Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has said that if elections are held under the existing system without giving the July Declaration and Charter a legal foundation, it will lead to the resurgence of fascism.
If national aspirations are ignored and voting proceeds under the current system, history will not forgive the chief adviser, he added.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled “The Contribution and Responsibilities of Students, Teachers, and the Masses in the July Uprising” at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Thursday, organised by the Bangladesh Ideal Teachers Federation.
Golam Parwar said that the July Declaration announced by the chief adviser on Tuesday does not reflect the hopes and aspirations of the nation, reflecting instead the views of a single party.
He questioned how a free and fair an election could be held under the current system without implementing minimal reforms, adding that those who claim that the July Charter cannot be given legal recognition at this moment should look back at history.
Both former presidents Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad had issued special ordinances to establish their own parties, the Jamaat leader said. “Now, if a neutral government fails to provide a legal framework for the July Charter, people will not believe that an elected parliament will implement it later,” he said.
Golam Parwar mentioned that leaders of a major political party are saying they will change everything once they come to parliament. “This reveals their authoritarian mindset,” he added.
Claiming that the roles of Islamic scholars and student-teacher communities were not properly acknowledged in the July Declaration, he stressed that these must be included promptly.