BNP standing committee member and former minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said that the first task of the interim government was to remove those who had corrupted the elections process from their responsibilities while holding various posts in the administration during the previous government. By not doing so, the interim government has failed to send a message about its strong position.
The BNP leader also said that the ongoing discussion of reforms first and then holding elections is not realistic. Violating the people's voting rights for an indefinite period in the name of reforms is also unreasonable.
Moyeen Khan made these remarks during a special interview with Bangladesh Pratidin reporters Shafiqul Islam Sohag and Shariful Islam Simanto at his residence in city’s Gulshan on Friday.
Bangladesh Pratidin: What are your expectations from the interim government?
Moyeen Khan: The interim government will restore the people's right to vote, the right to speak, and the fundamental rights as soon as possible. Through this, the people's government will be established in the country. Our expectation is that democracy will be immediately re-established in the country.
Bangladesh Pratidin: There are demands from various quarters to ban the Awami League, how do you see it?
Moyeen Khan: The Awami League claims the strength of its supporters of the Liberation War. But the contribution of the Awami League leaders to the Liberation War is questionable. After the Liberation War, they established a one-party Baksal from 1972 to 1975. It destroyed democracy. We now have to ask whether the Awami League as a political party believes in democracy at all. The world-famous Time magazine said that the Awami League established Baksal-2 from 2009 to 2024.
At this stage, the Awami League did not say Baksal verbally, but in reality it established a one-party rule. It made arrangements that everyone has to speak in the same tone. This is a direct interference in people's freedom of speech. Where there is no freedom of expression, there is no democracy. The survival of Awami League politics or participation in elections depends on these surrounding factors. However, even in the last 100 days, they have not been able to get out of the quicksand of their mistakes. There is still no remorse among them. Have you heard a single Awami League politician or their supporters, the so-called civil society or intellectuals, say with self-realization that they have committed a grave injustice, for which they are apologizing to the people?
Bangladesh Pratidin: How important do you think the electoral roadmap is?
Moyeen Khan: When and how elections will be held is the prerogative of the Election Commission. That is why we have repeatedly asked the interim government to complete the electoral reforms very quickly. We know that many things need to be reformed. This is an ongoing process. Our reform process has been going on since independence. Human civilization has progressed and is progressing through the uninterrupted reform process. So, it cannot be realistic to say that reforms first and then hold elections. The reforms that the government is talking about now will never end. The reforms that will be done today may be subject to reform again tomorrow. Therefore, the reform and the election process must go hand in hand.
Bangladesh Pratidin: Which reforms is BNP giving more importance to?
Moyeen Khan: Electoral reforms. The elections held during the Awami League era are not called elections. Therefore, more importance should be given to the reforms that are essential for a fair and impartial election. To this end, the interim government's first task was to restructure the Election Commission, which they did.
Secondly, the election system in Bangladesh is the Westminster system. In this system, elections are held across the country in one day. Holding elections in 300 constituencies in one day is a huge undertaking. Millions of people are needed to conduct the elections on that day. The Election Commission cannot have its own millions of workers, it is not reasonable.
The government then formed the commission by involving government officials, teachers, police, Ansar forces and even the army. Therefore, it is also essential to bring reforms in the administration and law enforcement forces at the first stage. The most important officials in elections are four- DC, SP, UNO and OC. At the field level, these four are the most important officials during elections. The way the previous fascist government partisanized these positions, fair elections will never be possible under this administration.
The first task of the interim government was to remove those who had corrupted the elections from their positions during the previous government. But I regret to say that they could not do this in time. I hope that they do not have to pay the price for this negligence. There is still time. The government is slowly moving forward with the reform process. The police force needs reform. The Ansar force also needs to be reformed. Today's new generation has not yet been able to vote. The responsibility of the interim government is to ensure that they exercise their voting rights immediately. Violating their voting rights for an indefinite period in the name of reform cannot be justified.
Bangladesh Pratidin: What is your suggestion regarding these reforms of the administrative forces?
Moyeen Khan: The interim government must take exemplary steps. There are millions of people in the government forces. It is not possible to dismiss everyone. This is not a realistic decision either. If this is the case, it will become impossible to run the country. If, instead of dismissing 2 million government officials, 20 people or 200 dishonest officials are dismissed as an example, it will play an effective role. This will alert the rest. The people will understand that the interim government is moving in the right direction. This interim government has failed to give this message to the countrymen in the last 100 days.
