AL for shunning culture of election boycott
Monday, 30 June 2008
After a U-turn in recent politics, Awami League now advocates for other political parties to shun the culture of election boycott for the sake of attaining durable democracy, reports UNB.
The former ruling party also unveiled its plan that the AL and other 14-party partners would tie up with civil society and all pro-liberation forces, fronting the banner of Nagorik Committee, to contest the city corporation and municipality elections set for August 4.
Acting general secretary of the party Syed Ashraful Islam disclosed at a press briefing the decisions taken in AL presidium meeting with acting president Zillur Rahman in the chair at his Gulshan residence Sunday night.
"All the political parties should realise that now the country's political parties, leaders are in deep crisis. To get rid of the crisis we want all parties to participate in the local-body elections. All should give up the culture of boycott," he said.
The presidium also asked the government to send ailing AL leader Mohammad Nasims to Singapore for treatment by Monday, failing which, it warned, all responsibility goes to the caretaker government.
"The government had assured us that Nasim would be sent abroad for
treatment at the earliest. But, unfortunately, its promise is not being kept," Ashraful Islam said.
Asked about their process of selecting candidates for the Nagorik Committee, he said in most cases, the candidature would be finalised at the grassroots level, but, if several persons stood for one area, the central body would intervene to finalise the candidatures.
The journalists sought his reaction about the four-party alliance's allegation that AL has done a secret deal to participate in the local elections.
Ashraful described the allegation as indecent and urged their arch political rival to stop "political mudslinging" at a time when country's political parties and the politicians are now under deep crisis.
Asked about the four-party alliance's threat to boycott the local-body elections if their demands are not met, he said the "culture of boycott" should be stopped for the sake of country's sustainable democracy.
The former ruling party also unveiled its plan that the AL and other 14-party partners would tie up with civil society and all pro-liberation forces, fronting the banner of Nagorik Committee, to contest the city corporation and municipality elections set for August 4.
Acting general secretary of the party Syed Ashraful Islam disclosed at a press briefing the decisions taken in AL presidium meeting with acting president Zillur Rahman in the chair at his Gulshan residence Sunday night.
"All the political parties should realise that now the country's political parties, leaders are in deep crisis. To get rid of the crisis we want all parties to participate in the local-body elections. All should give up the culture of boycott," he said.
The presidium also asked the government to send ailing AL leader Mohammad Nasims to Singapore for treatment by Monday, failing which, it warned, all responsibility goes to the caretaker government.
"The government had assured us that Nasim would be sent abroad for
treatment at the earliest. But, unfortunately, its promise is not being kept," Ashraful Islam said.
Asked about their process of selecting candidates for the Nagorik Committee, he said in most cases, the candidature would be finalised at the grassroots level, but, if several persons stood for one area, the central body would intervene to finalise the candidatures.
The journalists sought his reaction about the four-party alliance's allegation that AL has done a secret deal to participate in the local elections.
Ashraful described the allegation as indecent and urged their arch political rival to stop "political mudslinging" at a time when country's political parties and the politicians are now under deep crisis.
Asked about the four-party alliance's threat to boycott the local-body elections if their demands are not met, he said the "culture of boycott" should be stopped for the sake of country's sustainable democracy.