Govt not illegal, but lacks legitimacy: Abed

Staff Reporter :
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed said at a function on Friday that the country’s new government is not illegal, but not legitimate either.
Abed founding chairman of the Brac said when everybody takes part in the polls then the government is legitimate.
“The major two alliances should sit together to an election through dialogue as soon as possible,” Abed told journalists after inaugurating a conference organised as a shadow UN general assembly at the Army Golf Club.
The last election was not participated by all and another election is now required, he observed.
“Democracy will return to the country as soon as the two alliances hold another election,” he said.He said democracy was not limited to only elections and change of power, it is the establishment of rule of law and the right to freedom of expression.
The two political parties need to transform equally and change their behaviour to ensure rights of everybody.
“If the two parties can restore the rights of the citizens, he said, it will be the biggest achievement of democracy.” He said it could be done with the concerted efforts of the two parties working together.
About recent communal violence, Sir Abed said, “Communal harmony is the key word of our democracy. Our constitution enshrines equal rights.”
When his attention was drawn to the demand for banning Jamaat-e-Islami on the grounds of unleashing countrywide violence, Abed said, “It is not that the violence would stop if Jamaat was banned. If the violence could be stopped by banning it, then it should be banned.” He said sometimes a ban could make the situation worse.
He said if it was possible to stop the violence without banning Jamaat then that should be the aim. “They [Jamaat activists] could go underground if the party was banned,” he said.