Dhaka Tribune: What is the CPB's position on reforms in various sectors of the country?
Ruhin Hossain Prince: The main goal of the CPB is to establish socialism. We want more reforms than the reforms that are being talked about. We want a change in this social system. The freedom that the people want won’t be possible to bring without a change in the social system. The issue of reforms has come before us through this mass uprising.
The responsibility for these reforms lies with the elected government. Or, had we organized a revolution, the revolutionary government would have completed the reforms. Since the revolutionary government has not been formed this time, we have told this interim government that we must complete all the reforms required for fair and acceptable elections. The reform proposals that are beyond this will be completed by the next elected government.
Do you want amendments to the constitution as well?
We must try to transform the current constitution into a democratic one. There is no scope for changing the constitution. However, to make the constitution democratic, we have to move forward by amending the basic foundation of the 1972 constitution. But we see that the proposal they (the Constitutional Reform Commission) have made in the name of constitutional reform is contradictory to the 1972 constitution. Therefore, we do not agree with a number of their proposals.
Again, we have agreed with several other proposals made by them. Let us keep the proposals they have made - the next elected government will come and consider these proposals. I think that at this moment, they should add the provision for a non-partisan caretaker government to the constitution and leave the rest of the proposals for the future government.
Some political parties are demanding elections to the Constituent Assembly. What is the CPB's position on this?
Political parties, including NCP, have verbally demanded the Constituent Assembly elections, but they have not made any written demands. In fact, they have not given a clear explanation about what the work of the Constituent Assembly will be. Therefore, all the answers to these unknown ideas cannot be given. Again, many are saying that the Constituent Assembly is needed to rewrite the constitution. In our view, it is completely unnecessary and it does not fall under the responsibility of this government.
Several parties are also claiming that if elections are not held by December, there will be a crisis in the country. What is your take on this matter?
We have been asking the government for a long time about the reforms it wants to make and the time for the election. If you (chief adviser) want to prolong your power without giving power to the elected government—then various problems including economic, political, social will arise. Then this government will not be able to control them. Because this is not a united government. We see different people in the government talking in different ways. I also see Dr Muhammad Yunus saying different things about the elections at different times. One day he said, elections will be held in December and an hour later he said, elections will be held between December and June. We do not see any stability in this government. The government has not been able to resolve the crisis in many sectors. We think that if this government's term is stretched then the crises will deepen in the country. In addition, various evil forces in the society will carry out evil activities. Also, imperialist forces will want a weak government here for geopolitical reasons.
How do you see the influence of China-India and the United States on Bangladesh?
The imperialist powers want to surround Bangladesh and expand their dominance. Bangladesh is a golden country - there are abundant mineral resources underground. There is a politics of domination in this region across the Bay of Bengal. Several countries, including the US, are interested in this region. We think that we have to move forward by protecting the interests of Bangladesh.
Can the instability in Rakhine State of Myanmar affect Bangladesh?
Rakhine has become the most important issue in Bangladesh's regional politics. There are about 1.2 million Rohingya in Bangladesh. There is no sign of them leaving. Also, there is an unstable environment in Myanmar.
Most of the areas in Rakhine are occupied by rebels. Various countries of the world are fueling the war for geopolitical reasons. I think that instability in Myanmar means instability in Bangladesh. There is talk of forming a new state there.
There is also talk of India, China, and the US expanding their dominance in the region. Many countries will want to use Bangladesh as a pawn to expand their dominance. You will see that one of the agendas of the people coming to Bangladesh from these countries is the issue of Myanmar. This is very important for Bangladesh. I think the government will have to play a strong role with all parties to protect the independence and sovereignty of our country.
Some people are demanding the resignation of the two advisers who represent the students. What is the position of your party on this issue?
One of the things that are needed for a fair election is that there should be no administrative manipulation in the election. And the most important thing for that is a non-partisan and neutral government. After the election date is announced, the Chief Adviser must be asked a question of neutrality of his administration. I do not know what he will say. But my answer is - many advisers of this government have lost their impartiality through their activities. Our clear message to the government is in order to hold elections; a neutral administration must be built.
What is the CPB’s plan for the next elections?
Since there has not been a fair and acceptable election in the country for a long time, we could not participate in polls. We want equal opportunity to contest the polls. Many times, only the right to vote is discussed but the right to contest the polls is ignored. One has to spend a huge amount of money if he or she wants to participate in the polls. Therefore, our fight is for a radical reform of the voting system. We hope that we will be able to go to the elections from that place. Our comrades are working in their respective areas. We, the left-democratic forces, will form a large alliance together.
Do you have any plans to form an alliance with the BNP?
Our clear statement regarding the electoral alliance is that we will not form an alliance with those against whom we have been fighting for a long time. We have been confined to the politics of two large parties for a long time. The economic system of the interim government that is in place now is similar to the economic conditions of the previous government. We want to form an alternative force to bring changes to this politics.
What are your thoughts on Jamaat-e-Islami?
In 1971 when the Pakistani army surrendered, they wrote that their allied forces in West Pakistan such as the Al-Badr, Al-Shams, Razakars also surrendered. The political organization for these forces was Jamaat-e-Islami. Therefore, their politics was banned here from that very day. They are a party of war criminals. They are still in their old position regarding the Liberation War. They did not admit any mistake nor did they hold the original spirit of Bangladesh's independence.
It is said that Jamaat-e-Islami has a huge influence on the current government. How do you see it?
A few days after the government was formed, on August 12, we met Dr Yunus. I told him - this time, no specific group has overthrown the government; the government has changed due to the efforts of the people of the country. So, form a government with non-partisan people without looking at any party. But we saw that the government, instead of doing that, gave an opportunity to extremists to spread their influence in various places. Not only Jamaat-e-Islami, several extremist groups are trying to spread their influence in the government. The government should take initiative in this regard.