What is in Khaleda Zia’s Vision 2030?

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is set to unveil ‘Vision 2030’, her party’s roadmap or governance and development if it comes to power, at a press conference.

The press conference would be held at the Westin Hotel Ballroom at 4:30pm on Wednesday.

“Vision 2030 is a thorough plan for how the BNP plans to govern,” said Khaleda's Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan.

“It will detail how the party will work out the country’s development, how it would run the government, how it will ensure the fundamental rights of the people, how it will create opportunities for employment, the economic reforms that it intends to  pursue and what its relations will be with the rest of the world.”

On Monday, Khaleda approved the plan put forward by the National Standing Committee, the BNP’s policymaking forum.

Since leaving office in 2006, the BNP has not been in power and does not have a single seat in parliament, having boycotted the last national elections.

The BNP leadership has blamed government interference for its defeats in local government elections, but many senior leaders have complained about the weakness of the party.

According to some senior party leaders, the new vision will include various commitments to engage young voters across the country.

“We will try to highlight what we want our country to look like in 2030 and hold up that dream to the people,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Likely points in the Vision

>> Reforms of several government institutions, including efforts to restrict the powers of the head of government;

>> Promises to improve efficiency by removing party bias from state institutions and the ‘complete freedom’ of the judiciary;

>> Plans to develop the health and education sectors, among others;

>> Promise to reintroduce referendums to the Constitution;

>> Promises to increase free education opportunities and the creation of youth employment;

Khaleda Zia had previously discussed ‘Vision 2030’ during the BNP’s Sixth National Council in March 2016.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul described that speech an ‘outline’ and said the party chief would now come up with a full statement on the plans.

Apart from leaders from the BNP and its allies, the Gana Forum, the Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, the Krishak Sramik Janata League, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, the Nagorik Oikyo and other parties have been invited to the press conference.

The BNP says that while a group of representatives had taken an invitation to the Awami League offices in Dhanmondi, no one had ‘accepted’ it.

Diplomats and eminent citizens have also been invited.