Country can't be run by 'hired people', says BNP's Mirza Fakhrul

BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has reiterated the party's demand for national election without delay in order to restore democracy in Bangladesh. 

Speaking at an event marking the anniversary of the July Uprising at the National Press Club on Saturday, the BNP secretary general enlarged on the rationale behind the party's insistence on swift polls. 

“Now, if we demand elections, people say the BNP just wants elections. But no one takes the time to think about why we want elections. If there are no elections, how will we elect a representative? And if no representative is elected, how will they go to parliament? And without parliament, how will the rule of the people be established?" he said.

“Can a country be run by hiring a few people from home and abroad? It can't. This is a simple, straightforward truth that we must all realise.”

Mirza Fakhrul was also critical of the "clamour" for the introduction the proportional representation voting system in Bangladesh.

“A chaotic situation is unfolding in Bangladesh right now. Some people and political parties have started making various statements on matters that have no relevance to Bangladesh. For instance, they are now aggressively pushing for elections based on the PR system,” he said.

“Our ordinary people don’t even understand what proportional representation means. What they know is that a party will nominate a candidate, and that candidate will have an election symbol -- be it the sheaf of paddy, the scale, the winnowing fan, or a leaf -- and on election day, they will go and vote. But now these people are saying that elections will be held on a proportional representation basis.”

He continued, “What is this proportional representation system? Ask the common people. They won’t be able to explain it. Those of us who are involved in politics understand it to some extent. Under that system, people vote, and the party that gets the most votes will nominate members to go to parliament.

“But the ordinary people of our country want a leader in their own locality, someone to represent them, someone who will address their issues. That leadership cannot be provided under this system. That is why we have said that for the lower house of parliament, we don't support the idea of proportional representation.”