BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Saturday said there is no alternative to establishing an elected parliament and government for restoring people's ownership of the country and fulfilling their aspirations.
“Now is the time to restore people’s ownership of Bangladesh. This means fully ensuring their right to vote so that they can elect a parliament and government that will be accountable to them. There’s no alternative to this,” he said.
The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking at the sixth national council of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
Khosru, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said that a monster like Hasina was created because she never required votes as she usurped power through one-sided elections repeatedly.
He said Sheikh Hasina snatched people's voting rights, violated human rights and undermined the rule of law. “Restoring people's ownership is the main issue now, and this must be achieved by holding free, fair and acceptable elections and reestablishing democracy.”
The BNP leader said Sheikh Hasina was removed through national unity. “We must maintain that unity to achieve our goal of restoring people's ownership of Bangladesh.”
He insisted that there has been a significant shift in people's mindset, with new thoughts and aspirations emerging about the future of Bangladesh.
Khosru said the nation must move forward to realise the people's desires by maintaining unity. “If politicians fail to understand the nation’s needs and changes in mindset, then politics will have no future,” he warned.
He also said there should be no division among political parties on fundamental issues like democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and the economic emancipation of the people.
The BNP leader acknowledged that while there may be differences of opinion among political parties, they must respect one another to fulfil people's desires through healthy political practices.
He also said the only way to restore democratic order in the country is by holding credible, neutral, and inclusive elections through promptly carrying out electoral reforms.
Khosru alleged that Sheikh Hasina has destroyed the country's institutions and political structure, which must be reformed.
He mentioned that their party, led by Khaleda Zia, first presented reform proposals six years ago by unveiling the Vision-2030.
Later, the BNP leader said that their party, together with other democratic parties, put forward a 31-point proposal for state reforms. “These aren’t just BNP proposals as those were formulated with other parties who’re in our simultaneous movement. Reform isn’t new to us. We need to implement the 31-point reform and form a national government after the elections. We’re committed to this.”
He said there are no differences of opinion about the need for electoral reforms to ensure a credible and acceptable election. “This is an easy task. You (govt) just need to form the election commission and update the voter list for a transparent election. The remaining basic reforms can be achieved through national consensus.”
