BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Saturday warned that if the transition to democracy is delayed further, the people of Bangladesh will rise up again, reports UNB.
"I urge the interim government, you please, do not prolong the path to democratic transition. If you do, the people of Bangladesh will rise again," he said while addressing a discussion.
Dr Moyeen, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, said the people of Bangladesh fought for independence in 1971 because they knew democracy could never flourish under Pakistan's rule.
He reminded the government that the people and pro-democracy political parties of Bangladesh have been struggling for the past fifteen to sixteen years to restore democracy.
"Has that expectation been fulfilled? No… not even in the past one year. Why not? We have seen examples in the past where fair and neutral elections were held within 90 days. We have that precedent right before our eyes," the BNP leader said.
The Revolutionary Workers Party organised the discussion titled 'Looking Back at Bloody July-August: Expectations and Realities' at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) auditorium.
Dr Moyeen questioned why, even after one full year, the country has not been able to move forward in its democratic transition.
"I often fear whether this new arrangement may turn into a permanent one. We want change, but not all change is true change. Back in 1/11, we saw banners and festoons across Dhaka calling to change everything, to overhaul everything. But not everything in the world can or should be changed," he said.
The BNP leader said when many people talk about change it should not be changed for the sake of change.
"When we talk about reforms, I say reforms must not be superficial. Cosmetic changes will not change the fate of 180 million people. You may amend a few lines of the Constitution-or even rewrite the whole document-but it won't matter unless the hearts of the people who run this country change," he observed.
Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan on Saturday stressed the need for anti-fascist unity to uphold the spirit of the July uprising.
"If we fail to save the nation from corruption and misrule, all our achievements will go in vain. Therefore, anti-fascist unity is essential. I believe such unity will keep the spirit of July alive," Nazrul said at a mock parliamentary debate organised by Debate for Democracy on the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) premises in the capital.
Nazrul said political differences among BNP, Jamaat, NCP and other parties might exist but no one of them are undemocratic. "All are democratic parties," he added.
"So, I don't see any obstacle to holding elections. Preparations and public aspirations both support elections. We want elections as soon as possible," he added.
Reaffirming BNP's commitment to forming a national government if elected, he said, "We will form a national or consensus government with all allies of the movement."
He warned that the fallen Awami League is still conspiring to destabilise the country.
