Staff Reporter :
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said that it is not possible to hold a cent per cent flawless election in any country in the world.
“There is no example in the globe that a country held flawless election, and which is that country that can say of holding a absolute fair election?
The minister said this in a discussion at the Setu Bhaban in Dhaka’s Banani when asked about the remarks of the United Nations Secretary General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric about 30 December National Election. Stéphane Dujarric in a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday said, “We encourage the different areas of the Bangladeshi political sphere to engage in meaningful forms of dialogue in order for the political life in Bangladesh to be as positive as possible.”
“It is obvious that the elections were not flawless,” he said.
Obaidul Quader said, the UN has no right to investigate any allegation brought against the 11th Parliamentary election.
About the dialogue, he said, it is a continuous process. “We held dialogues with many political parties before the election. We will also arrange more dialogues if needed.”
Obaidul Quader, the General Secretary of Awami League said, “I understand the situation faced by his BNP counterpart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.”
According to him, the BNP leader has been forced to intensify his attacks on the government after the party lost to the Awami League during the December 30 polls.
Mirza Fakhrul has accused the Awami League of stealing the election.
He called the Awami League’s victory celebration on Saturday an ‘attempt to cover up the Awami League’s moral defeat’.
“First Mirza Fakhrul Islam should save his own party and put his house in order,” Obaidul Quader said. “He is facing trouble in his own home.”
On Mirza Fakhrul’s recent comments he said: “Why is he attacking the government more now? Sometimes he even attacks me. We all understand why he is doing this.”
“His own party is calling him a patsy of the government. It is natural for him to try and deflect this criticism by making more attacks on the government.”
The Awami League general secretary said that despite their efforts at propaganda, the BNP has been unable to raise questions about the election at home or abroad.
Obaidul Quader attempted to turn the questions about the election back on Mirza Fakhrul.
“If the election was biased, how did he win? How did Mirza Fakhrul win his election?”
“He did not go to the Oikya Front meeting after making excuses about an illness? Is he really sick? I think it is a political sickness.”
