Jamaat, allies drop 'Jamuna agitation' to focus on election: Salahuddin

BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed today (17 November) said Jamaat-e-Islami and some of its like-minded allies have already stepped back from their 'Jamuna-centred' agitation and will soon turn towards election activities at the grassroots.

"Some groups have been creating unnecessary complications over the July National Charter. One side is still 'examining' the order before signing it, while another says the order alone reflects the people's intent, yet they are raising fresh questions about the proposed referendum," he said.

Speaking at a seminar, the BNP leader said Jamaat and seven other parties are now becoming election-oriented, stepping back from their earlier stance of pushing for proportional representation and a referendum before the national election.

"In another five to seven days, this movement will drift away from the Jamuna (Chief Adviser's residence) and move towards the villages, close to the election. I heard yesterday that their movement is no longer at Jamuna. Whatever they may be thinking now, in the end they will have to stand for the election," he said.

Salahuddin, a BNP Standing Committee member, said the people of Bangladesh struggled for 16 to 17 years to achieve a free environment where they can exercise their voting rights. "The entire nation is now waiting for this election so we can build a democratic system where dictatorship or fascism can never return."

'White Panel', the pro-BNP teachers' forum at Dhaka University, organised the seminar titled "Transforming the Future of Education in Bangladesh: A Strategic Roadmap" at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building.

Salahuddin said a section of actors is questioning the legal validity of the interim government and approaching the High Court with the intention of creating chaos. "Their aim is to obstruct or delay the election so they can enjoy power. These people are not part of the government."

He said the interim government appears committed to holding the national election in the first half of February.

"There is no situation yet to question its commitment… Some individuals inside the government may have different motives, but the Chief Adviser remains committed to holding the national election in the first half of February. Even if, for some reason, the election cannot be held at that time, we will still thank him," the BNP leader added.

Salahuddin warned that attempts to impose legal questions around the July National Charter were unnecessary and politically motivated.

He said the referendum proposal was made only to seek the people's sovereign consent, as some political actors still demanded legal guarantees even after signing the Charter.

The BNP leader said the state cannot run on emotion or "people's intent" alone. "The country must run on the Constitution and the law."

"Once a full caretaker government is in place, there will be no scope for any form of authoritarian rule to emerge in the country," he observed.

Salahuddin said BNP's reform proposals aim to ensure balance among all organs of the state, including a truly independent Election Commission and a fully independent judiciary.

"If every organ of the state works within its constitutional limits without interference, then no dictatorship or fascism will rise in the future," he said.

The BNP leader criticised those who only want to control the executive branch as a way to prevent dictatorship, saying such ideas are flawed.

"The executive alone does not run the state. If the executive is not allowed to function, there can be no progress. Real stability comes only when every organ of the state works within its constitutional limits without interfering with each other. Only then will there be complete harmony among all organs of the state and a truly balanced system of governance. This is what we have proposed," he said.

Salahuddin, however, said genuine state reform requires a change in mindset before anything else. "We must change our outlook first. Without a change in mentality, no matter how many laws we make, they will be of no use."