BNP’s Khosru says Bangladesh is in crisis due to delay in restoring democracy

BNP National Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury says the crisis in Bangladesh is intensifying each day because of delays in returning to a democratic system.

He stressed that for the sake of the nation, elections should have been held soon after the July Uprising to restore democracy.

Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Wednesday, Khosru said: “Countries that were able to return to democracy after revolutions survived and are doing well. But those that got stuck in disputes over demands ended up with no democracy, no economy, and no society. They face civil wars, division and destruction of their economies.”

“A year is too long. The country should have returned to a democratic order much earlier through elections. Because of this delay, the situation is only worsening, and the crisis is becoming more intense.”

He said, “The government is on one side, the people on the other, and there is no bridge between them. That is why police are not working, officers are not operating, law and order has collapsed, and there is no business,” he said.

Khosru said, “No new investments are going into mills and factories. Investors make short, mid, and long-term projections. But none of that is possible. You need to know that ‘interim’ means ‘interim’, so why would anyone take such decisions in this situation?”

On the investment summit organised by the interim government, the former commerce minister said: “I was there. Not a single new investment deal came from that summit. Most participants were existing investors whom I knew from before.”

“Investments won’t come in. But after the election was announced, things have started moving. The 107-member Japanese delegation is coming to observe and will decide after the election.”