People’s fate cannot be played with: Salahuddin

 BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said the state is not a toy and that it is never acceptable to toy with the fate of the people.

He made the remarks on Saturday at a discussion organised at the Engineers Institution in Ramna on the occasion of the 36th founding anniversary of the National Democratic Party (NDP). The theme of the discussion was “Establishing national consensus after mass uprising, steps for democratic transition through free and fair elections”.

Salahuddin said there is no right to change Bangladesh’s constitution outside any legal, legitimate, and constitutional process. Any unlawful attempt would create repeated demands for change in the future.

“The state is not a child’s play. We cannot toy with the fate of 180 million people. This country must be run in accordance with rules. No political party’s agenda can be allowed to prevail. The people’s interest is final, the people’s will is final. The sovereign people of this country are the ultimate decision-makers,” he said.

He added that on the day of the election, a referendum could allow the people to say yes or no regarding the much-debated July Charter and proportional representation system. “If the people say yes, the elected parliament must lawfully implement it. The constitution is not like water on a taro leaf that can be altered at whim.”

Warning against proportional representation, he said PR means “permanent restlessness”, leading to instability as seen in Nepal and elsewhere. Bangladesh, he argued, does not want such a situation where governments cannot be formed by simple majority.

He urged those ignoring national interests for personal gain to “return to the right path and not mislead the people”.

The meeting was chaired by NDP President Abdullah Al Harun and conducted by Secretary General Jamil Ahmed. Leaders from other parties including Fariduzzaman Farhad (NPP), Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa, ATM Golam Maula Chowdhury, Syed Nurul Islam, Rashed Khan, Khokon Chandra Das, Tarikul Islam, Abdul Barek, and Awlad Hossain also addressed the discussion.