ZCZC
BSS-24
PM-PRESS
PM welcomes new political platform ahead of election
DHAKA, Sept 2, 2018 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today welcomed the
emergence of a political alliance ahead of the upcoming elections expecting
it to be contested by all political parties.
“I welcome their unity as opponents of Awami League should have a strong platform,”
she told a press conference referring to the newly formed grouping under the leadership of Dr
Badrudowza Chowdhury, Dr Kamal Hossain and others.
Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, added that her party
“wants a good opposition alliance so that we can contest in the election”.
The premier said the top figures of the new alliance in the past hatched
designs against incumbent government but “yet we welcome their initiative”
against backdrop of the country’s two-party system.
“We (however) want that their unity will not be aimed to foil the election,
but jointly contest in the polls,” she said.
The press conference was held at the premier’s Gonobhabna residence a day
after her return from Nepal attending the 4th BIMSTEC Summit while the issues
of electronic voting machine (EVM), imprisonment BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia
and Rohingyas prominently featured the question-answer session.
Sheikh Hasina favoured limited use” of EVM in the next general elections as
the system still required more experiments before its nationwide introduction
for voting.
But, she said, BNP was entirely opposed to the EVM use as it would bury
scopes to stuff ballot boxed with false ballot papers as per their design.
Sheikh Hasina said political parties, which were habituated in manipulating
votes now appeared loud against polls rigging.
“The next elections undoubtedly will be free and fair as we don’t do
politics to snatch peoples voting rights . . . we will retain power if people
give us vote, otherwise not (and) I’m saying this from my belief,” Sheikh
Hasina said.
The premier said nobody in the country was powerful enough to foil the
election as the process was the only means to take forward the country “and
people now know it well that their development is possible under the
democratic system alone”.
She, however, said conspiracy appeared to be a phenomenon in Bangladesh
where Father of the Nation was killed and “repeated attempts are being made
on my life as well”.
Sheikh Hasina said a vested quarter is always active to push the country to
undemocratic rule. In that case they get importance and opportunity to enjoy
a slice of the state power.
She said this quarter launched a campaign to foil the 2014 general
elections as a number of candidates were elected unopposed.
But she recalled that one of the proponents of that campaign Dr. Kamal
Hossain himself was elected unopposed from a constituency which was left by
Bangabandhu.
Replying to a question the prime minister said she agreed with a an opinion
which demands the conspirators of Bangabandhu killing be exposed to trial
along with the killers.
She said many studies and researches were carried out abroad on the August
15 carnage and came out with untold findings and one day the reports of the
researches would be revealed.
MORE/AKH/AR/1933 hrs