71’s defeated forces using PR to disrupt election: BNP leader

BNP senior leader Selima Rahman on Tuesday alleged that the defeated forces of 1971 are trying to obstruct the upcoming national election through street protests in the name of demanding a Proportional Representation (PR) system.

“We are observing that even after the announcement of the election roadmap, there is still a plot to stop or delay the election. The conspirators are the defeated forces of 1971. They are talking about PR, which ordinary people neither know nor understand,” she said while speaking at a discussion.

Selima, a BNP Standing Committee member, said Jamaat and some Islamist parties have taken to the streets for the PR system to destabilise the country.

She alleged that those who are agitating for the PR system mainly want to bring back fascism and rehabilitate the fascists.

“We have already seen how the voting system was manipulated once through the EVMs—when you pressed one button, the vote would go straight into the Awami League’s account. Now what is this PR system? Even I don’t understand it, and I don’t know whether the people of Bangladesh understand it either,” the BNP leader said.

Under the PR system, she said there would be no particular candidate as people would only be able to vote for a party.

The BNP leader said their party is against the PR system since it will only destroy people’s voting rights.

Gonotantra Rokkha Andolon organised the discussion programme titled ‘Democracy and Constitution of Bangladesh in the Current Context’ at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).

Selima argued that if citizens could not vote for the candidate of their choice, then there is no point in voting at all, as that would mean their voting right is lost.

She said the people of the country have struggled for all these years and many BNP leaders and workers have suffered immense repression to establish a government truly elected by them through their votes.

“But now, what do we see? Jamaat—those who once killed people of this country, who betrayed the nation by siding with Pakistan, who acted as Razakars and Al-Badr, who raped women and handed them over to the occupation forces—today they may appear holy in their words, but they have not forgotten their past ideology,” the BNP leader said.

She said Jamaat is now trying to destroy the achievement the nation gained through a long struggle for democracy. “Their aim is to stop the election, to delay it, or to create instability in the country. But the people of Bangladesh will not allow this. BNP is a large party, and it will never let that happen.

“The election will be held, people will cast their votes, and an accountable government will be established. That is our promise,” Selima said.

She called upon BNP leaders and activists to remain united and campaign for the party’s electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy. “No matter who gets the nomination, our focus must be on securing votes for the sheaf of paddy. That is our symbol of people’s politics, of production-based politics, and of our struggle for independence and democracy.”