Wednesday, 22 January, 2025
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that his party does not want elections to be held “immediately,” but rather after the implementation of minimum reforms.
Fakhrul made these remarks during a discussion at the Zia Memorial Library on Tuesday afternoon.
“Many people misunderstand me. They ask, ‘Why do you talk about elections so often?’ Especially students, in particular, ask me this. The reason we call for elections is simple—we believe that any elected government is better than an unelected one. With an elected government, we have the space to engage, to meet, and to speak. Unfortunately, that space is not available to us now”, he explained.
“We are not saying that elections should be held immediately. If we hold elections after minimum reforms, a great extent of our problems will be solved.”
He said, “Proposals for reforms have started coming in. I believe that our chief advisor will call us to discuss these issues very soon, discuss and come to a solution on the basis of consensus.”
“We are pushing for an election soon because if the election is held, the country’s problems will go away. The elected government will have a people’s mandate… They [the interim government] have not been able to work in that way - they do not have that confidence. You have to understand the language of the people… We believe that an elected government understands that best.”
This discussion meeting was held at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the Jatiya Press Club on the occasion of the 89th birth anniversary of Ziaur Rahman and the 12th founding anniversary of the Zia Memorial Library.
Fakhrul urged patience, stating that the interim government had discovered a “mess” left behind by the ousted Awami League.
“I had no idea it had gotten this bad. After the transition, when we reached out to offices and courts, the situation revealed itself to be horrific—riddled with corruption and theft. There was no consideration for anything beyond personal interests. It pains me to say this, but it’s the truth.”
“This can’t be changed overnight. It won’t happen quickly. We need to be patient. A democratic structure must be established, and only once that foundation is set can we move forward with certainty.”
He added, “Never lose patience, never lose hope. For some reason, we have high expectations but very little patience.”
“It’s only been a few months, yet everything has gone awry. Look at this government [the interim government]—they’re making numerous mistakes. They’re bound to, because during their time in power, they didn’t engage in politics. They don’t understand politics. They have to be given time.”
Fakhrul continued, “Every day now, there are marches and calls for action. But where were these people all this time? No one dared speak up, nor were they given the chance. And now, with the situation as it is, everyone has flooded to the streets.”
“ABM Obaidul Islam was saying there’s a strike today at the Open University, next to the National University. Roads and river ports are being blocked. But who stands to gain from this? It won’t benefit our society or our country.”
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BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that his party does not want elections to be held “immediately,” but rather after the implementation of minimum reforms.
Fakhrul made these remarks during a discussion at the Zia Memorial Library on Tuesday afternoon.
“Many people misunderstand me. They ask, ‘Why do you talk about elections so often?’ Especially students, in particular, ask me this. The reason we call for elections is simple—we believe that any elected government is better than an unelected one. With an elected government, we have the space to engage, to meet, and to speak. Unfortunately, that space is not available to us now”, he explained.
“We are not saying that elections should be held immediately. If we hold elections after minimum reforms, a great extent of our problems will be solved.”
He said, “Proposals for reforms have started coming in. I believe that our chief advisor will call us to discuss these issues very soon, discuss and come to a solution on the basis of consensus.”
“We are pushing for an election soon because if the election is held, the country’s problems will go away. The elected government will have a people’s mandate… They [the interim government] have not been able to work in that way - they do not have that confidence. You have to understand the language of the people… We believe that an elected government understands that best.”
This discussion meeting was held at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the Jatiya Press Club on the occasion of the 89th birth anniversary of Ziaur Rahman and the 12th founding anniversary of the Zia Memorial Library.
Fakhrul urged patience, stating that the interim government had discovered a “mess” left behind by the ousted Awami League.
“I had no idea it had gotten this bad. After the transition, when we reached out to offices and courts, the situation revealed itself to be horrific—riddled with corruption and theft. There was no consideration for anything beyond personal interests. It pains me to say this, but it’s the truth.”
“This can’t be changed overnight. It won’t happen quickly. We need to be patient. A democratic structure must be established, and only once that foundation is set can we move forward with certainty.”
He added, “Never lose patience, never lose hope. For some reason, we have high expectations but very little patience.”
“It’s only been a few months, yet everything has gone awry. Look at this government [the interim government]—they’re making numerous mistakes. They’re bound to, because during their time in power, they didn’t engage in politics. They don’t understand politics. They have to be given time.”
Fakhrul continued, “Every day now, there are marches and calls for action. But where were these people all this time? No one dared speak up, nor were they given the chance. And now, with the situation as it is, everyone has flooded to the streets.”
“ABM Obaidul Islam was saying there’s a strike today at the Open University, next to the National University. Roads and river ports are being blocked. But who stands to gain from this? It won’t benefit our society or our country.”
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