BNP Standing Committee member Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has commented that a certain party is demanding the proportional representation (PR) system in elections to specifically establish a weak government in the country.
He said, “The Proportional Representation system is essentially a demand for a weak government. Unrealistic plans like this are being proposed to bring people who lack the qualification to be people’s representatives into the National Parliament.”
Hafiz Uddin Ahmed made these remarks at a discussion meeting on Saturday afternoon. This discussion was held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium on the occasion of the 48th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Labor Party.
Speaking at the meeting, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed asked, “If a weak government is established in our country, what does Bangladesh gain? Who actually gains?”
He said, in the past, in all elections, BNP formed alliances with its partner parties. They participated in the elections using BNP’s “Dhaner Shish” (“Sheaf of paddy”) symbol.
He continued: “Even Jamaat-e-Islami, which now claims to be our opponents, participated in the 2018 election using the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’.”
“The ‘Dhaaner Shish’ is a legendary symbol that carries immense weight. Those who contest elections with the ‘Dhaaner Shish’ already know this. There are many people in rural areas who might not be highly educated or very aware, but when they go to the polling centres, they go to specifically vote for ‘Dhaner Shish'”.
Hafiz Uddin also commented about “our neighboring country”, adding that it “does not wish us well”, adding, “Every single day, until the upcoming election, they will carry out sabotage activities. Many suspect their hand might be behind the fire at the airport and the fires seen in other areas.”
‘And if the neighboring country wants to show military force, we will confront them militarily,” he further stated, “We will turn the people of Bangladesh into an army. He said, if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party comes to power, we will, God willing, make that arrangement.”
The discussion meeting, chaired by Labor Party Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran, was addressed by, among others, National Party (Kazi Zafar) Mostafa Jamal Haider, BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Mojibur Rahman Sarwar, Executive Committee member Nazim Uddin Alam, NPP Secretary General Mostafa Jamal Haider, Labor Party Vice Chairman Johura Khatoon Jui, SM Yusuf Ali, Aminul Islam Raju, Hindurath Ramkrishna, AKM Saifuddoha, Acting Secretary General Khondker Mirazul Islam, Joint Secretary General Abdur Rahman Khokon, Helal Uddin Chowdhury, Md. Ruman Sikdar.
