Home ›› 25 Dec 2022 ›› Governance
Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the leaders and activists of her party will march ahead in unison by confronting all the conspiracies and hurdles and build a prosperous, developed and smart Bangladesh by 2041.
“Attacks and conspiracies will come. But we want the leaders and activists of the Awami League to step forward together facing the conspiracies,” she said while inaugurating the 22nd national council of one of the sub-continent's largest political parties, Bangladesh Awami League.
The prime minister said Bangladesh will never fall behind and her party will fulfill the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by bringing smiles on the faces of the distressed people by transforming the country into a developed, prosperous and smart Bangladesh by 2041.
Referring to various measures taken by her government, including enactment of the new law to appoint chief election commissioner and commissioners for the election commission, she once again assured all of holding the next general election in a free and fair manner.
“If we have any intention of stealing votes of the people then we would have formed an Aziz-style election commission as Khaleda Zia did. But we did not do that as we have confidence and trust in the people,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said they have established the voting rights in the country after stopping the previous election culture of snatching votes by appointing hoodlums with motorcycles.
“Awami League has introduced a slogan “my vote, my choice” and it is the lone party which has ensured the voting right of the people which is their democratic and constitutional rights,” she said.
She said Khaleda Zia had prepared a voter list with 1.23 crore fake voters aimed at manipulating the election.
The Awami League president reminded the people that her party had proposed to prepare a voter list with photographs to stop casting fake votes, introduce transparent ballot boxes so that none can fill the boxes prior to the beginning of voting, and then the caretaker government had implemented those proposals.
The prime minister said her government has made the Election Commission completely independent by giving budgetary allocation to the commission directly which was earlier entrusted with the Prime Minister’s Office and enacted a law to appoint an election commission through forming a search committee by the President of Bangladesh.
“We don’t make any intervention in forming the election commission,” she said.
She said that they have given voter ID cards and introduced EVMs in some cases, adding that they know nothing about whether there is any scope to manipulate votes through the machines.
The prime minister reminded all that the people did not accept vote rigging, referring to toppling the Khaleda Zia government after it assumed power through a farcical election in February in 1996, in which no political parties took part and people refrained from voting.
“The people of the country never accept vote rigging. So, Khaleda Zia had to leave power within one and half months on March 30, 1996, amid the mass upsurge,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina said her party had come to power through June 12, 1996 general election after 21 years and did a commendable job in taking Bangladesh to a dignified position by making the country self-sufficient in food production, increasing power generation alongside literacy rate, making huge infrastructure development, and building Bangabandhu Bridge over the Jamuna River.
The prime minister said they did not come to power in 2001 due to conspiracies, adding that she earlier mentioned the cause time and again in detain.
Earlier in several programmes, she said her party did not come to power in 2001 as she declined to sell gas to any country with a reserve of 50 years for Bangladesh.
“I will not let a simple interest of Bangladesh go to the hands of anyone until my death, It was my promise and it might be the cause of not returning to power. But, I have no regrets,” she said.
She opened the council by hoisting the national flag and releasing pigeons and balloons at 10.30am at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan, amid tight security.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, MP, addressed the conference while AL Presidium Member while the reception committee convener Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, MP, delivered the address of welcome.
Around 7,000 councillors and delegates and thousands of leaders and workers of the AL and its front and associate organisations thronged the venue.
Then the council session was held in the auditorium of Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB).
