Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday urged the interim government to arrange a national election immediately.
At a discussion on Bicameral Parliament: Formation of Upper House, organised by Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal鈥揓SD at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, he said that an elected government could only make decisions on state reforms.
鈥業 am astonished that some of those entrusted with responsibility by the interim government are saying that a new party needs to be formed,鈥� said Fakhrul.
鈥榃ho gave them such a mandate, where did they get the mandate to form a new party,鈥� he posed a question.
He also asked how the people would keep trust in the interim government鈥檚 impartiality.
The BNP leader urged the government to go for immediate minimum reforms to ensure a free and fair election.
鈥楾here is a need for reform of the Election Commission, while changes are needed in administrative and judicial structures, but these changes must be made immediately to facilitate the election,鈥� he said.
The BNP leader said that the people would not tolerate an interim government for a long time.
鈥極ne survey claims that 80 per cent of the people want this government to stay as long as it pleases, but I do not know where or how they got this,鈥� he said.
Fakhrul said, 鈥楾oday, a newspaper published a report citing a survey. I cannot say for certain who conducted this survey. They mentioned BRAC Institute. I do not know how they carried out the survey.鈥�
He expressed concern, saying that several organisations and groups already started working to keep the interim government indefinitely.
鈥業f they [interim government] make all the changes and implement the reforms, there will be no need for the people or the parliament,鈥� he said.
Fakhrul said, 鈥榃e have urged for an election under a neutral government, and it must be free and fair. Now there is a neutral government.鈥�
After the elections, elected representatives should decide what reforms or changes are necessary, and the parliament will decide whether to amend certain aspects of the constitution or to discard it and frame a new one, he added.
Fakhrul also demanded the withdrawal of false and fabricated cases against BNP leaders and activists.
Supporters of the autocratic Awami League regime are still in the administration and they should be removed, said the BNP leader.
He also demanded immediate compensation for those killed and injured in the student-led mass uprising.
Presiding over the discussion, JSD president ASM Abdur Rob said that the election must be arranged but elections without reforms would not be of any use.
The constitution should be reformed and the state system should be repaired, he said, adding that those who killed people must not be forgiven.
In the keynote paper, the JSD proposed the formation of a four-year bicameral parliament with a lower house having 300 seats for territorial constituencies and an upper house having 200 seats for professionals and other social forces.
The lower house will have party representatives and the upper house will have representatives based on class-profession-works, said the paper, adding that the election-time government would be formed by the upper house.
The party also proposed for two votes for every citizen 鈥� territorial constituency-based general vote and another vote to elect representative for his/her profession.
The JSD also proposed the introduction of 鈥榥o鈥� vote system in the elections.
In response to Fakhrul鈥檚 remarks on constitution amendment, Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna told the discussion, 鈥楾his government should have a 鈥渢erms of reference鈥�.鈥�
He said, 鈥榃hat is our main struggle? We had no voting rights, no democracy in the country. Democracy requires votes, so that everyone can participate, there has to be a system for that vote and that is their [interim government] key tasks.鈥�
Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, demanded the arrangement of proportional representation system in addition to the bicameral parliament.