Chaos going on in country over PR system of elections: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has commented that there is a chaos going on in Bangladesh over the demand for PR (proportional representation) system of elections.

The BNP secretary general made the comment at marking the ‘July Uprising: Expectation and Achievement’ at the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday. Zia Parishad organised the discussion, marking the first anniversary of last year’s mass uprising.

Mirza Fakhrul said, “There is a mess going on in Bangladesh right now. Some people and some political parties have started talking about different things. For example, they are saying very forcefully and loudly about proportional representation elections. But our common people do not understand about this. They (the people) know that the party will nominate a candidate, they will vote and elect”.

He also criticised those who think reforms can happen overnight or just through a few meetings. “Reform must be carried out through a process. It is a continuous process,” he said.

The BNP leader said if the government thinks the police will stop taking bribes from tomorrow just because it wants them to, it will not happen. “You have to build a structure where bribery is discouraged.”

Fakhrul also blamed the existing bureaucracy for holding back the country’s development.

“Our bureaucracy is a major obstacle to development. It is a negative bureaucracy and must be turned into a positive one. To do that, we mainly need to involve the people in the process,” he said.