Dr Chowdhury - who is also Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder - is closely involved with Jatiya Oikya Front, saying of its launch on October 13: "Dr Kamal Hossain is not leading the unity formation process by taking anyone's side. He is doing what needs to be done to deal with the existing crisis prevailing in the country.”
What do you think of the current political situation?
I would describe it as gloomy because of a number of issues, such as extrajudicial killings in the name of an anti-narcotics drives, the controversial Digital Security Act, and the arrest of renowned photojournalist Shahidul Alam.
In the political arena, the government is not allowing political parties to hold their meetings and programs. The parties are demanding a fair election, and the prime minister is also emphasizing a participatory election and a lively parliament.
The prime minister speaks of democracy, but she needs to turn words into reality. If the PM can ensure a fair election, then her actions will reflect her words, which is what we all want.
Why was the unity process started?
The unity (process) was required to bring normalcy to the prevailing situation, and I believe this can be achieved in a convenient manner if the prime minister holds dialogues with stakeholders and political parties.
Also, if the PM asks law enforcement officials not to bar peaceful movements, it would be a fruitful result of the formation of the unity. The unity can also lead to the formation of a fair government.
Do you think Jatiya Oikya Front can bring changes to the political arena?
Changes will come for sure, as a number of political parties will continue their movements and programs under a unified platform.
We want to convince the people about the balance of power. We want them to realize that citizens hold the power, which means they have the right to question and the power to vote. Sadly, however, there is no referendum in our country.
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We will carry out our programs in the localities, we will let people know about our promises, and we will try to raise their confidence in the unity. If we can form a government via the election, we will try to fulfill our promises.
Before the formation of Jatiya Oikya Front, the parties who are members were not able to hold meetings and programs individually. They were failing to connect with the citizens. The unity will help the parties work together to meet shared political goals.
Do you see Badruddoza Chowdhury’s decision to not join as a crack in the platform?
Badruddoza Chowdhury and his party had expressed reservations about joining the alliance if BNP still had ties with Jamaat. But Jamaat is part of the 20-party alliance and were not included in the new platform (so) we expect the misunderstanding will end soon.
B Chowdhury was in support of the unity, and we expect that he will eventually join.
Those who were in support of the unity are still with it. We expect parties in support of the Liberation War to be with the unity.
We (also) expect the leftist fronts to join, as they are well known for their honesty and talent.
During the last general election, BNP's movement became violent. Can you guarantee they will be peaceful this time?
BNP's politics has seen many changes in the past six months. Their chairperson is in jail and has been denied bail, thousands of its activists and leaders are also in jail, and the verdict in the August 21 grenade attack case went against Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman. But BNP has still not waged a movement, nor have they done anything violent like in the past.
They are continuing the legal battle for the release of Chairperson Khaleda Zia, but they haven't done anything that obstructs public activities. Rather, they have organized peaceful events. They want a fair election and they will work to realize that through movements with the unity.
How many seats can BNP share with the unity?
It depends on the number of qualified candidates. If there are capable people, BNP can share as many as 150 seats. Only qualified people will get nominations, and seat sharing will depend on situation and on the capacity of the people. The decision on seat sharing is still under discussion.