Gana Forum president and eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain on Friday alleged that Awami League president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was hatching a conspiracy to hold what he called a “stage-managed election” for petty political interests.
“Forming the all-party Cabinet is the first episode in holding the stage-managed election,” he said, while addressing his party’s extended meeting at the auditorium of the Institution of Engineers in the city. Lambasting the former military ruler and Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad for his past misdeeds, Dr Kamal Hossain said those who were earlier against democracy are now talking about parliamentary democracy, which is very unfortunate. Referring to General Ershad, the Gono Forum president said Awami League president Sheikh Hasina has joined hands with those who had opened fire on protesters
who had staged demonstrations for saving democracy in the country. “Isn’t this a drama?” Kamal asked rhetorically. Criticising the Prime Minister strongly for misinterpreting the Constitution, the eminent jurist said sarcastically, “No one knows the Constitution better than her (Hasina). Whatever she says, that is the Constitution.”
He also came down heavily on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for making preparations to hold the next general elections under her own management. “Holding general elections under anyone’s supervision was rejected in 1990, 1996 and 2007,” he said, adding that if Sheikh Hasina wanted to hold such elections in the country again, the consequences would not be good.
He said the people of the country want that the next general elections to be held under the supervision of a non-party election-time government. This is not only the demand of the main Opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), but also the demand of the common people of the country, he added.
The Gono Forum chief also alleged that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was continuously misguiding the people, stating that there is a court order that the general elections should not be held under the caretaker government (CG) system. But the court verdict also says that two more terms of general polls can be held under the CG system, he pointed out.
There is no confusion that the people of the country want a free, fair, credible and inclusive election and there is also no doubt that a non-partisan poll-time administration is a must to make the next general elections free, fair, credible and acceptable to all, he added.
Referring to foreign intervention in the country’s internal affairs, the senior politician said if their intervention is about upholding any country’s democracy, such interference should be welcomed.
Gono Forum leaders, who came from different districts across the country to attend the party’s extended meeting, opined that they should not join what they said were ‘one-sided elections’, to be held by January 24. They also vowed to resist the Awami League-led government’s move to hold such lopsided elections in the country at any cost.Gono Forum leaders Abdur Rouf, Mofizul Islam Khan Kamal, SM Altaf Hossain, Mostafa Mohsin Montu and others also spoke at the meeting.
Courtesy of The Independent
