BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has criticised certain political groups for advocating proportional representation (PR) in elections, saying they lack a basic understanding of what the system entails.
“Some parties are now talking about PR elections, but they don’t even know what PR means,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul made the remarks on Saturday (July 26) while addressing a discussion titled “The July Uprising: Expectations and Achievements”, organised by the Zia Parishad at the National Press Club.
“People don’t even understand what proportional elections are,” Fakhrul said, adding that the country is currently in a state of disarray.
“The nation is going through a critical juncture. We are waiting for a democratic transition—one that will bring about a political and economic order that benefits the people,” he said.
Fakhrul accused the Awami League of inflicting long-term damage on the country.
“What the Awami League has done to Bangladesh cannot be fixed overnight. They’ve destroyed everything—from the judiciary and legal system to the healthcare sector. For 15 years, they have systematically dismantled the organisational structure of pro-democracy political parties through repression,” he said.
Referring to reform, Fakhrul recalled that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had outlined a Vision 2030 in 2016 for rebuilding the state.
“Now, when TV talk shows speak of reform, they forget that our leader Tarique Rahman proposed a 31-point reform agenda back in 2022. That blueprint has the potential to bring deep political and economic transformation to the country,” he added.
“Reform doesn’t happen overnight. It must follow a process. You can’t just decide one day that police will stop taking bribes. That’s unrealistic. What you can do is build a system where the police have no incentive to take bribes. Our bureaucracy remains a major obstacle to development,” he said.
Fakhrul also stressed the need for true public representatives to govern the country. “Whenever we talk about electing representatives, we’re told BNP only wants elections. But why wouldn’t we want elections? If there are no elections, where will we find public representatives? How will anyone go to parliament? And without parliament, how can we establish people’s governance?”
Emphasizing the importance of integrity within the BNP, Fakhrul said, “Above all, we need honesty. Without it, BNP cannot stand with the people. The kind of news we see in the papers today doesn’t reflect the values of BNP or of Ziaur Rahman. So anyone who wants to follow Ziaur Rahman must begin by being honest.”
SMS/
