Tarique calls for political unity at Jamaat Iftar
Staff Reporter :
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday called on political parties to take a collective vow to work toward transforming the lives of the people, saying citizens are looking at the country’s political leadership with “great hope and expectation” following the recent national election.
“Let us take a pledge in the name of Allah that our future actions will be aimed at changing the fate of the people of this country,” he said while addressing an iftar mahfil hosted by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The prime minister thanked the Jamaat leadership for inviting him and members of his delegation, including senior leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, to the programme.
Tarique said the country had recently gone through an election that marked what he described as the beginning of a renewed democratic journey.
“Through this election, the journey of democracy has begun,” he said, adding that people had sacrificed for more than a decade to restore democratic rights.
“For over a decade, the people have endured repression, enforced disappearances and killings. Through their sacrifices, we have regained the opportunity to practise individual freedom and democratic rights,” he said.
He urged leaders across the political spectrum to seek divine guidance in serving the nation. “Let us pray to Almighty Allah to grant us the ability to work for changing the destiny of this country and improving the lives of its people,” he added.
In his presidential address at the same programme, Jamaat Ameer and Leader of the Opposition in parliament Shafiqur Rahman said his party did not want to function as a “conventional opposition” in the Jatiya Sangsad.
“We want this parliament to be meaningful — a centre for fulfilling all the hopes and aspirations of the people,” he said. “Just as the ruling party will play a responsible role, we too want to play a responsible and constructive role from the opposition.”
He said Jamaat did not want “a single second” of parliament’s time to be wasted or for the House to become a platform for character assassination. “Rather, the national parliament should be the focal point for solving the country’s problems,” he added.
Referring to past political experiences, Shafiqur said the country had previously seen opposition parties that were ineffective. “When elections were staged, both the government and the opposition were also staged. Such an opposition cannot bring any positive message for a country,” he said.
He said Jamaat would extend full support and cooperation to all reasonable steps taken by the government. “If we believe any decision or measure taken by the government is inappropriate, we will first draw attention to it and offer cooperation,” he said.
“If the government accepts our advice, we will be grateful and the nation will benefit. If not, we will perform the role that an opposition party is meant to play.”
He added that as an opposition party, Jamaat would stand for the rights of the nation and call on citizens to remain engaged. However, he expressed hope that the government would turn parliament into a vehicle for progress.
“A vehicle never runs on a single wheel; it needs at least two,” he said. “If the ruling party is the front wheel, the opposition will be the rear wheel. One cannot move forward alone without the other. We want coordination on that journey and a space of mutual respect.”
According to the prime minister’s schedule, he earlier attended a views-exchange meeting with officials and department heads at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon in the morning before joining the Jamaat-organised iftar in the afternoon.
The invitation for the event was formally handed over on February 25, when Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar and Assistant Secretary General Abdul Halim met the prime minister at the Secretariat.
Among those present at the iftar were Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, BNP Standing Committee members Mirza Abbas and Moyeen Khan, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Mamunul Haque, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Amir and MP Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher, Jagpa spokesperson Rashed Pradhan, NCP Member Secretary and MP Akhter Hossen, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna, LDP President Oli Ahmad, Ducsu VP Shadik Kayem, as well as lawmakers, eminent personalities and journalists.
