BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said if elections are held under the proportional representation (PR) system, it would undermine people’s authority to elect their representatives. He argued that under such a system, it would not be the people but the political parties who decide who becomes a representative.
He made the remarks on Monday (October 13) morning during a views-exchange meeting with leaders of the Bangladesh Christian Forum at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka.
Mirza Fakhrul said suddenly raising the demand for a PR system and launching a movement on the issue is confusing for those who want an early election. The matter, he suggested, should be left to the next parliament to decide. “If PR is introduced now, people will not even understand what it is,” he added.
The BNP leader also said that if his party comes to power, representation of all communities will be ensured in the proposed upper house of parliament. Tackling the problem of 4 crore unemployed people will be given priority, he said, expressing hope that the crisis could be resolved within a year and a half.
He added that in the upcoming election, the people would once again prove that Bangladesh is a non-communal state. Efforts are being made to create an environment for free and fair elections, though various attempts to obstruct it are evident, he noted.
On the parliamentary system, Fakhrul said the BNP has proposed an upper house, which could be a new experience for Bangladesh. But introducing PR in the lower house, he insisted, is unrealistic.
The meeting was presided over by Father Albert Rosario, president of the Bangladesh Christian Lawyers’ Association, and conducted by Anil Leo Costa, general secretary of the Bangladesh Christian Forum.