Election delay anti-democratic, goes against July-August spirit: Fakhrul

Highlights:

• There is significant interest and expectation surrounding the Consensus Commission
• Public frustration and anxiety are also mounting
• A consensus has been reached on the dissolution of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
• BNP one of the most active forces in resisting the resurgence of autocracy and fascism     

Those who want to delay the election are certainly not pro-democratic or supporters of the July-August revolution, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

"People want an immediate election. We have said this many times before, and we are saying it again. Those who want to delay the election are surely not pro-democratic forces and not pro-July-August revolution forces," he said.

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Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office today (6 July), Fakhrul also said his party believes the country will move towards holding the election based on the discussions held between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman in London.

He alleged that a vested quarter is carrying out a false campaign to malign BNP.

"A few individuals and groups are spreading false propaganda involving BNP to create a negative impression in public mind. But people are not responding to it," the BNP leader said.

He said the people of the country know BNP very well and know that it has always been there and has played a leading role in achieving all the good things in Bangladesh.

Fakhrul said it is important to understand that BNP is a tested liberal democratic political party, which wants to take charge of running the state through elections and people's vote.

"We do not want to come to power through a revolution or any other means. No one can have any doubt about our intentions. We have fought for 15 years to restore democracy," he said.

Unfortunately, Fakhrul alleged, some sections of the media and certain individuals are spreading various claims about BNP's stance on reform, which are not accurate. "There is no room to question BNP's commitment to reform because BNP is the very party that strongly spoke about reforms as early as 2016."

He said Khaleda Zia herself first talked about reforms in 2016 through the Vision-2030 initiative. "After that, we announced a 27-point and later a 31-point reform proposal. As we are sincere about reforms, we have organised numerous programmes across the country to present these 31 points to the public and to civil society."

While there is significant interest and expectation surrounding the Consensus Commission, public frustration and anxiety are also mounting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

"As a party, BNP has actively participated in the activities of all six reform commissions. Our representatives have been engaging constructively in the daily discussions of the Consensus Commission," he said at a press conference held at the BNP Chairperson's political office in Gulshan today (6 July).

"In pursuit of agreement on various issues, our representatives have worked to build consensus with other political parties, often compromising to support the commission's consensus-building efforts," he added.

"However, despite prolonged discussions, delays have occurred due to the emergence of proposals that either contradict or diverge from those already presented by the reform commissions, creating deadlock in many instances," Fakhrul said.

"Because of our commitment to consensus-building, our representatives are patiently participating in the discussions and providing logical and evidence-based input to help the commission reach informed decisions," he added.

The BNP secretary general said, "We believe that reasonably opposing any proposal that weakens and renders ineffective the elected parliament, elected government, and state structure by strengthening some important institutions in the name of governance is consistent with the primary objective of reform."

"Opposing proposals that aim to weaken an elected government accountable to the people is not an obstruction to reform; rather, it is a contribution to a meaningful reform process," he added.

On the issue of the Police Reform Commission, Fakhrul said that although it has not yet been discussed formally, reports from BNP representatives indicate that a consensus has already been reached on most points, including the dissolution of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

Regarding the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Reform Commission, Fakhrul said, "We agreed to 46 of 47 recommendations, with one reservation on the 29th recommendation. Instead of introducing a new law, we proposed maintaining the current requirement of obtaining court permission before initiating proceedings. This would help prevent unnecessary delays in ACC operations."

He also said BNP agreed to 187 out of 208 recommendations by the Public Administration Reform Commission, partially agreed to five, and opposed five others.

The remaining 11 recommendations — related to the creation of provinces and irregularities in promotions and administration — were not accepted by the party, Fakhrul said.

On electoral reform, Fakhrul said BNP agreed to 141 of 243 proposals, partially agreed to 14, and expressed conditional agreement on 64.

"The party could not support 24 of the recommendations. We supported all proposals aimed at ensuring free, fair, and neutral elections. Judiciary reform discussions are still ongoing," he said.

Fakhrul further said the party had reviewed all 131 recommendations of the Constitutional Reform Commission.

"We agreed to most of them, including key issues like Article 70 and the term limit of the prime minister. We compromised despite there being no global precedent for such a provision, solely for the sake of consensus," Fakhrul said.

He said BNP also withdrew its original proposal regarding the appointment of the chief justice to reach an agreement.

"We also agreed to allocate the chairmanship of four key parliamentary standing committees and additional posts in proportion to parliamentary seats to the opposition," he added.

During the briefing, Fakhrul said a consensus was also reached on amending Article 49 concerning presidential powers, reinstating the caretaker government system, modernising the Ombudsman Act, and reforming electoral boundaries through constitutional amendments and specialised legislative committees.

He said, "While the Consensus Commission is supposed to work based on the proposals from the reform commissions, many new proposals are being introduced that could have far-reaching impacts on politics, governance, and the parliamentary system."

"If these changes are positive, the public will likely accept them. But major transformations in state structure or representation should not occur without public engagement and consent. Whether a commission, individual, or party has the right to impose such changes must be carefully considered," Fakhrul said.

He said the remains one of the most active forces in resisting the resurgence of autocracy and fascism in the country.