Election Under Neutral Govt, National Govt. After Election, Tarique

Mohammad Zainal Abedin:

In a fiery speech Tarique Rahman, the Acting Chairman of BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) while addressing a huge discussion meeting in London on March 28, 2022, on the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh Independence, clearly declared that the next general election must be held under a neutral government. He said, after the election a national government will be formed comprising the pro-independent, patriotic, and democratic parties.

Tarique Rahman, the Chief Guest of the meeting questioned whether the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh are safe, in his language, under the midnight government led by AL (Awami League) chief Sheikh Hasina.

The meeting was connected via zoom to millions of BNP leaders and supporters, including common Bangladeshis living all over the world.

MA Malik, the BNP President of UK (United Kingdom) chaired the meeting while its General Secretary Kaysar M Ahmed conducted it. Among others, BNP National Standing Committee member Iqbal Mahmud Tuku, ex-MP Zahiruddin Swapan, International Affairs Secretary M.A. Malik, and other prominent leaders and activists of BNP and its front organizations addressed the meeting.

Tarique Rahman said, if we summarize the speeches of all the speakers who spoke before me clearly indicate that we are really passing through a gloomy and uncertain time.

Disclosing how the Sheikh Hasina government conceals the real history, Tarique Rahman said, this midnight government did not allow any genuine freedom fighters to attend those meetings that it organized for the last one year fearing they might disclose the truth.

If they were allowed to speak, they could make it clear why and for what purpose dialogue was prolonged from March 7 up to March 27?  Why a general strike was declared on the 25th of March of 1971.

Tarique Rahman said the government wants to keep the bitter history hidden that surfaced a question how secured and safe our independence and sovereignty are just at this moment on March 27 under this illegal midnight AL government.

If we look back at the days of 1971 or post 1971, we could see how the party of this midnight government, snatched away the basic rights of the people, their freedom of speech, freedom of press and voting rights. People frustrated their illegal efforts in 1975. But the same defeated evil force on November 7 of 1975 tried to regain power, who were again defeated jointly by the patriotic sepoy-people.

The same defeated evil cliques of November 1975, occupied power in 2007 applying tricks and cheating, and muscle power. Later this evil force under the name of ‘mohajot’ (grand alliance) turned to an alliance, which formed the midnight government.

He said, we see identical similarities between the pre-75 AL government and the current midnight illegal government. That government tried to cling to power using force, denying people’s fundamental rights, freedom of speech and press, voting rights, kidnapping, and killing the opponents. Tarique Rahman remembered Siraj Shikdar, who was killed during the Mujib regime. He also mentioned how Rakkhi Bahini torture and killed innumerable opposition and dissent activists.

He said, it is known to all that this illegal midnight government during the last three years (2019-2021) kidnapped 600. It remains secret how many thousands of people were exactly killed, which will surely come to light when people’s government will be replaced by patriotic forces.

Doing this the names of our police, RAB and Army are recorded in the list, which is virtually reserved for internationally infamous terrorists and mafias.

Judiciary: Expressing deep anguish, Tarique Rahman said this midnight illegal government ruined all sectors, all institutions to serve its party interest, to cling to power, and to remain in power. These institutions earlier served the people, worked to lead the country forward. But they were destroyed by the Sheikh Hasina government. One of such institutions is the judiciary, the last resort of the people.

He said, generally when the people of a country fall under the rage of an illegal government or a tyrant, judiciary becomes their safe shelter. These are the characteristics of a civilized country or society.

But if we look at the judiciary of our beloved country for which millions of people sacrificed their lives and millions of our mothers and sisters lost their dignity and modesty, we see the Magistrate Court, High Court, Supreme Court became the courts of AL, turned to the Law Ministry of AL. Courts preach not the message of justice, but the message of the government. The judiciary performs simply a duty establishing untrue to true applying black laws. As a result, the judiciary lost its credibility and acceptability. People have no trust in it.

Tarique Rahman regretfully said, when millions of the BNP leaders and supporters were the victims of injustice, illegally arrested, tortured, kidnapped, or killed we staged protest around the country and went to the people. When Begum Zia was falsely imprisoned, we also did the same. But many people not only remained mum, rather joked saying it was natural for the BNP to protest and speak against the judiciary. Thus we were the victims of injustice.

