Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Professor Mia Golam Parwar has stated that there will be no election without reforms. He said, “If there are no reforms, there will be no election. And if an election is held without reforms, it will bring back another wave of fascism.”
Golam Parwar made these remarks during a press conference held at the National Press Club in the capital on Thursday.
The party organised the press conference ahead of its national convention scheduled for July 19 at Suhrawardy Udyan.
At the time, he said, “Currently, there is no level playing field for elections. This must be ensured. Additionally, the state structure that gave rise to fascism must be changed.”
Golam Parwar also demanded trials for crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising and structural reforms of the state before any election is held.
Regarding reforms, he further said, “Fundamental reforms are needed in certain state organs. The Election Commission, the judiciary, and even parts of the constitution must be reformed. For this, efforts are underway to build national unity among political parties through a National Consensus Commission.”
Responding to a question about the Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system, he said, “Ninety countries follow the PR system, which has six variations. Under this system, every vote will be represented in parliament. Detailed announcements regarding electoral matters will be made by Jamaat’s Ameer at the July 19 convention.”
It was also announced that eight sub-committees have been formed to ensure the success of Jamaat-e-Islami’s July 19 national convention.
To maintain discipline, 6,000 volunteers will be deployed at 20 key points. For live coverage, 33 LED screens will be set up, and around 300 microphones will be arranged to broadcast speeches across the capital.
The press conference was also attended by leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dhaka Metropolitan unit and former leaders of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.