People live in fear as those in power attempt to delay elections for their own benefit. Who are you to say elections should not be held? Democracy allows everyone to speak. Dictatorship will not be tolerated in this country, says GM Quader.
Jatiya Party Chairman Golam Mohammed (GM) Quader has warned that any election conducted without the participation of the Bangladesh Awami League would lack legitimacy.
Speaking as the chief guest at a views exchange meeting of the Jatiya Party’s Dhaka District branch at the party’s central office auditorium on Wednesday, Quader drew parallels between the current political situation and the Awami League’s previous decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami. “When the Awami League banned Jamaat-e-Islami from politics, I protested it. Similarly, an election excluding the Awami League will not be acceptable,” he said.
Quader also criticized the government for filing numerous alleged false cases, including murder charges, against him and other party leaders and activists in connection with the July unrest. He questioned why those detained under these cases have not been granted bail, despite acknowledgment from legal advisers and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) that many of the cases are fabricated.
“The principle of law is to save one innocent person even if ten guilty go free. Yet, today, to punish one guilty individual, ten innocent people are being punished,” Quader said. He added that acts such as burning homes and offices, filing cases, and harassment would not suppress the party’s voice. “We continue to oppose the government’s misdeeds and speak on behalf of the people, even at risk,” he added.
Highlighting public discontent, Quader said, “People live in fear while those in power attempt to delay elections for their own benefit. Who are you to say elections should not be held? Democracy allows everyone to speak. Dictatorship will not be tolerated in this country.”
Addressing restrictions on his political activities, Quader said, “The current government is now doing the same through legal loopholes. Despite these challenges, I was elected chairman in a conference attended by domestic politicians and foreign diplomats, with constitutional authority to appoint and remove officials as needed.”
Quader further criticized the government’s treatment of his party, saying, “The Awami League is often called autocratic. If the current government behaves the same way, what do you call it? Our party has been blackmailed over our symbol, and the same tactics have resumed. In the eyes of the people, we are now the oppressed.”
The meeting was presided over by Jatiya Party Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary. Other speakers included Presidium members Md. Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan, Iqbal Hossain, and Chairman’s Adviser Md. Khalilur Rahman Khalil.