“The bitter reality is that our allegation proved hundred percent true what we were telling for years that the Judicial Department turned to an allied organization of AL” Tarique Rahman recalled.

To justify his comment Tarique Rahman narrated the agony of Jamal Uddin, the ill-fated father of Priti, a student of Begum Badrunessa University College. Somebody brutally killed (on March 24, 2022) her.  But her father did not lodge any case centering the murder of his daughter.

Tarique Rahman said when Jamal Uddin was questioned why he did not seek justice for the murder of his daughter, this non-political common man countered asking, “To whom should I seek for justice? There is no justice in the court, other than protecting AL’s interest suiting its policy. “Thus, the court turned to the AL Court,” he remarked.

Acting Chairman of BNP said, Priti’s father’s opinion made it clear that people of Bangladesh do not have any faith on judiciary.  Jamal Uddin is not involved with BNP. He is a common person of Bangladesh. But through his comment the real position of the judiciary of the country ventilated.

Tarique Rahman there is no justice in Bangladesh now. Justice is reserved only for AL. Common people do not have justice. Was it the hopes and aspirations of our freedom fighters? No, it was not the hopes and aspirations of our freedom fighters, he added.

He said the erosion of judiciary started when Justice Khairul Haq, a stain on the judiciary, deleted the system of Caretaker government from the Constitution. Tarique Rahman said it was learnt that Khairul Haq is going to appointed as the Bangladesh Ambassador to UK as a reward for deleting the provision of caretaker government from the constitution.

Pointing to the horrible situation of the judiciary Tarique Rahman said, recently another new justice was appointed. He was awarded a reception in Kushtia, where the Law Minister of the midnight government informed him that he was going to be appointed soon as the Chief Justice of Bangladesh Supreme Court.

To justify whether the information provided by the Law Minister was true, the said justice requested Mohammad Hanif of AL to enquire about it.

Tarique Rahman informed constitutionally the President appoints the Chief Justice, but now it is discussed in the AL circle. Tarique Rahman said, it is easily understandable to what extent the position of judiciary degraded.

 If the judiciary goes under the paw of a tyrant, the people lose their right to take shelter to court for justice and suitability.  Judiciary, for this reason, remains independent in all civilizations and societies, he opined. But it is dearth only in Bangladesh. He said, today the courts do not preach the message of justice, rather acts as an organ of the illegal government.

They blamed that BNP opposed the government for political purposes, It is bitter to say what we were saying for years now became true, Tarique Rahman remembered.

“What BNP alleged earlier,” he continued, “Proved hundred percent true now.”

Tarique Rahman said, if we think about those millions of people who sacrificed their lives and our mothers and sisters lost their dignity and modesty to liberate and save this country, they never thought of such a country where there is no democracy or justice. “Everyone now feels the bite of injustice,” he opined.

DUDOCK

Tarique Rahman informed his viewers how several independent institutions of Bangladesh, like judiciary, had decayed and ruined over the years. To justify his comment BNP’s Acting Chairman quoted the Chairman of Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission, which is briefly called DUDOCK in Bengali.  DUDOCK though is an autonomous body, it cannot function independently due to government intervention and control.  To express their helplessness and limitation, the concerned officials termed DUDOCK as ‘toothless tiger’.

Recently DUDOCK prepared a report, part of which was leaked by a daily of Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman quoting the DUDOCK report informed his audiences as saying, different sectors of Bangladesh are being ruined.

The report informed that due to the corruption of some very capacious and avaricious persons several institutions are collapsing. It means DUDOCK cannot take proper action against the corrupt mafias belonging to the ruling party.

To justify it Tarique Rahman referred to the conversation between a sitting minister and an advisor of Sheikh Hasina. They were talking about how to release a file from WASA in favor of a project owned by a member of the ruling (mafia) family taking help of a judge of the High Court. Tarique Rahman needed not to name that particular person, the audiences themselves instantly and loudly mentioned his name, who is a member of PM’s family.

