BNP standing committee members have termed the holding of the 136th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Bangladesh where ‘parliament does not represent people’ and democratic institutions have been ‘destroyed’ is nothing but a farce.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir came up with the observation of the party standing committee members at a press conference at its Nayapaltan central office on Monday. They, however, called upon the IPU members to take a moral stance in favour of establishing a representative parliamentary system in Bangladesh through a participatory election. Earlier on Sunday night, the party standing committee members, the highest policymaking body of BNP, had a meeting with its Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office. Revealing the meeting’s decisions, Fakhrul said, “An IPU conference is being held in Dhaka. The meeting has congratulated the members of parliaments of different countries having parliamentary democracy joined the event.”
He further said, “At the same time, the meeting has expressed surprise with the observation that holding the IPU’s conference is nothing but a farce in a country where parliament doesn’t represent people, democratic institutions have been ruined while people’s human rights have been snatched, and people are plagued by killings, enforced disappearances, wholesale arrests and false cases.”
The 136th Assembly of the IPU began in Dhaka on Saturday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the five-day long assembly at the South Plaza of the National Parliament.
BNP standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, Jamiruddin Sircar, Tariqul Islam, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, vice chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf and Alatf Hossain Chowdhury were, among others, present.
Jamiruddin Sircar said there is no public representative of Bangladesh in the IPU assembly being held here. “Those MPs joined the conference as the representatives of Bangladesh parliament are representing ghost voters.” Terming January-5, 2014 parliamentary elections farcical ones, he said 153 MPs in the polls were elected without any vote and contest. “Only five percent people cast their votes in the rest constitutes… Bangladesh’s people are now deprived of parliamentary democratic governing system.”
The BNP leader also said there is no effective opposition party in the current ‘so-called’ parliament. “An unprecedented system has been introduced here by incorporating opposition parties in the cabinet.”
Referring to the supersession of the mayors of Rajshahi and Sylhet cities, he said the two mayors who were elected with huge votes have been suspended for being the members of BNP by using the administrative power at a time when the IPU conference is being held here. “It has demonstrated the authoritarian nature of democracy in Bangladesh.” Sircar, also a former speaker of the national parliament, alleged that the government has initiated a one-party cruel and despotic rule in the country snatching human rights and resorting to repressive acts. “We believe the IPU members will contribute towards restoring parliamentary democratic system in Bangladesh by extending their moral support to it.”
He said, the IPU member states can send their countries’ parliamentary delegations here to convey their reservation about Bangladesh’s current parliament, its last general election and current democratic situation.
Replying to a question, Fakhrul said they have already informed most of the IPU members who joined the conference about the country’s current democratic situation.