Bangladesh Pratidin: What is your opinion on the issue of changing the constitution?
Moyeen Khan: The constitution can be changed or rewritten ten times, it can be reformed twenty times. This is not the main issue. The most important thing is to change the mentality of those who will be in charge of running the country. People vote for us not to rule them, but to run the country as their representatives. And this is for a specific period, not forever. This is exactly where the Awami League made a mistake. They thought they had come to power forever. They are now paying the price for this mistake.
If there is a change in the mentality of our millions of people, then whether the constitution will be changed or reformed is not an important question for me. The issue of protecting the democratic rights of the people is already written in the constitution. The Awami League has curtailed the democratic rights of the people by establishing dictatorship on paper between 1972 and ’75 and 2009 and 2024. If this is the situation, then reforming, changing or rewriting the constitution will not be of any use. If politicians truly engage in politics with the spirit of serving the country, not power, then proponents of these so-called 'theoretical issues' will no longer find any traction.
Bangladesh Pratidin: How do you see the student-public movement? But what is the contribution of BNP?
Moyeen Khan: Everyone sees the success of the student-public movement in the same way. Congratulations to the students and the public. They have snatched independence for the second time with their blood like heroes. The largest political party of Bangladesh, BNP, and their 44 like-minded political parties have been fighting against the previous fascist government together for years. Victory came on August 5. But this is not the end. BNP and like-minded political parties have protested for so long. They played an active role in the mass uprising of July-August. There is no way to deny the contribution of all of the players in a football game. We must not forget the imprisonment, torture and abuse that the BNP leaders and activists have endured in the past 15 years. If we identify only a specific group as the claimant to this victory, it will not be a correct analysis. Every democracy-loving person in Bangladesh is a partner in this victory.
Bangladesh Pratidin: After August 5, allegations of usurpation and trade are being raised against BNP leaders and activists. What is your statement on this?
Moyeen Khan: There are three issues here. First, there have been some inconsistencies and BNP has admitted the matter. Action has been taken against thousands of BNP leaders and activists in this regard. They have been expelled from the party; or have been given show cause notices. BNP is on the highest alert to ensure that no one takes the law into their own hands.
Secondly, fascist Sheikh Hasina and some of her leaders have fled the country. Not all grassroots leaders and activists of Awami League could flee the country. They are still in the country. They are now involved in BNP and are committing misdeeds and the responsibility for this falls on BNP.
Thirdly, some incidents have occurred after the historical change of August 5. These were immediate reactions. These inevitable incidents were not unusual. Rather, it can be said that if these incidents had not happened, they would have been unusual. It is necessary to clarify here that in the past fifteen years, the Awami League terrorists have seized the houses, land and businesses of BNP leaders and activists through oppression and corruption of the judiciary, and our so-called progressive media has beautifully presented the incident of BNP's seizure of property and presented it with utmost importance on the front page. I think it is better not to say more about this.
Bangladesh Pratidin: What is BNP's view on like-minded political parties?
Moyeen Khan: Just as we fought unitedly against the fascist Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government in the past, we want to work together with pro-democracy parties in the coming days.
Bangladesh Pratidin: BNP is talking about forming a national government after the elections. How will this be done?
Moyeen Khan: The opposition party is essential in a democratic system. If accountability cannot be ensured, there is a fear that the government may establish a one-party regime. That is why we are working together with those who believe in democracy. Even in this, there may be disagreements on various issues, on procedural aspects, on implementation strategies; but everyone's ideal is the same, which is to re-establish democracy in Bangladesh. That is why we are saying that arrangements must be made to express the people's opinions immediately through elections.
Bangladesh Pratidin: How do you view the process of forming a political party led by students?
Moyeen Khan: It is their political right. If their intentions are honest, then we welcome them. However, they are being told that they are forming a King's Party from within the government. That is not the main issue. They have to take a test from BNP, and that is not the case. They have to take a test from the people of Bangladesh. Their acceptance or rejection as a political party is the test of 120 million voters in the country.
Bangladesh Pratidin: When will BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman return to the country? What are the obstacles to his return to the country?
Moyeen Khan: I can guarantee you that Tarique Rahman will return to the country at the right time.
Bangladesh Pratidin: Thank you for your time.
Moyeen Khan: Thank you too.
Translated by Tanvir Raihan