But this ‘toothless tiger’; i.e.  DUDOCK failed to take any action against such an open advocacy of corruption, or its beneficiary, Tarique Rahman, was surprised.

To justify the volume of corruption, the BNP Acting Chairman questioned why a plane from Dhaka went to Canada (on March 27)? Who were those passengers and what they carried with them? How much public money was smuggled to Canada? How much public money was spent during such a pleasure trip? Those heavyweights knew all those were people’s money, still, they did not hesitate to misuse that money for their personal pleasure and expenditure.

When they were busy in Canada misusing people’s money, how the people were leading inhuman life inside the country, Tarique Rahman questioned. Expressing his deep shock he said, “Simply a photo, a photo, is enough to imagine their position, which shows people running behind the trucks for a little rice, oil, and other commodities. “This is the real picture of the whole Bangladesh,” Tarique Rahman opined with grief.

He said the freedom fighters did not dream to see such a picture (the horrible situation of current Bangladesh).  People are to be taken out of such a disarray situation, which was not within their dream, hope and aspiration, he added.   Arrangements are to be made to provide them house, job, business, and looting is to be stopped, he vowed.

Giving a clarion call to BNP leaders and workers, Tarique Rahman said, people of Bangladesh today are looking at you who love Shahid Zia and Begum Zia.

Alliance

Regarding a probable alliance Tarique Rahman said, people of Bangladesh are now divided into two camps. Out of these two, one is comprised of pro-independent and pro-democratic people along with BNP and other parties that believe in identical ideologies. The other camp consists of midnight illegal mafia government and its accomplices including looters, kidnappers, killers.

Tarique Rahman said, you have seen in the media that our leaders had dialogue with several pro-democratic political parties and groups to create national unity, strengthen unity.

There may be differences of opinion among some of us. Some of them said they want a national election under a national government. There are such people who in 1971 participated in our liberation risking their lives. I will urge them that time has come to stand in favor of the people, to stand for democracy.

“Today on behalf of BNP I want to clearly say those who believe in the independence of Bangladesh, sovereignty of Bangladesh, those who believe in the freedom of the Bangladeshi people, freedom of press, freedom of voting, believe in this universal ideology — I will cast my vote to whomever I choose to vote,” Tarique Rahman briefed at a stretch.

BNP Chairman opined, in Bangladesh there are some people, some political parties who look for chance and opportunity. This mafia party (AL) is alluring them – “Come to us, participate in the election, we will accommodate you in the opposition bench,” Tarique Rahman predicted. He said, those who will take this decision, they can be over-sure, so long they will remain alive they will be neglected as a lackey of AL.

On the contrary, those who are in favor of democracy, in favor of independence, stand in favor of the people, we want elections to be held under a neutral government, not under a national government.

In the election if BNP is voted to power, ‘Inshallah’ (if Allah desires) a national government will be formed comprising all those pro-independent pro-democratic parties whether they have representation in the national assembly or not. Those who will stand on the same platform will form a national government comprising all of them.  Because I believe, our senior leaders believe the heaps of problems, troubles and complications, which the current midnight mafia government will leave behind will have to be removed under such a national government having representation from a cross-section of people including politicians, civil societies, academics, etc.

To get this type of a national government we will have to complete some prerequisites. We need to unify people to wage a movement to implement our demand of a neutral government to hold free and fair elections. Concluding the Golden Jubilee of our great independence and we are stepping to Diamond Jubilee I will urge all levels of BNP leaders and workers around the world, let us build such a country where people can create their own government, which can  fulfill the hopes and aspiration of the people for which people are impatiently looking at the BNP leaders, activists.

Let us prepare ourselves, unite ourselves to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people, and to build Bangladesh according to their desire. The final word of all the words is —     the settlement will take place in the public street.

The meaning of settling in the street is to develop a fair judiciary in the country, is to change the current enfeeble submissive anti-corruption commission to an effective and workable independent one, to ensure freedom of the people, and establish their voting rights, which broadly mean ‘Take back Bangladesh’.*

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Mohammad Zainal Abedin: A Freedom Fighter of the Bangladesh War of Liberation.

April 14, 2022