Stating that the low presence of voters in the recent city polls is an “ominous sign” for the nation, Jatiya Oikyafront convener Dr Kamal Hossain today said the two mayors-elect of Dhaka north and south city corporations were not elected by majority of the voters.

Talking to reporters after a steering committee meeting of the alliance at his Motijheel chamber, the veteran politician also alleged that the government has destroyed the entire election process with its “irresponsible and anti-constitutional acts”.

“They [two mayors-elect] can’t be called mayors elected with majority people’s votes,” he said in reply to a question.

In a written statement, Dr Kamal, also the president of Gonoforum, said the country’s people, including the young generation, have expressed their “no-confidence” in the government, the Election Commission and the election process in the recently-held Dhaka city polls.

“The mayors-elect got the verdict of only 5-7 percent people. The remaining results are made through fake votes cast through EVMs,” he observed.

The Oikyafront chief also said democracy in the country, the rule of law and electoral system have been destroyed by the AL government which does not want voters to go to polling stations. “They intimidate the voters."

He said people did not go to polling stations as they think this government would not be changed with their votes. "It’s an ominous sign both for the country and the nation.”

Dr Kamal also said people are losing interest in voting as an awful situation has been created in the country due to the government’s unconstitutional acts. “The country can’t be run this way. We must bring a change together with people.”

He said the people of Bangladesh never accepted autocracy and they will not do it now either as they are very conscious.

Replying to a question about the inaction of Jatiya Oikyafront leaders, he said they do politics depending on people who are the sources of power. “We’ll do whatever necessary to encourage people. We’ll of course hold rallies, meetings and take out processions, if necessary, to bring a change together with people.”

The Oikyafront chief also said the country’s people achieved their targets and brought positive changes in the past with united efforts. “There’ll be no exception to that this time, too.”

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president ASM Abdur Rob, BNP standing committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Gonoforum executive president Subrata Chowdhury, presidium member Mohsen Rashid and Gonoshasthya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury were, among others, present.

Awami League candidates Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam were elected mayors of Dhaka south and north city corporations respectively in the elections held on Saturday.

Dr Kamal Hossain, president emeritus of Gonoforum, has proposed the interim government to establish a commission to address the challenges of the Non-Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) community.

The commission will be given a mandate to address the challenges and explore new opportunities by engaging meaningfully with the diaspora community, Dr Kamal said in a letter dated September 4.

Addressing the Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, he wrote, "I am very pleased and encouraged by the steps you are taking to address the urgent political and economic issues affecting the country…"

While proposing the establishment of the commission, he wrote that it could explore how non-resident men and women, particularly young people of Bangladeshi heritage worldwide, can participate and contribute more to the country's development.

"I sincerely hope you will consider this proposal sympathetically and act at your convenience," Dr Kamal wrote in the letter.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said a group of political parties joined hands with the BNP-Jamaat alliance to try to oust her government and push the country into an era of darkness again.

"Mr Manna, Dr Kamal Hossain, Communist Party, left leaning parties are now tagged with BNP-Jamaat alliance for forging a movement to oust the Awami League government," she said.

Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League, was speaking at the opening of a weeklong programme marking the golden jubilee of Bangladesh Krishak League's founding anniversary.

The programme was held at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh while the prime minister joined it virtually.

"What is their motive behind wanting to oust the government?" – she asked. "(It is just) to deprive the people from all the facilities that are being given by the government," she said.

She said that there are some political leaders in the country who never stand by the people during any crisis, but are busy talking about movements to oust the Awami League government.

"What is Awami League government's fault? Why do they want to oust it?" she wondered.

Hasina said people voted Awami League to power in 2008 national polls in support of the party's election manifesto. 

"In that manifesto we had declared Vision 2021. I am expressing my gratitude towards the people of the country for electing us repeatedly," she said.

She also said that the government has attained the targets declared in the party's election manifestoes.

"We have promoted our country from least developed to developing, while we were celebrating the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of our independence," she said.

Referring to her critics, she again wondered why they don't like Bangladesh's graduation to a developing country.

She said that the government has taken steps to change the fate of all people, including those in the grassroots.

The PM said that the government has given importance on the research on agriculture so that the country gets more positive results in food production along with other related issues.

Bangladesh Krishak League President Samir Chandra and former presidents of Krishak League Dr Mirza Abdul Jalil and Motahar Hossain Molla, former Krishak League general secretaries Mizanur Rahman and Harun Or Rashid Hawladar and current secretary Umme Kulsum also spoke at the programme.

A video documentary on Krishak League was screened at the programme.

The prime minister also unveiled 'Krishak Kantha', a publication of Krishak League.

For some time now, we have observed our head of government, politicians, and high-ranking officials often favouring foreign media outlets for interviews instead of engaging with national media. As a result, Bangladeshi citizens are often forced to rely on international sources for information that should be readily available domestically. This practice, we believe, should change as we work toward building a new and different kind of Bangladesh.

Continuing this trend, Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman recently gave an interview to Reuters, where he stated that he fully supports the interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, in its mission to implement key reforms following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This is encouraging news, as the country is clearly in desperate need of reforms that can hopefully prevent the brutal authoritarianism of the former government from being repeated. However, the army chief also mentioned that he believes these reforms should lead to elections within the next 18 months.

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Army chief’s remark on democratic transition: Political parties give cautious, mixed reaction

Previously, politicians, advisers to the interim government, and others have spoken about the need for reforms before elections are held, but no specific timeframe was proposed by anyone in the government until now. This, of course, raises the question whether the government will face any limitations regarding how much time they will be given to implement these reforms.

Given the questions that could arise as a result of the army chief's statement, we must ask, wouldn't it have been more appropriate for the chief adviser himself to address the issue of the interim government's timeframe? Since the government has not officially announced a specific timeline, the army chief's remarks could create confusion. In light of this, we believe that such a statement should have been avoided until the chief adviser directly addressed the matter.

The army chief also proposed placing the defence ministry under the office of the president. We assume he suggested this since politicians have previously tried to use the army for political reasons, a practice that, as he himself admitted, risks politicising the defence force. Such politicisation can only harm the professionalism of the army as well as our national interests. Therefore, we fully agree with him that the army must remain a professional force, free of political influence. We believe the same must be done with the DGFI, which has also been subject to political misuse. Another encouraging statement by the army chief was his commitment to ensuring that any army personnel found guilty of human rights violations would be held accountable. This would help ensure that our army remains a force the people can trust and respect.

Finally, we commend the army for supporting the interim government and for preventing further bloodshed during the final days of the brutal Hasina-led government. This really proved its pro-people stance, for which it deserves our appreciation. We hope that the army will always stand by the people of Bangladesh and safeguard our national interests, and never be used as a political weapon under any circumstances.