'People will go to vote spontaneously'

Do you have any apprehensions about the forthcoming 7 January elections?

No, I have no apprehensions. A significant number of people will take part in the election. Other than BNP, all major political parties are contesting. I expect the election will be free, fair and peaceful.

But BNP has called upon the people to boycott the polls. There has been agitation on the streets since 28 October.  On one hand there is the hartal and blockades, and on the other there are the mass arrests by the police, the opposition men’s homes being raided. They are being subject to sneak attacks too. How can a peaceful election be expected?

Scattered incidents over an election take place in all countries. In India even, hundreds of people die in the local government elections. But since BNP is not coming to the election, the challenge for the government is to ensure the election is free and fair. As in the past, hopefully they will be able to tackle this challenge. Many will try to disrupt the election, but they will not succeed.   

Who will the competition be with? Awami League’s leadership is encouraging independent candidates to be fielded against the party’s candidates. Jatiya Party and the 14 Party allies are negotiating seat-sharing with Awami League, according to media reports.    

Awami League has carried out elections as a coalition in the past too. If it does so this time too, there is no harm. You are talking about an understanding between Awami League and Jatiya Party. But outside of that, many parties are participating in the election. There is Trinomool BNP, BNM and more. I feel that the election will be competitive. Also, there are constitutional compulsions to hold the election. The election must be held before 29 January.     

Many BNP leaders, including its secretary general, have been sent to jail on charges of sabotage. They are being accused of manipulating these incidents of sabotage. BNP leader Shahjahan Omar was accused on the same charges, but he was granted bail and the very next day was given the ‘boat’ symbol to join the election. Would the other leaders be freed too, if they agreed to join the election?     

That is a legal question. It is actually the BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman who has taken the party to this predicament. Just because he can’t contest in the election, he is preventing others from doing so too. The BNP secretary general and other leaders cannot take decisions. The decisions come from London. If BNP continues to boycott the election, many more will leave the party.      

BNP is not the only one that boycotts elections. In 1996 (15 February), Awami League also boycotted the election along with Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. If that did not damage Awami League, why will it damage BNP?

The 1995-1996 movement is quite different from the present movement. At that time, 147 members of parliament resigned from the Jatiya Sangsad. The opposition forced the government to resign. Has BNP managed to create such a circumstance? Their movement does not have public support.

BNP did not call for any hartals or blockades this week. It is staging a human chain programme. Will the government move away, then, from its mass arrests?

It must be seen what programmes they take up in the future. If BNP moves away from violent programmes, then I will say they have understood their mistakes. BNP’s one-point movement, that is, not joining the elections, is sheer suicide. They will have to pay the price for this.

Will the political crisis in the country come to an end once the 7 January election is held?

Not immediately, it will take time. One must see where the crisis began. It is a clash of two ideologies. Awami League believes in the spirit of the liberation war. BNP’s top leadership does not. That is why they make persons like Nizami and Mujahid ministers. After the election, the government’s task will be to strengthen democratic institutions, step up the drive against corruption, and bring down the price of essentials within the reach of the people.

Another difference between the two parties is that Awami League is run in a democratic manner. They hold the council after every three years. No one can recall when BNP held its last council. A party that was established undemocratically, cannot run in a democratic manner.  

The organisaton CIVICUS says in a report that citizens’ rights are under attack in Bangladesh

It must been seen from where these organisations get their information. If they get their facts and figures from anti-government sources, they will come to one conclusion. If they get their data from sources in favour of the government, the conclusion will be different. You are talking about freedom of expression. Many private TV channels have been given approval during this government. BNP leaders come to these channels and criticise the government sternly. No one stops them. When BNP came to power, it shut down ETV.

The election is on 7 January, but there is no election festivity being felt anywhere. Does that mean the people have no interest in the election?

That is not true. The deadline to withdraw nomination papers is on 17 December. From 18 December the candidates will go to their constituencies. That is when the festivity will spread. People will go to vote spontaneously. There will be stiff competition in many constituencies. I do not foresee any political crisis after the election either. The government’s responsibility will be to ensure that people can go to the polling centres unimpeded and that no one can influence the election. This is a big test for the government too. The election commission must play an active role.

A total of 15 registered parties including BNP are not participating in the election, so how can it gain credibility? In the 2014 election, candidates won uncontested in 153 seats.

I do not see any problem with the credibility of the election. How many percent of the people in western countries go to vote? Much more people will come to vote in this election. And the voter turnout is not an indication of the election’s credibility. It is enough if people can go to the polling centres unhindered.

Thank you.

Thank you too.