Govt employees serving ruling party, not people: GM Quader

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Sunday said that public servants of the country are working in favour of the ruling Awami League.

"The state and the ruling party have now become one entity. The government employees are supposed to work in the interest of the country's people, but they are working for the ruling party," he said.

Speaking at a views-exchange meeting with the leaders of the Jatiya Matshajibi Party at Jatiya Party's Kakrail central office, Quader also said the public servants are not obliged to obey any unjust orders of the government.

"Police and civil administration should remember that they are public servants and they should treat every people and people of every party equally. Equal rights must be guaranteed by the state," he said.

The Jatiya Party chief said those who engage in plundering are now considered respected people in society while honest and idealistic people are considered as incompetent and stupid people.

He also said the country's people are now suffering from insecurity about their wealth and lives.

Opposing the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the next polls, Quader said that the common people do not believe in EVMs and they do not want to vote using this machine.

"People of the country think that EVMs are the modern machines for rigging votes... the country's people think that the government wants to hold the election using EVMs to manipulate the results," he observed.

During the talks with the Election Commission (EC), the Jatiya Party Chief recalled that most political parties, except for Awami League and a few ones, opposed the use of EVMs in the elections. "But the Election Commission is still trying its best to take votes using the EVMs."

He alleged that even the Election Commission is spending crores of taka to operate the non-functioning and useless EVMs. "The people of the country are looking at this initiative with suspicion. Fair election is not possible through EVMs while 90% people of the country do not trust EVMs."

Quader said their party does not want to see any rigged elections and does not want to win such an election. "We want people to exercise their right to franchise. We're in favour of a free, fair, and impartial election."