‘7 January election is already stalled’
According to the schedule the 12th parliamentary election will be held on 7 January. The BNP is not participating in this election? How will the election be?
Zainul Abedin: The election commission has taken a unilateral decision to announce the schedule of the election and initiative of holding elections. I think this step is taken hastily without taking any initiative of reaching a consensus. The way the ruling party has nominated and the way they want to conduct the election, it cannot be called an election.
An election that is not acceptable to the people will not be called an election. If there is no participation of the people, the election is stalled. Most of the registered parties are not participating in this election. They are trying to make the election look participatory by electing some of the king’s parties that have sprung up overnight.
There are questions about the acceptance of 2014 and 2018 general elections. What may happen about the 12th parliamentary election?
Zainul Abedin: In the 2014 election, 153 MP candidates did not need any vote at all. They were elected without a vote being cast. The 2018 election was held the night before the scheduled day. This time they are trying to score themselves in the election. I have never seen in the past that a big political party like Awami League, after nominating a candidate, says that they have no objection if someone from the party competes as an independent candidate. This is not a sign of genuine and participatory election. I don’t think there will be an election.
Did BNP make a mistake by not participating in this election?
Zainul Abedin: I don’t think so. BNP has been waging a movement demanding that the election be held under a non-partisan and neutral government. They remain unflinching in that demand and principle. Because no election under this government was held impartially and fairly in the past. In fact, the government also does not want the BNP to participate in the election.
That is why, the government is arresting thousands of BNP leaders and activists after staging an incident on 28 October. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and many top leaders, including members of the standing committee, are now in prison. Those who are likely to contest in the election, are also being jailed one after another in a series of trumped-up cases, so that they cannot participate in the elections in the future.
Do you think that BNP’s one-point movement is strategically correct?
Zainul Abedin: It is not a matter of strategy. BNP wants to see the reflection of the will of the people. That’s why they are proceeding with the one-point demand based on the will of the people.
Will the BNP continue the movement? How does BNP want to achieve their demands?
Zainul Abedin: BNP has only one goal, to ensure that the people of this country can cast their vote. Hopefully, soon this government will bow down to the people.
There are allegations that BNP is dependent on foreigners instead of mobilising people against the government to press home their political demands. How much can BNP achieve by depending on the foreigners?
Zainul Abedin: Supporters of the governing party could say so. But the BNP is not dependent on any foreigners. The party is dependent on the people of this country and has confidence in them. People’s participation is the biggest participation. Since there is no public participation in this election, it cannot be called an election. A budget of 16 billion taka has been allocated for holding this election. I think the money is wasted. There is no need to spend it.
What will BNP do if the government is elected through the 7 January election?
Zainul Abedin: This is not a matter of the BNP; it is a matter of the people. People will observe how the election took place. Not only that, people in other countries who think about the election in Bangladesh, will also analyse how the election took place.
Whether the election was held at all, whether it can be called an election or not, can be said after the election. We are saying that the 7 January election has already been stalled. Because people have no participation at any level.
Whenever the ruling party has nominated its candidates, and then immediately announced that the party leaders can compete in the election as independent candidates, the election has been stalled. This can no longer be called an election. The ruling party itself does not want participatory elections. They want an election of declaration.
Thank you.
Zainul Abedin: Thank you, too.
* The interview was originally published in the print and online editions of the Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Syed Faiz Ahmed