Political parties ask whether govt supports students’ demands

The Students Against Discrimination has been coming up with new demands everyday. They have representatives in the government as well. That is why the question is whether the government has support for the demands of the students.

Leaders of various political parties raised the question at a discussion on ‘80 Days of the interim government: Tendencies and challenges’ at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital on Monday.

Achievements could turn into disowning if any attempt is made to impose anything.

Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh organised the discussion where leaders from the BNP and some other parties joined.

Indicating the demand of resignation of the president, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government has formed 10 commissions for reforms. Their reports will be ready within 90 days. But new demands are being made when the commissions are working. We don’t know whether the reform commissions and the interim government has any kind of involvement with or support for the demands. These things have to be clarified. The issues are becoming contradictory.

Amir Khasru further said there is unanimity on some issues. Demands have been made beyond those issues without any discussion as well. Is unanimity being established selectively? This selective unanimity would not bode well.

The BNP leader said demand for reforms is nothing new. Reforms are a continuous process. Those issues could be implemented where we could establish unanimity… There is unanimity on holding a free, fair, transparent and acceptable election by reforming the election process. People want to cast their votes.

In the beginning of the discussion, Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq highlighted 10 observations on 80 days of the interim government.

He said though the interim government does not have any lack of goodwill, there is lack of coordination, procrastination, and experience and farsightedness in running the government. Some of their emotional statements created confusion among the people regarding their goals and objectives. Some of their steps have also created controversy.

Saiful Huq also spoke about new demands being made by the students everyday which has overshadowed the activities of the reform commissions.

He also raised the question on whether the government has support or consent to the demands of the students as they have representation in the interim government.

In his concluding remarks, Saiful Huq said the interim government will implement those issues where unanimity has been reached. The political government will take decisions on the remaining issues. But division is widening on new demands, and suspicions are appearing about the intentions of the government.

Achievements could turn into disowning if any attempt is made to impose anything, he remarked.

Saiful Huq further spoke against the banning of any political party through an executive order.

Nagarik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna highlighted three achievements of the interim government. Those are - development partners pledge to support with a large amount of money, the Bangladesh Bank governor’s repaying loans without touching the forex reserve and releasing 57 expatriates from the jails of the UAE.

He said there is no other significant task of this government in the last 80 days and there is no proof that they could carry out any reforms for the welfare of the people in that time.

The interim government’s priority should be the election.

Criticising the programme of laying siege to Bangabhaban, the official residence of the President, Mahmudur Rahman Manna said this did not send any good signal… This government must realise they should not go beyond the agenda.

Mentioning that there is the need to constitute a national political council, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolan, Zonayed Saki said all the decisions should be taken based on consensus. There is no alternative to this.

He said any street movement on demand of anything is being branded as an attempt of Awami League to create chaos in the country.

Instead of doing this, he advised the authorities to find out whether there is legitimacy of the demand.

Zonayed Saki further said there was a discussion on forming an interim government on 5 August. It would not be correct to say that there was a decision to protect constitutional continuity there.

AB Party’s member secretary Mojibur Rahman said the unity that was seen three months ago now seems to be diminishing. Awami League has been banned culturally and politically, this is the biggest achievement.

Speaking about the recent debates of the resignation of president Mohammed Shahabuddin, he stressed that the president himself created the controversy.

Bangladesh JASAD general secretary Nazmul Haque Pradhan, LDP president Shahadat Hossain, JSD general secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud, Gono Odhikar Parishad senior joint general secretary Hasan Al Mamun and others addressed the discussion.