Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the final decision on the Proportional Representation (PR) system will be made by the next elected parliament. He made this remark on Monday afternoon at a views-exchange meeting.
He said, “Now that the issue of PR is coming up and movements are being carried out for it, naturally those of us who want a quick election to restore democracy in the country, to form a democratic government, and to establish a democratic parliament – we are becoming concerned.”
“That’s why we have clearly stated that this issue (PR) should be left to the next parliament.
If the representatives of the next parliament feel that the country should move from the existing voting system to PR, they can do so.
If the people think it should be done, it will be done. But right now, the people know almost nothing about this system.”
Mirza Fakhrul said, “The problem with the PR system is that it limits the individual’s freedom to choose his or her representative – one has to vote for the party instead. That means, the party selects the representatives for parliament.
This is where we disagree. We believe that people should have the freedom to elect individuals of their choice – who will, of course, be from political parties, but chosen by the people themselves. I am raising these issues because they are being discussed publicly.”
The meeting took place at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan, where members of various professions from the Christian community participated.
They presented their concerns and also discussed the possibility of nominations from their community in the upcoming national election.
Mirza Fakhrul sought full cooperation from the Christian community in the coming election and assured them that their demands would be given due consideration.
He said, “We must always remember that the soul of Bangladesh – of our state and nation – is the spirit of 1971, when we fought to build a non-communal Bangladesh. We do not want to let that soul be destroyed.”
“Today, there are attempts to think differently – but we believe there is no room for such divisive thinking here. We are one nation, and there is no opportunity to fragment it.”
Reiterating his appeal, Mirza Fakhrul said, “We seek the full cooperation of your community in the upcoming election.
We believe that John Gomez is not only your representative, but also our candidate. He has been with the BNP in a good position and remains with us.”
Addressing their nomination request, he said, “The petition you have given for party nomination – I will forward it to our Acting Chairman, and we will give it the highest priority. There is no doubt about that.”
He also encouraged the Christian leaders to be more vocal:
“Our expectation from you will always be that you stay united and speak up strongly. Don’t think of yourselves as minorities or small in number. If you think that way, you’ll fall behind.
All of you here are distinguished individuals who have achieved success through your merit and competence. So, express your needs and demands with confidence.”
On the July Charter issue, Mirza Fakhrul said, “Many kinds of politics are going on, and many things are being said.
We had hoped that the interim government would rise above all partiality and organize an election that Bangladesh desperately needs – a fair, free, and participatory election.
They are trying; the Election Commission is trying. But sometimes we see certain developments that make us very concerned.”
“You know that reform commissions have been formed in several sectors to change the state structure. Those commissions have concluded their discussions after consulting with political parties.
We all hope that on the 17th of this month, the parties will sign the points on which they have reached consensus.
As for the issues where there is no consensus, each political party will present them in their election manifestos before the people as proposals.”
The meeting was presided over by Albert Rosario, President of the Christian Lawyers’ Association, and conducted by Anil Leo Costa of the Bangladesh Christian Forum.
Speakers included Benedict Alo D’Rozario, Pius Costa, Rita Rosalin Costa, Protap Augustine Gomez, Shankar Patrick Costa, and Anwar Hossain, among others.
Also speaking at the event were Bijon Kanti Sarkar, Chairman of the Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front; John Gomez, BNP’s Assistant Secretary for Religious Affairs; Ramesh Dutta, and Executive Committee Member Sushil Barua.
Among others present were ABM Abdus Sattar, Private Secretary to the BNP Chairperson; Shairul Kabir Khan of the Media Cell; and members of the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front including Tarun Dey, Michael Gomez, Mrigen Hagidak, Montu Peter Rosario, Duke P. Rosario, Phanindra Nath Karmakar, Babul David Gomez, Tutul Peter Rodrigues, Chandan Zakaria Gomez, Louis Gomez, Shital Riberu, Jozlin Gomez, Martin Pereira, Swapan Hawlader, Papillon Purification, Prashant Purification, Eric D’Costa, Palash Pirich, Ivy Singh, Steve Joseph Costa, Albert Ripon Ballav, Bernard Palash Das, Milon I. Gomez, Dhiren Das, Probir Biswas, Suman Dominic Gomez, Evaris Rosario, and Christopher Desai, among others.
