Staff Reporter :
National Citizen Party (NCP) chief coordinator for the southern region, Hasanat Abdullah, has called on Chief Adviser professor Muhammad Yunus to issue an official order on the long-debated referendum regarding constitutional reforms, saying the matter must not be delayed any further.
Speaking to reporters after attending an NCP coordination meeting in Pirojpur on Friday, Hasanat stressed that “the referendum order must come immediately” and that it must be a formal order—not an ordinance or a gazette notification.
“The discussion over the order is being sidelined,” he said.
“We want the issue settled without delay, and it is Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who became Chief Adviser through a people’s uprising, who must issue that order.”
The meeting, held at the Sadar Upazila Parishad auditorium, was presided over by district coordinator Moshiur Rahman. It was attended by Barishal divisional organising secretary Mujahidul Islam and Barishal district coordinator Abu Sayeed as special guests.
Responding to questions about the upcoming national election, Hasanat said the country has endured a prolonged period of “democratic void” stretching from the 1/11 era through years of “fascist rule.”
“For our democratic transition, an election is essential,” he said. “Only through this election can we begin the journey toward genuine democratic transformation — and the National Citizen Party will play a vital role in that process.”
He added that key preparatory steps for the election were already in motion, and that the recent “Yes” or “No” debate over reform proposals reflected growing public engagement.
“Those who support the proposed reforms are saying ‘yes,’ while those opposing them are saying ‘no.’ It is part of our democratic progression,” he noted.
‘No distance with BNP, Jamaat’
When asked about the NCP’s relations with other political parties, Hasanat dismissed claims of distance with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. “It’s not true that we are distant,” he said.
“In Bangladesh, active political parties maintain working relations with one another. Sometimes Jamaat or BNP have agreed with our reform proposals; other times, they have shifted positions. Our closeness depends on who stands for reform.”
He clarified that the NCP’s relationship with other parties will be “cordial with those supporting reforms” but “distant from those opposing them.”
Questions over election symbols
Hasanat also criticised the Election Commission (EC) for what he described as a lack of transparency in its handling of party symbols.
Referring to recent reports about the inclusion and exclusion of certain electoral symbols — such as shapla (water lily) and begun (eggplant) — he said the EC had failed to specify under which policy these decisions were made.
“They have not clarified under what rules the shapla symbol was excluded, nor under what policy the begum was added,” he said. “Even yesterday, we saw them include the shapla kolika — but on what basis? This is unclear.”
He accused the EC of operating on “medieval” decision-making practices and urged it to publish a transparent and consistent framework for determining the inclusion or exclusion of election symbols.
“A constitutional institution cannot run on arbitrary decisions,” he said. “We want to see the policy that governs these choices. It must be made public.”
