Bad governance to blame for Eid date fiasco, says Mirza Fakhrul

The confusion over the date of Eid stemmed from a lack of good governance, BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

Speaking after paying tribute to the BNP's founder Ziaur Rahman at his grave on Wednesday, Mirza Fakhrul said that even on the day of the country's biggest religious festival, the people are devoid of any joy.

On Tuesday, the National Moon Sighting Committee had announced that Eid would be celebrated in Bangladesh on Thursday before declaring two hours later that the occasion will indeed be observed a day ahead: on Wednesday.

After the second round of meeting chaired by State Minister for Religious Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah at the Islamic Foundation in Dhaka, the committee briefed the media about its final decision around 11:20pm on Tuesday.

On the toing and froing over the Eid date, Mirza Fakhrul said, "What happened was a result of a lack of good governance in the country. They (Naitonal Moon Sighting Committee) said around 8 - 8:30pm that the moon couldn't be seen, declaring Eid on Thursday.

"Then at 10 or 11pm, they revised the date with the direct intervention of the state minister of religious affairs. They claimed to have received news from somewhere of the moon being sighted and declared Eid on Wednesday."

Mirza Fakhrul added, the people of Bangladesh are suffering from the government's missteps.

"There are certain preparations that come with Eid, including making arrangements for the prayers. This government never takes into account the things that may cause the public to suffer, nor do they consider doing so."