Dhaka: BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed today stated that the people of Bangladesh will reject any conspiracy against the forthcoming national parliamentary elections. “The people of this country will reject any political strategy to delay or obstruct the election,” Ahmed remarked while addressing journalists this evening.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the senior BNP leader highlighted the long-standing struggle of the Bangladeshi people for their voting rights, emphasizing that they have been fighting for 16-17 years. “The people of this country have fought continuously for 16-17 years, shed blood and thousands have been martyred – for what? (They fought) to achieve the demand for the right to vote, to establish democratic rights and to establish constitutional rights. Finally, (they shed blood) to establish an equitable social system and reform the state system. These can only be realized when we have a democratically elected national government through a fair and neutral election,” he said.
Ahmed criticized the timing of political protests, describing them as self-contradictory while consensus commission discussions are ongoing. “The National Consensus Commission has called its next meeting for tomorrow. The public will consider how appropriate it is to announce street protests for the same demands while these discussions are ongoing,” he stated.
He further noted that the consensus commission did not address the PR (proportional representation) system for lower house elections. “There was no discussion about the PR system for the lower house election in the consensus commission. Those who are now demonstrating for the PR system for the lower house also participated in those discussions,” said Ahmed.
Ahmed expressed opposition to the PR system, citing its incompatibility with Bangladesh’s political culture. “If any political party raises this demand in the field, we will also express our opposing views through the democratic process. We have already said that we do not want the PR system in either the lower or upper houses of the Bangladeshi parliament. We have provided our reasoning for why we don’t want it,” he added.
He concluded by discussing the potential negative consequences of the PR system, warning that it could lead to weak government management and unstable coalition governments. “The PR system is not compatible with either Bangladesh’s political culture or its electoral history. Various countries around the world have different kinds of PR methods. We can see the consequences of the PR method in a neighboring country,” he said. “Under this system, the government’s management is very weak. It’s very difficult to form a government with a simple majority. This leads to the establishment of an unstable government system and results in a permanent coalition parliament and a coalition government, which makes it impossible to fulfill the nation’s aspirations,” Salahuddin Ahmed concluded.