BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed on Wednesday cautioned that authoritarian rule could re-emerge in Bangladesh through new methods and strategies unless democratic forces remain vigilant.
Addressing a views-exchange meeting with members of the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy at a hotel in Gulshan, Rizvi said safeguarding democracy requires collective awareness to prevent any return of autocratic governance under a different guise.
He alleged that citizens have been unable to exercise their voting rights freely over the past 16 to 17 years, claiming that the traditional festive atmosphere of election day had been eroded by intimidation, fear, and the takeover of polling centres.
“Elections are meant to be a celebration of people’s right to choose their representatives,” Rizvi said, adding that such an environment had been systematically destroyed in recent years.
Commending the role of journalists during periods of political repression, he said media reports had played a critical role in exposing abuses and protecting the lives of political leaders and activists.
Rizvi also expressed concern over what he described as an increase in aggressive and unruly behaviour in politics, warning that such trends could be signs of a growing authoritarian mindset. He cautioned that any attempt to establish autocracy by exploiting religion would have particularly dangerous consequences.
The BNP leader said that if voting rights are ensured, the people will make the right choice and democratic forces will prevail. He expressed optimism that the next national election would be held in a free, fair and inclusive manner.
BNP Standing Committee member and head of the party’s central election steering committee Nazrul Islam Khan, BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Islam Zabiullah, and Mahdi Amin, Adviser to the BNP Chairperson and spokesperson of the central election steering committee, among others, were present at the event.
