BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said Bangladesh may turn into a tightly “regimented authoritarian” state like North Korea if their 10-point movement fails.
Speaking at a discussion, he also alleged that the Awami League government is completely destroying the main pillars of the state by “introducing its own rules, regulations and constitution.”
“We have to make a decision on whether we want to see the existence of Bangladesh and the restoration of democracy here. Otherwise, it will become a completely regimented authoritarian country like North Korea,” the BNP leader said.
He said the ongoing 10-point movement is only not an agitation of the BNP or any alliance. "This movement is a struggle for the survival of all 180 million people of the country. So let us take to the streets to make it a success"
Fakhrul said their party's 17 leaders and activists have already lost their lives in the movement that began on August 22.
“Let us involve more people in our movement to establish a government and parliament of the people through a credible election under a caretaker government and a neutral election commission by ousting the current regime,” he urged political parties.
The 12-party alliance arranged the discussion titled “The Importance and Necessity of the 27-Point Proposal in Building Future Bangladesh” at Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU).
Fakhrul alleged that a serious scandalous incident took place over the annual election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the government broke the election system of the lawyers' body.
“The lawyers of the apex court of the country are called officers of the court. Holding the annual election for those who work in that court or cooperate in the judicial system is a tradition and everyone respects it. But what happened yesterday (Wednesday) in that election is a most disgraceful incident for the nation and the judicial system of the country,” he observed.
He also said the untoward incident over the election has exposed that there is no democracy and rule of law in Bangladesh. “I also doubt whether there is any government in the country.”
The BNP leader said the polls had long been held in a fair and cordial atmosphere conducted by lawyers. "But they (Awami League) broke this system yesterday. They also broke the election system of the National Press Club. It means that the Awami League, whose only goal now is to completely break the main pillars of the state…they have already broken it. They have introduced their own rules, regulations and constitution.”
Fakhrul slammed the government for its plan to reduce the width of the Jamuna River to 6.5 kilometres from 15km.
“The Jamuna River has been flowing for thousands of years in our country. Rivers cause problems like floods and inundation…But how will you justify the idea of narrowing this river and a Tk12,000 crore project in this regard?” he said.
The BNP leader alleged that the government is undertaking such a project because it has become completely shameless.
Fakhrul bemoaned that some intellectuals and professionals speak in support of the current governing system of the Awami League and its president, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “They indulge in extreme flattery. I feel bad thinking about what type of country we fought for [in 1971]. Now we scream that we did not want such a country.”
He said freedom fighters liberated the country with the aim to establish democracy, and ensure freedom of expression, equality, people's dignity, the right to vote and the rule of law.
The BNP leader also said people are going through a very tough time due to unusual hikes in the prices of all the essential commodities.
He said “terrorism and theft” are in the Awami League's “body chemistry.” “They want to do everything by force and indulge in theft in every case.”
Fakhrul alleged that Information Minister Hasan Mahmud like Joseph Goebbels (chief propagandist for the Nazi Party) said the BNP is trying to destroy stability and it is preparing for arson attacks. “It is you (Awami League) who have introduced arson violence in the country…It was you who brought provisions of a caretaker government by enforcing hartals for 173 days along with the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Jatiya Party.”
He claimed the Awami League killed 11 people by setting a bus on fire with gunpowder in the capital during their hartal demanding the introduction of a caretaker government system. “People were beaten to death with oars and logs. They now say it (caretaker system) is not there in any civilized country.”
The BNP leader said: “A caretaker government system is necessary for Bangladesh as those who are now in power are not civilized. They have destroyed the electoral system."