BNP's standing committee member Major (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed criticized the Awami League, saying that those responsible for exiling democracy, banning political parties, killing children from helicopters, and allowing the Indian army to roam freely in Bangladesh, have no right to engage in politics.
He made these remarks on Sunday at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club during a seminar.
Hafizuddin Ahmed said: "A large part of politicians are corrupt, there is no doubt about it. But after a few elections, they will be refined. The villains will be sifted out, and the genuine people will come forward. Give them a chance. What kind of elections have we had during Sheikh Hasina's tenure?
“What have we gained from them? No government in the world has deceived its people like this. How it has destroyed the banking system. How it has turned the police force into a band of villains."
He continued: "BNP is a political party that has risen from among the people. You will see, this party has popularity when elections come. But surely, there is a need to reform the state. Why do the governments of this country fail one after another in reflecting the aspirations of the people?
“As a grassroots political worker, it seems to me that corruption has taken root among all our political parties. When in power, we cannot take adequate measures to combat corruption. There must be a system in place in Bangladesh to act against corruption while in power."
"Whether it is the prime minister or the president, anyone who commits corruption while in power must be put in jail. The Anti-Corruption Commission needs to be strong enough to enforce this. Such measures need to be specifically defined in our constitution," said Major (retd) Hafizuddin.
He further said: "The ownership of the state must be delivered to the people. We are no longer the owners of this state; we are slaves. The owners are those who go into power, whether by votes or without votes, however it may be. A mindset is being formed that those who will go into power, sit in the cabinet, become ministers, prime ministers, they are the owners of the state, and all of us are just subjects. Measures must be taken to rise from this situation."
Addressing the advisors of the interim government, he said: "After so much bloodshed and sacrifice, the advisory council that was formed, most of them do not have a revolutionary character. Starting from Prof Yunus to Asif Nazrul, I have seen none participating in the revolution, except I have seen Asif Nazrul and Adilur Rahman Khan has been imprisoned. So, I can count these two as having been vocal against the previous government."
During the event, this BNP leader mentioned the need for swift elections: "Out of the 31 points we have given from our party, this government has accepted six and formed six commissions. We hope, through these commissions, they will be able to reform the existing state system. But they should not take long. Do not take 10-20 years to reform. Reform the electoral system in a very short time and provide a fair election."
