CA’s speech: ‘No mention of election roadmap unacceptable’

Three political parties gave mixed reactions to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus’ speech urging people to have patience and promising a polls roadmap as soon as electoral reforms are carried out.

“It’s unclear to me what he meant by ‘additional time’. It is not a roadmap, rather an open-ended statement, which is unacceptable when it comes to state affairs,” Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, BNP standing committee member, told The Daily Star.

Jamaat-e-Islami, however, opined that the interim government should be given the time it requested for reforms.

“People’s aspirations must be fulfilled by completing sustainable reforms and paving the way for an election. For this reason, the nation must exercise patience,” Jamaat General Secretary Mia Golam Parwar told this newspaper over the phone.

He, however, said the timeline for the reforms should neither be too long nor too short.

“It’s a good sign that he [Prof Yunus] gave a hint about the election. He has spoken about holding the election after carrying out necessary reforms, which align with the nation’s aspirations. Reforms should be done in a way so that a free, fair, and credible election can be held,” said the Jamaat leader.

Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), said setting a timeframe for the electoral system reform and announcing electoral roadmap are very crucial right now as various crises may develop otherwise.

“Our first priority is to reform the electoral system and chart out a roadmap for elections. Regarding other reforms, they [the government] can create a framework and begin preliminary work, if able,” Prince said.

He said other reforms can start only if political parties collectively determine that these are urgent, and it requires certain time.

“Decisions must be finalised based on discussions and agreements with political parties.”

The CPB leader further said the interim government can carry out some reforms in public interest and these must be visible.

“But at this moment, given the rising prices of essentials and the absence of any indication of resolving the people’s crises, discussions on other issues are irrelevant. Such discussions will only be relevant if there are tangible actions and a positive outcome… .”