Stressing the importance of quick completion of state reforms, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Sunday said that people have the right to know the intention of the current interim government about it, including the timeline and duration required for the reforms.
“People have the right to know what the current interim government intends to do and how many months or time they need to reform the state,” he said while virtually addressing a discussion.
The BNP leader said that if the government announces its future action plan and roadmap, it would ensure transparency on one hand and accountability to the people on the other, and it would boost the pace of the administration's activities.
He said if the advisers' expressions reveal signs of unease after hearing the interim government's roadmap, it would certainly go against the aspirations of the people. "The more transparent the government is with people through its activities, the more support people will extend to it," Tarique mentioned.
Tarique, however, expressed the hope that Bangladesh would soon embark on the electoral roadmap. “I would like to tell the leaders and workers of BNP at all levels that our beloved Bangladesh will soon start its journey on the electoral roadmap after overcoming all the ambiguities.
Tarique expresses solidarity with people of South Korea in quest for democracy
In this journey, he reminded the party rank and file that democracy and freedom-loving people would be their true companions. “So, stay with the people, and do your best to keep the people with you.”
BNP organised the discussion at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, to mark Great Victory Day.
The nation is set to celebrate the 54th Victory Day on Monday with festivities, paying tribute to martyrs and freedom fighters of the Liberation War.
Tarique said people are dying from dengue almost every day in hospitals, while many are struggling to afford the cost of treatment.
He said people are also enduring immense hardship due to the unbridled price hikes of essential items. “Almost everyone in the country is fighting to meet their daily expenses.”
“If the interim government merely buys time in the name of reforms without easing people’s daily suffering or addressing the market situation, the question--‘reform first or family first’--may become a pressing issue for the people,” the BNP leader warned.
Despite these struggles, Tarique said people are not expressing their grievances against the government, as they want to see the interim administration succeed. “But they (govt) themselves must prove through their activities whether they want to see themselves successful.”
He also talked about empowering people politically and economically to bolster the country’s independence and sovereignty.
“We must remember that if the people are not empowered, national unity will not be strong. There is no alternative to reforms for achieving qualitative change in the state and politics. But if someone wants to become an autocrat or fascist, neither the constitution nor the rules can stop them. Anyone can become an autocratic or fascist ruler by disregarding the existing laws and rules,” the BNP leader observed.
BNP aims for a democratic, fair, inclusive Bangladesh: Tarique
To protect the government and state from autocracy and fascism, he said the practice of democratic political culture in everyday activities is more crucial than the rules and provisions. “It is possible to eliminate the elements of fascism from the state and society through democratic practices in daily life.”
Tarique said a parliament formed by public representatives, elected through direct votes, is the key place or institution for the practice of democratic politics in both the state and society. “The political power of the people is assured when an accountable government and parliament functions properly.”
Stating that autocratic ruler Sheikh Hasina fled the country in the face of a student-led mass uprising, he said 1971 was the year of Bangladesh’s independence, while 2024 is the year of protecting the country’s independence and the rights of its people.
"In such a context, this Victory Day, being celebrated in an environment free from fascism, is certainly more joyful, glorious, meaningful, and significant. I firmly believe that every future Independence and Victory Day in Bangladesh will be a meaningful day of fulfilling the state’s and government’s responsibility to the people," the BNP leader said.
He said the people of the country have got united in an unprecedented way, on the blood of many people. "We must utilise this unity to build a Bangladesh free from discrimination.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the Awami League had destroyed the dreams of the Liberation War shortly after independence, through misrule, repressive acts, and by dismantling democracy and stripping people of their rights.
He said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was the first to initiate reforms in the country, introducing multiparty democracy and a free-market economy.
BNP to be accountable government, if elected: Tarique Rahman
Fakhrul said Zia also brought reforms to the agriculture, education, and industrial sectors, strengthening the country's economy.
Later, he said that the BNP had carried out various essential reforms in Bangladesh under the leadership of Khaleda Zia. "We also presented the 31-point proposals for state reform when no one even thought about it. Yet, it’s unfortunate that now we are being lectured about reforms.”
Fakhrul said an acceptable election must be held promptly to pave the way for implementing the 31-point reforms.
BNP Standing Committee members AZM Zahid Hossain, Salahuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, Nazrul Islam Khan, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, among others, spoke at the programme.