‘2008 polls pre-planned’
Staff Reporter :
BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan on Saturday alleged that the 2008 general election was far from neutral, describing it as a “pre-planned and stage-managed” exercise where the winners were predetermined before voting took place.
Speaking at a discussion at the National Press Club auditorium in Dhaka, organised by former students of Dhaka College to mark the anniversary of the July-August mass uprising and the fall of fascism, Moyeen Khan said, “In December 2008, just days before the vote, a blueprint was already in place deciding who would be elected in each of the 300 parliamentary seats.”
The senior BNP leader argued that the caretaker administration which took over during the One-Eleven political crisis had implemented a “dishonest plan” to depoliticise Bangladesh.
“Although that plan eventually failed, the election that followed was publicised not only in Bangladesh but also by the United Nations and across the world as free and fair – yet in reality, it was anything but,” he said.
Moin Khan claimed that the government established after that election went on to rule for 16 years, during which, he alleged, Bangladesh suffered political, economic, cultural and even religious degradation.
Reflecting on last year’s political upheaval, Moyeen Khan said the July-August 2024 movement had ended the Awami League’s long grip on power.
“During that struggle, children, youths, workers and students were beaten and killed. Yet these sacrifices united the people and the student community of Bangladesh,” he said.
Addressing students directly, he urged them to focus on their studies while recognising their future role in leading the nation. “Students bear a great responsibility. Those who are students today will be the leaders of tomorrow’s Bangladesh.
To guide the country in the right direction, they must develop as proper citizens through quality education,” he said.
On the interim government, Moyeen Khan noted that it had been working independently for a year to transition the country towards democracy.
“They have indicated that the next election will be held before Ramadan in February. We hope the Election Commission will announce the schedule in due course,” he added.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Volunteer Affairs Secretary Mir Sarafat Ali also spoke at the event, where former students of Dhaka College presented gifts to the families of those killed during the July-August uprising.