BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said: “The interim government is talking about reforms. Very well, reform is needed. Unless we reform ourselves, no matter how many reform commissions and reforms this government does, there will be no benefit.”
"The challenge of today's politics is for each of us to reform ourselves. We have to do politics as servants of the people”, he added.
He said this while speaking as the chief guest at a memorial meeting of International Farakka Committee leader Atiqur Rahman Salu at the National Press Club on Thursday. The memorial meeting was organised by the International Farakka Committee (IFC).
Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said: “Unity is necessary irrespective of caste, creed and religion. But in this regard, I want to warn you a little more. If we go for unity and make Baksal again, then that unity will not work. In July-August, autocracy was removed from the country at the cost of thousands of lives in the movement of students and people. But that doesn't mean democracy has returned. We need to realize this truth.”
“We have passed only one step in our transition to democracy, that is the farewell to autocracy. There are two more difficult steps. The second step is to ensure the voting rights of millions of people through a fair and neutral election by carrying out necessary reforms. The third step is the transfer of power by the interim government to the elected people. There must be a people's government, forming an independent parliament, who will be truly represented, not dummy or fake parliament. This responsibility is on the current interim government. That is why we are saying that we are giving full cooperation to this government. We don't want them to fail. If this government fails, it is not just their failure. That would be the failure of the entire nation,” he added.
The BNP standing committee member also said: "I would say three things in principle, socially, how will they (the government) fulfil this responsibility. We have three weapons. Firstly politics, secondly diplomacy and thirdly media and information technology. I believe that if the people of Bangladesh and the present interim government can use these three weapons properly, then the aspiration of 18 crore people of Bangladesh for a democratic state will be fulfilled. Not just unity, we will move forward in unity and diversity. That is our expectation.”
Remembering Atiqur Rahman Salu, he said: “Atiqur Rahman Salu is a name, Atiqur Rahman Salu is a protest. Why haven't we remembered this man for so long? Today, one year after his death, we are here to pay our respects. Salu read out the declaration of The Democratic Government of East Bengal. History doesn't always do people justice. Later in life, he made history. The second Farakka Long March was held on May 5, 2005 by him. His whole life revolved around the welfare of this country.”
