Restore democracy, voting rights: Moyeen Khan to interim govt

The people of Bangladesh want the interim government to take immediate steps to restore democracy and ensure their voting rights,  BNP senior leader Abdul Moyeen Khan said today (20 February).

"The people of Bangladesh want to see the immediate reflection of the new generation's desire to exercise their voting rights," he said while addressing a discussion in the capital.

BNP organised the programme at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, marking International Mother Language Day with due respect on 21  February.

Moyeen, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said the Language Movement and the Liberation War were primarily aimed at securing the people's independence and democratic rights. "Let's take Bangladesh towards democracy…let's keep the ideals of the 21st February alive and shining brightly in our history," he said.

Referring to the aspirations of the student-led mass uprising, the BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh entrusted the interim government with the responsibility of governance for the restoration of democracy in the country.

"We must transform our society from autocracy to a democratic system," Moyeen said.

He said the people of Bangladesh are closely monitoring how well the interim government is fulfilling its duties.

"The government's activities are on the radar of the people of Bangladesh… this cannot be denied, as it is in the nature of the people of Bangladesh. They always challenge the establishment," the BNP leader said.

He said the people of Bangladesh always strive to hold those in power accountable, no matter how much they may have supported them before they assumed office. "Everyone should remember this."

Moyeen paid tribute to all the martyrs of the Language Movement and the anti-dictatorship movements, including the student-led mass revolution of 2024.

"The people of Bangladesh have always protested against injustice. The language movement itself was a protest by the students. I believe that from the language movement to the mass uprising in 2024, they are all connected by a common thread of protest against injustice, autocracy, suppressing our voice, and stealing our right to vote," he said.

The BNP leader called upon all democratic forces to unite in order to rebuild Bangladesh by restoring democracy and ensuring all of the people's fundamental rights.