Widening disparity, joblessness threat to stability: Menon

Rashed Khan Menon
Rashed Khan Menon

Rashed Khan Menon, a left leader who was a minister in the previous government, has expressed concern about inequality, unemployment, corruption and lack of good governance.

Elected a member of parliament through the ‘tainted’’ elections held on 30 December 2018, he raised questions of fairness in the ongoing upazila elections, saying his freedom of speech is at stake.

The Workers Party of Bangladesh president criticised the ruling party’s drive to win elections at any cost and pointed out that the people’s aspirations were entirely dashed ti the ground when the Dhaka University failed to meet the expectations of the students in the union elections there.

“Widening disparity and rise of the number of unemployed youth by 800,000 a year has been a major threat to social and political stability,” he said in an exclusive interview with Prothom Alo, the first after the parliamentary polls.

Menon mentioned that the wealth of the country’s 5 per cent rich people increased by 121 times while resources of the poorest five per cent have come down to less 1 per cent.

Terming corruption and lack of good governance as major challenge for the government, he insisted that corruption must be tackled from the upper echelon.

The left leader also regretted that a unified education system could not be established and that communalism has expanded in society.

Asked about his own comment in parliament that the people are being disenchanted about the elections, he said he spoke based on his own perception.

When asked if his allegations bore similarity with the ones made by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) about the 30 December polls, Menon replied in the negative.

“They (BNP leaders and activists) didn’t try to resist; they used elections as a trade and resorted to trickery. They played different games to expose it,” said the WP leader who has been an electoral ally of the Awami League since 2008.

In response to a question whether his party made allegations of rigging in upazila polls, he said, “It’s not merely an allegation, our workers could not campaign and we had to lodge complaints with the election commission.”

Rashed Khan Menon, who was ignored during formation of the curret cabinet, made it clear that he is no longer willing to become a minister. “I must be given the scope to exercise my freedom of expression and allowed to carry out organisational activities,” he added.

The WP president still feels that there is relevance of his party alliance with AL.

Asked if he saw any threat to stability in case BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is released from jail, Menon said there is no objection should the court grant her bail. “I don’t think she is in a position, politically and organisationally, to create instability,” he observed.

*This piece, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition as interview text, has been rewritten in English in story format by Khawaza Main Uddin