Nahid reiterates that elections are ‘not possible’ in the current law and order situation
National Citizens Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam has once again said that elections are ‘not possible’ in the current law and order situation in the country. He said this in an interview with the news agency AFP on Wednesday. It was published today, Friday.
In an interview published by the news agency Reuters on Thursday, Nahid Islam said that the interim government has not yet fully ensured public security and that it will be difficult to organize national elections this year.
However, in a press conference at the party office at Bangla Motor after 4:30 pm today regarding the interview given to Reuters, Nahid Islam said that elections are not possible this year in the current situation – he did not tell Reuters this way. Explaining the matter, he said, ‘I said that holding elections in the current law and order situation in the country, the fragile state of the police, will be much more difficult and the ability of this police administration to conduct a fair election has not been tested for a long time. From that point on, I said that we must definitely improve the country’s police and law and order system before the elections. For that, the government, along with political parties and various social forces, will also have to come forward and cooperate.
Meanwhile, Nahid Islam’s statement was published in an AFP report at around 5:15 pm today. He told AFP that Bangladesh is still facing problems in maintaining law and order after Hasina was ousted. It is not possible to organize elections in such a situation. He also said, “We are often accused of conspiring to delay the elections. But this is not true.”
Nahid Islam is one of the most well-known faces of the mass uprising against Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian rule in July-August last year. He joined the interim government formed after Hasina was ousted. Nahid resigned from the government last week. After that, the new youth party, the NCP, emerged under his leadership.
Nahid Islam commented that political parties lack interest in far-reaching reforms in Bangladesh. “They are not even interested in the reforms for which the youth have sacrificed their lives,” he said. “We have an obligation to implement the promises we made during the mass uprising and afterwards. That is why we decided to form a political party.”
Nahid Islam believes that even if he and his party leaders cannot form the next government, they have started a political force that will remain influential for decades to come. “Nobody knew that there would be a coup. But it did. I sincerely hope and believe that we are going to win this time. But this election is not the end of the world… Our aim is to sustain this force for another 50 or 100 or more years.”
The NCP has been at loggerheads with the BNP over when the next national election will be held. The BNP’s argument is that elections should be held as soon as possible to bring a government with the people’s mandate to power.
The NCP has kept its party open to people of all ideologies, including those who embrace the spirit of the July uprising. However, since its formation last month, some internal issues have been a source of discussion. After the party was formed, a person working on gay rights was removed from the NCP committee in the face of demands from the right wing.
Nahid Islam said, “We believe in inclusiveness. However, there are certain limitations due to religious and cultural norms.” Stating that the NCP still has admirable diversity, Nahid Islam said, “We have brought women to the fore (in the party) and included representatives of all castes and religions. We will try to ensure that all citizens enjoy their rights.”
