Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has called on the government to hold a referendum on the issue of elections under the Proportional Representation (PR) system. He said, “Hold a referendum. If the people want PR, then all parties must accept it. If the people say PR is not needed, then we too will respect that.”
He made these remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Legal Basis of the July Charter and Elections,” organised by the Agriculturists Forum of Bangladesh (AFB) at the 3D Hall of the Bangladesh Agricultural Institute in Farmgate, Dhaka, on Thursday afternoon.
The Jamaat Secretary said, “We will definitely participate in the election, but before that, we want the demand for PR to be met. This demand of ours will continue. Our demand must be met, and then we will go to the election. There is no need to lose sleep over the thought that one party alone will conduct the election.”
Golam Parwar stated, “We have gained the opportunity for national reform through great struggle. If a party-based government comes, we will not get this opportunity for reform again. Already, a leader from the standing committee of one party has said, ‘No matter how many reform laws you change, we will erase everything once we come to power.'”
He further added, “We are still in doubt about the upcoming election. The government has asked us for a draft to show the legal path for the July Charter. We held a meeting just on Wednesday night and prepared a draft. We are always willing to cooperate with the government. We do not want any crisis.”
The keynote paper at the seminar was presented by Professor Dr Md Yamin Hossain from the University of Rajshahi. The seminar was chaired by the organisation’s President and Treasurer of Sylhet Agricultural University, Professor Dr ATM Mahbub E Ilahi (Tawhid), and conducted by General Secretary Agriculturist Sheikh Muhammad Masud.
