Nation must move away from PR system: Fakhrul
“Some parties are obsessed with the PR system and have even said they won’t participate in the election unless it is adopted,” Fakhrul said
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has criticised the push for introducing proportional representation (PR) in parliamentary elections, arguing that the concept is unfamiliar to Bangladesh's political culture and not well understood by the general public.
"We need to move away from the PR mindset. Our people don't understand it," he said while speaking at a memorial for former Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal president Shafiul Bari Babu at the National Press Club today (29 July).
His remarks come amid ongoing debates on electoral reforms, including proposals for a bicameral legislature and proportional representation, discussed by Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP and other Islamic parties and the National Consensus Commission (NCC).
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"Some parties are obsessed with the PR system and have even said they won't participate in the election unless it is adopted," Fakhrul said.
He acknowledged that all parties recently agreed on 12 core issues for reform, and thanked NCC Vice Chairman Ali Riaz for facilitating consensus.
"We are not afraid of reforms. The idea of reform started with us," he said, countering criticism that the BNP resists structural change.
Referring to the discussions with BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, he urged the authorities to "finish the reforms without delay and return voting rights to the people."
Fakhrul also reiterated demands for the announcement of the national charter.
Highlighting the cost of political repression, Fakhrul noted that nearly 1,700 BNP leaders and activists have been disappeared, with thousands more killed or imprisoned.
"What is the value of the lives lost in July? Nearly 2,000 people died. What is the price of their sacrifice?" he asked.
Other speakers at the memorial include BNP Vice Chairman Asaduzzaman Ripon, chairperson's adviser Amanullah Aman, and former student leader Fazlul Haque Milon. The event was organised by the Shafiul Bari Babu Smriti Sangsad and presided over by BNP Joint Secretary General Habib-Un-Nabi Khan Sohail.
