BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed expressed concern that Bangladesh is caught up in the politics of proportional representation (PR), while the more pressing issue of democratic stability is being ignored.
“We haven’t even taught people how to press a button on the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine), yet here we are—completely consumed with PR,” he said. “Everyone’s busy figuring out what share of the pie they’ll get through this system. But no one’s thinking about the state of democracy, or whether any party will even secure a majority to form a stable government. What happens if we end up with a hung parliament? What will that mean for the country?”
Salahuddin made these remarks on Saturday afternoon while speaking at a roundtable discussion titled “July Uprising and Rumors in Politics” held at a hotel in Dhaka. The event was hosted by a platform called Bangladesh Center for Strategic Analysis.
During the discussion, Salahuddin did not mince words when he described the Awami League as a threat to national security. Reflecting on the ruling party’s current situation, he said, “By taking refuge in India, the Awami League has proven one thing beyond doubt—they are India’s party. They’ve tried hard to turn Bangladesh into a vassal state of India. And at the very least, they succeeded in securing shelter for themselves.”
Referring to the recent Jamaat-e-Islami rally at Suhrawardy Udyan, Salahuddin responded to public questions about why BNP leaders were not present. “Some people are asking why we didn’t attend,” he said. “But no one invited us! How could we go without an invitation? And even if they had invited us, it’s not guaranteed we would’ve attended. People just want to blame.”
He went on to address criticism about BNP’s alleged resistance to reform. “We’re being blamed for the lack of reform as well,” he said. “But I’ve been saying in the media repeatedly—we proposed reforms two years ago, even before this current government came to power. Back when no one was even whispering about reform, we were putting forward proposals.”
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Salahuddin also criticized attempts to discredit the recent people’s uprising (referring to the July protests), saying, “Those who are tarnishing or undermining the power of public uprisings—what will be the end result? The end result is that we are dishonoring our own history of struggle for democracy.”
He added that the democratic forces in the country are growing more fragmented by the day. “The election date hasn’t even been announced. There’s been no official directive from the Chief Adviser to the Election Commission, as far as I know. And yet, everyone is screaming ‘PR! PR!’ Even today, a rally was held entirely focused on PR.”
In a concluding note, Salahuddin urged all political parties to rise above narrow self-interests. “If we truly want to build an advanced and just Bangladesh—if we’re serious about strengthening democratic institutions—then we need a properly elected political government, and we need it fast,” he said.
Other notable speakers at the roundtable included BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Ziauddin Haider, lawyer Rashna Imam, Dhaka University faculty members Salma Begum and Tanvir Hasan Jewel, and Faizul Hakim, Secretary General of the National Council for Liberation.
