BNP has actually won politically

The government has finally held the election. How would you evaluate this election?

Mamun Ahmed: This was actually not a meaningful election because it was a contrived one. The persons whom the government wanted to win, won election. Those who it did not want, could not win. It was a one-sided election. The candidates were almost all of the same political camp. The competition was among themselves, sometimes no competition at all. The statements of those who were defeated indicate that this was a government-controlled election.

Secondly, the election process from the very outset was flawed. There was an absolute lack of transparency. That is why some call this a farcical election and some call it a dummy election. The kind of election required to have a parliament that represents the people, did not happen. A total of 63 registered and unregistered parties, including the main opposition BNP, did not take part in this election. Actually it is not that they didn’t take part in the election. They did not take part in this farce of an election. The election was questionable from the very beginning and that is why they called upon the people to boycott it. The people’s response reflected that demand. This is clear in the voter turnout rate.

There seems to be a crisis in determining the opposition in the new government. How do you view that?

Mamun Ahmed: Actually our constitution does not mention specifically how many elected representatives are required to form the opposition. But the practice of our parliament has been that if a party had 25 elected representatives, it can form the opposition. But there is no such party visible in this election. Those who have been elected are almost all of one party. An opposition will be formed from among them, perhaps. But that will not be a real opposition. They will always be at the mercy of the government.

This is actually a one-party parliament. It is not important who is in the opposition here. As a result, in no way can this parliament be called representational of the people. And this government will not bring about any resolution to the prevailing political crisis. The crisis will increase further. Such a parliament, virtually bereft of any opposition, does not fulfill the aspirations of the people.

The new cabinet of the new government has been formed. Many have been dropped and many new faces have entered. How do you evaluate this cabinet?

Mamun Ahmed: Given the manner in which this cabinet and this government have been formed, there is really not much to expect from them. They may try to address the routine problems of the people, to resolve the challenges faced in running the country, but there are doubts as to how successful they will be.

BNP had been waging a movement to change the government. They were not successful. Do you think their strategy was flawed?

Mamun Ahmed: It cannot be said that BNP has been unsuccessful. What has BNP been wanting from the very start? They wanted a solution to the political crisis that had resulted from an unacceptable election system. Their basic demands were for a restoration of democracy, for people’s voting rights to be restored and for a state based on human rights. The people have put their trust in these political aspirations of BNP. The people all over the country responded to BNP’s call to boycott the election. I do not think that even 2 to 5 per cent of the people went to vote. I feel that the number of votes shown by the election commission was also rigged. That means the people put their trust in BNP. By whatever means, the government came to power again, but I feel that it is BNP that has won politically

It is said that the entire situation went under government control, after 28 October and so the government was no longer worried about the election. What do you think?

Mamun Ahmed: BNP’s well-organised programmes in the political arena were the main obstacle to this flawed election of the government. The government needed to get rid of that. To that end, the government used the state machinery and in an unethical and non-political manner, ousted BNP from the political arena.

It is being said that BNP depended more on the US and the West rather than building up their own anti-government political movement. How do you see that?

Mamun Ahmed: The aspiration of the common people was to be able to cast their own votes. BNP placed these aspirations before the government in the form of their demand and took up a movement for fair elections. This aspiration of the people was matched by that of the democratic world. They actually supported the demands of the common people.

Many apprehend further pressure on BNP now that the election is over. It is even said that there may be a move to ban the party. A minister of the ruling party has said that the challenge of the new government is to uproot ‘arsonists’. Do you think the government will actually take initiative to prohibit BNP?

Mamun Ahmed: I do not think so. This statement of the minister is political, not pragmatic. The 7 January ‘election’ proved once again that the people have confidence in BNP. So it will not be possible to use the state forces to ban a political party that has such massive public support.

Questions are being raised about BNP’s leadership. How do you view that?

Mamun Ahmed: Such questions are raised by those who want to see BNP on the back foot. I do not think there is any leadership crisis in BNP. The party chairperson is more or less under house arrest and is ailing. In her absence, the acting chairman is taking the party ahead. If he was solely taking all the decisions, the party would not have had such well organised programmes over the past one and a half years. There is an organisational structure to BNP’s leadership and decisions are taken jointly.

What lies ahead for BNP as an opposition political force?

Mamun Ahmed: I feel that BNP should continue with the political process it is carrying out. Since they are holding programmes based on the aspirations of the people and continuing with their one-point demand, it would be pragmatic to take that ahead.                                         

Thank you.

Mamun Ahmed: Than you too.