Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Prof Mujibur Rahman on Tuesday said students will no longer allow the repeat of past events, which is why his party is now demanding justice first, followed by reforms and then elections.
Speaking at a rally organized by Jamaat’s Bagatipara upazila unit in Natore, he said: “In the past, oppressive regimes claimed, ‘It is my vote, I will give it to whoever I want.’ But in reality, they acted as if, ‘I will not cast mine only, will cast yours, too.’ People and students no longer want such elections. They will not let it happen again. That is why we are saying, justice first, then reforms and then elections.”
He said people have witnessed how the Awami League-led government made a mockery of democracy in the name of elections.
The Jamaat leader said that MPs were elected without a vote in 2014, voting was completed the night before the election day in 2018 and in the 2024 elections, the general public did not even show up at polling stations.
Mujibur said that voters were not needed and in some cases, the candidates’ relatives cast votes on behalf of others.
“Not only that, in the 2024 elections, candidates were hard to find. They (Awami League) staged the election using dummy candidates,” he added.
Mujibur also said the Jamaat-e-Islami’s leadership must continue their work with greater dedication and sacrifice for the welfare of religion and country.
He affirmed the party’s commitment to fighting for fair elections.
Referring to last year’s student protest, he said that in the 2024 movement, they heard students chanting ‘We want justice.’ Similarly, the Jamaat-e-Islami is working to establish justice, he added.
Mujibur said: “From 1971 to 2024, we saw ideologies like nationalism, socialism and capitalism. None of these brought peace. We believe that only the laws of the Quran can ensure peace in both this life and the hereafter.”
