line with the people's wishes.
Tarique also called on BNP leaders and activists to preserve the party's image by refraining from any wrongdoings and standing firm against any form of injustice.
BNP Standing Committee members Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, among others, addressed the programme, with Jatiyatabadi Textile Engineers Association of Bangladesh President Fakhrul Alam in the chair.
