The interim government will bar the Awami League and the like-minded parties from participating in political activities, said the chief adviser’s office yesterday.
“Those who had taken part in the last three elections and come to parliament illegally deceived the people, and the interim government will of course put obstacles to their political participation,” said Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to the chief adviser.
“You will see how these barriers will come into effect. It has a legal aspect and it has an administrative aspect — you will see it soon. These things will become clearer when the election process starts.”
Mahfuj was briefing journalists after talks with 10 political parties.
On a query about the possibility of banning the AL and its allies, he said this will be decided upon discussions with different political parties.
“The government will not take the decision unilaterally.”
At the dialogue with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, some parties yesterday demanded banning the AL and its allies or at least keeping them from taking part in the next national election.
Jatiya Party and other AL allies have not been invited to the talks.
Mahfuj said the government is not inviting the AL’s allies as those parties provided “silent support and participated in the illegal elections”.
“The interim government has made it clear that those parties were allies of fascism and consented to genocide — they took a stance directly against the people. Similar views were expressed by the political parties.”
About constituting the Election Commission, he said the government will soon form a search committee to appoint a new chief election commissioner and other election commissioners.
Discussions on election-related issues including voter list preparation will go on in parallel with the work of the reform commissions.
During the dialogue with 10 political parties yesterday, the issues of election, reforms, AL’s financial crimes and the trial of those who enabled the mass killings in July and August were discussed, said Mahfuj, who was present at the meetings.
At the talks, the chief adviser assured the parties of fair prices of essentials, improvement in law and order and stability in the garment sector.
Also at the briefing, Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser, said the government is investigating how the AL leaders and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina managed to flee the country.
There was no government from August 5 to 8, and the police were on strike for about a week. As a result, many AL leaders have managed to flee.
“We tried our best to arrest them. We are still trying to arrest those who are in Bangladesh and involved in the genocide.”
Asked about the investigation into those who assisted Hasina to flee, he said the probe is ongoing.
About the exclusion of controversial advisers and expansion of the advisory council, Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary, said: “Such proposals have been received from several political parties. The chief adviser carefully listened to the advice of the political parties. He will inform everyone in this regard following certain procedures.”
Meanwhile, during their dialogue with Yunus, political parties also pressed the government to hold the next national election very soon after completing the ongoing reform works.
They demanded the interim government control the price hike of essentials and law and order.
Leaders of Gonoforum, Liberal Democratic Party, Jatiya Mukti Council, Jatiya Gonofront, 12 Party Alliance, Ganatantrik Bam Oikya, Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), Bangladesh Labour Party and Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal held talks with Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna.
Yunus’s series of dialogues with political parties started with a nine-member delegation of the Gonoforum led by the party’s Emeritus President Dr Kamal Hossain.
“We want the election to be held very soon after the completion of reforms. But we didn’t mention any time frame,” said Mostafa Mohsin Montu, chairman of the Gonoforum’s coordination team, after the meeting.
If the next national election is held before completion of reforms, things will return to square one, he said.
Montu said they also urged the interim government to take steps to control the price hikes.
Oli Ahmed, president of the Liberal Democratic Party, demanded that the interim government ban the AL for fighting against the country’s people in July-August.
“They illegally used the police [against the people]. They killed and injured 1,500 people. Awami League will have to be banned as it “fought a war against the country’s 18 crore people,” Ahmed told reporters after the meeting.
AL also turned Bangladesh into a hotbed of corruption, he added.
Andaleeve Rahman, chairman of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), said actions should be taken against the AL and its 14 party alliance members.
“Whether the Awami League will be banned through an executive order or an order from the High Court is a different matter, but the process should begin,” he said.
Terming the country’s current constitution undemocratic, Jatiya Mukti Council Secretary Faizul Hakim demanded the enactment of a new constitution.
He also said that Hasina should be repatriated from India and put on trial.
“Sitting in India, the Awami League president is hatching conspiracies. This has to be stopped.”
He demanded dismantling of market syndicates that are behind the price spirals.
He also called for a ration system in the country, adequate wages in the readymade garment sector and reopening of 25 sugar mills.
The recent statements on Bangabandhu and March 7 by some government high-ups have created controversy and the people did not accept those, said Sharif Nurul Ambia, president of Bangladesh Jasod.
“There is no logic in putting the blame on Bangabandhu for the mistakes of Hasina’s former government. So, we think the statements should be corrected,” he said.
The advisory council must be reformed before reforms are carried out elsewhere, said Mostafizur Rahman Iran, president of the Labour Party.
The two advisers representing students are doing well, but most of the others have “failed”.
“That is why the unsuccessful advisers should be removed from the advisory council.”
He also demanded arrests and punishment of the top Jatiya Party leaders for enabling the fascist government.
The AL and its 14 party alliance members and the JP are yet to be invited to the dialogue with Yunus.
On October 5, leaders of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Left Democratic Alliance and six parties from the Ganatantra Mancha held dialogues with Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna.
Daily Star
