BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday called for an end to the tendency of using the nationalist banner merely for processions and meetings, stressing the need to build a society where professionals can stand with dignity and pride.
“Forming organisations only for processions and meetings is not enough,” he said while speaking at the inauguration of an organisational action plan organised by the Bangladesh Nationalist Motor Drivers’ Association on the ground floor of BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
He said motor vehicle drivers and other professionals must be able to live with respect in society and remain free from harassment, including police harassment. “Laws should be enacted keeping these issues in mind.”
Rizvi said the poor people, working people and the labouring class are the ones who suffer the most harassment and oppression in the country. “To free them from such abuse and ensure a dignified life, the profession of motor vehicle drivers must be developed as a respected profession.”
Sharing his experience abroad, the BNP leader said many educated Bangladeshis, including university graduates, engineers and even doctors, work as Uber or taxi drivers in the United States and still maintain a high standard of living.
“There is no class discrimination there. A taxi driver and a professional enjoy the same social respect. We must build such a society in Bangladesh where there is no divide between small and big jobs,” he said.
Rizvi said BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman made a firm commitment to build an inclusive and dignified society through his 31-point programme and other initiatives.
He also said educated youths who fail to secure jobs after completing university should have opportunities, like in developed countries, to earn a living through services such as ride-sharing.
“But for that to happen, the state must come forward, provide support and enact necessary laws,” the BNP leader added.
BNP Volunteer Affairs Secretary and former student leader Mir Sarafat Ali Shafu, Assistant Organising Secretary Aminul Islam, Health Affairs Secretary Rafiqul Islam and Bangladesh Nationalist Motor Drivers’ Association Member Secretary AKM VP Musa, among others, spoke at the programme.