91 prominent citizens call to resist attempts to sabotage national election
Ninety-one prominent citizens of Bangladesh have issued a statement calling to resist attempts to "sabotage" the upcoming 12th national election.
"According to the constitution and as part of the democratic process, the 12th national election is going to be held on 7 January. The relevant stakeholders, including the Election Commission, are striving to make this election free, fair, peaceful and participatory. But a group of people continues to try to foil the polls," reads the statement issued on Tuesday (19 December).
"On 28 October, in the name of a rally in Dhaka, the unruly activists of BNP brutally killed a dedicated policeman on duty. They even vandalised the residence of the Chief Justice and a police hospital. Moreover, a sleeping worker inside a bus was burnt alive.
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"Since 29 October till now, activists and supporters of BNP-Jamaat have vandalised and set fire to a large number of vehicles and important structures in the name of political programmes. Even vehicles carrying food and raw materials were not spared from this," the statement added.
Mentioning today's arson attack on an inter-city Mohanganj Express train in Dhaka, the statement said, "Four innocent passengers were killed in this incident. Such brutality by miscreants in the name of politics cannot be accepted at all."
The statement further reads, "Already, 29 of the 44 political parties registered with the Election Commission are participating in the election. The final number of candidates is 1,896. Through the allocation of symbols, an environment conducive to free, fair, peaceful and participatory elections has been created across the country. However, a certain group is in deep conspiracy against the election and the people of the country.
"We call upon all the citizens of the country, inspired by the spirit of the liberation war, to exercise their right to vote and make the upcoming nation election take place successfully," it added.
The signatories of the statement include former chief justice Hasan Foez Siddique, former principal secretary Abdul Karim, educator and researcher Muntasir Mamun, artist Hashem Khan, playwright Ramendu Majumdar, former National Human Rights Commission chairman Kazi Riazul Haque, former Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman, and former inspector general of police Mohammad Nurul Huda among others.
