Investment, daily life stalled as nation awaits election: Khasru

BNP senior leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said investment, business activities and even personal and family decisions across the country have come to a standstill as people are waiting for the national election.

“People now want emancipation form the current situation through the election. All decisions have been postponed — whether it is about investment, business, or family matters. Everyone is saying, Let the election happen first, then we’ll decide. Everything is on hold,” he said.

The BNP leader made the remarks while speaking at the launch of a book titled ‘Visionary Recommendations for Building an Advanced Nation of the Future’ at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).

The event was organised by the book’s author and publisher, Dr Mohammad Faiz Uddin MBE, a former senior official in the UK public service and local government. The event was chaired by 'The Finance Today's Executive Editor Shahin Abdul Bari.

Khasru, a BNP Standing Committee member, alleged that a certain group is trying to delay the election despite people’s strong desire to vote.

“Those who are working to delay the election are actually against democracy. Can we really believe they stand for democratic values?” he said.

On the issue of the proposed referendum, Khasru said, “The current interim government has taken oath under the existing Constitution, which does not allow a referendum before or on the Election Day. Still, BNP has agreed, out of political tolerance, to consider a referendum on the Election Day for the sake of harmony and mutual respect.”

He said BNP agreed to the idea of holding the referendum on the election day as a gesture of political tolerance. “We have shown flexibility so that mutual respect is maintained and the country does not fall into chaos.”

Khasru said the BNP has already completed much of the groundwork for reforms in key sectors, including administration, policing and governance, to ensure that, if the party receives a mandate to form the government, it can begin implementing its plans from day one.

“In Bangladesh, after forming a government, months or even years pass before decisions are made. This time, we are preparing everything in advance so that if Allah gives us the opportunity to serve the nation, we can take action from the first day,” he said.

Khasru said people’s expectations are now very high and their patience is running low. “After so many years of misrule, people expect immediate solutions once this regime ends. To meet these expectations, we must be fully prepared from now on so that people do not lose hope.”

He also discussed BNP’s long-standing proposal for a bicameral legislature, which was first outlined in its Vision 2030 document eight years ago and later reaffirmed by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in the party’s 31-point reform plan.

“Now, many are talking about the bicameral system as if it is a new idea. But it was BNP that proposed it first, years ago. Others are only now realising its importance,” the BNP leader said.

Khasru criticised those trying to impose their own ideas on others under the guise of forming consensus.

“True democracy means respecting differences and reaching agreements through people’s mandate, not by forcing others to accept one’s views. Decisions about how the country will run must come from the people, not a small group in Dhaka," he stated 

UK-based expatriate, academic Dr. Mohammad Faiz Uddin MBE, is also a human rights organizer, columnist, international researcher, political analyst and the chairman of New Hope Global, based in Birmingham, UK.

BNP Chairperson's Advisor Mohammad Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Executive Committee Publicity Secretary Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, and Nationalist Youth Party's Dhaka Metropolitan South convener Khandaker Enamul Haque, among others were present at the event.