bdnews24.com :
The BNP has warned that the consequences will not be pleasant for anyone if the Election Commission assumes the role of a toady in the run-up to the municipal elections slated for the end of this month.
The party chairperson’s Advisor Khandaker Mahbub Hossain issued the warning at a discussion in Dhaka on Saturday.
He said: “We know the Election Commission will
play the role of a toady in these polls too. It will do whatever the government wants it to do.” “We’re warning that if the Election Commission’s past activities are repeated – and this has already begun – the people’s animosity and hatred towards the government will be intensified, the consequences of which won’t be pleasant for anyone,” he said.
Elections to 234 municipalities are scheduled to be held on Dec 30. Jatiyatabadi Karmajibi Dal, an affiliate of the BNP, organised the discussion on the theme ‘Today’s Democracy and Present Perspectives’.
Hossain went on to say: “We wish to inform the government in a democratic way that you’ve lost your footing. You cannot save yourselves no matter what you say about development.
“We have witnessed in the past how military regimes harped a lot on development to cling to power and to misguide the people. But that did not prevent their collapse.”
He urged the government to prove through the municipal elections that the country was on the path of democracy. “We believe in the people’s voting rights and in freedom of speech. You (the government) will be held responsible if any deviation from that takes place,” he said.
Directing his remarks at the chief election commissioner, Hossain, who is the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said: “If you fail to stage fair elections, please step down. You will be able to save your face and your image among the people.
“The people will then come to know that the Election Commission cannot hold fair polls in the face of the unholy pressure exerted by the government. And that is why they (commission) have decided to quit.”
Jatiya Ganatantrik Party Chairman Shafiul Alam Prodhan and BNP Organising Secretary Fazlul Haq Milon, among others, spoke at the discussion.
The BNP has warned that the consequences will not be pleasant for anyone if the Election Commission assumes the role of a toady in the run-up to the municipal elections slated for the end of this month.
The party chairperson’s Advisor Khandaker Mahbub Hossain issued the warning at a discussion in Dhaka on Saturday.
He said: “We know the Election Commission will
play the role of a toady in these polls too. It will do whatever the government wants it to do.” “We’re warning that if the Election Commission’s past activities are repeated – and this has already begun – the people’s animosity and hatred towards the government will be intensified, the consequences of which won’t be pleasant for anyone,” he said.
Elections to 234 municipalities are scheduled to be held on Dec 30. Jatiyatabadi Karmajibi Dal, an affiliate of the BNP, organised the discussion on the theme ‘Today’s Democracy and Present Perspectives’.
Hossain went on to say: “We wish to inform the government in a democratic way that you’ve lost your footing. You cannot save yourselves no matter what you say about development.
“We have witnessed in the past how military regimes harped a lot on development to cling to power and to misguide the people. But that did not prevent their collapse.”
He urged the government to prove through the municipal elections that the country was on the path of democracy. “We believe in the people’s voting rights and in freedom of speech. You (the government) will be held responsible if any deviation from that takes place,” he said.
Directing his remarks at the chief election commissioner, Hossain, who is the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said: “If you fail to stage fair elections, please step down. You will be able to save your face and your image among the people.
“The people will then come to know that the Election Commission cannot hold fair polls in the face of the unholy pressure exerted by the government. And that is why they (commission) have decided to quit.”
Jatiya Ganatantrik Party Chairman Shafiul Alam Prodhan and BNP Organising Secretary Fazlul Haq Milon, among others, spoke at the discussion.
