Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Honorable Central Advisor of Forum of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (FDEB) Professor Mia Golam Porwar said that if elections are not held under the PR system and the legal basis of the July Declaration is not established, fascism will re-emerge in the country. Without the PR system, the people of the country will not accept any other form of election. He made these remarks today, Monday, at 4:30 PM while speaking as the chief guest at the roundtable discussion titled “Election under PR System and the Legal Basis of the July Declaration” organized by the Forum of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (FDEB) at the National Press Club auditorium.
He further said—71% of the country’s people want elections under the PR system. If the July Declaration is not implemented, the sacrifices of students and the masses will go in vain. An election without reforms will again give birth to fascism. Those who want to bring back dictatorship and fascism like during the Awami League era are the ones who demand elections without reforms. Even those who were entrusted with power by the people after the July Revolution are now compromising with fascism. Under the circumstances, to ensure free, fair, neutral, and participatory elections, there is no alternative to the PR system.
The roundtable was presided over by Acting President of Forum of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh Engineer Abdus Sattar Shah, and hosted by its General Secretary Engineer Zainul Abedin. Special guests included Dr. Syed Abdul Aziz, Professor of ZNRF University and distinguished researcher; Assistant Professor at Chittagong Islamic University Engineer Saiful Islam; Vice President of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh Engineer Sheikh Al Amin; Chairman of Weekly Shonar Bangla Md. Rafiqunnabi; FDEB Vice Presidents Engineer Mirza Mizanur Rahman and Engineer Tayebur Rahman Jahangir; and FDEB Joint Secretary General Engineer Md. Abdul Baten, among others.
Also present at the event were Joint Convener of the interim committee of IDEB Engineer Ershadullah; Joint Secretary General of FDEB Engineer Md. Abul Hashem; Engineer Mostafa Kamal; Engineer Abdul Hai; Engineer Mahbubur Rahman; former General Secretary Principal Engineer Abdul Baki; President of Dhaka South City Forum Engineer Abdus Samad Sardar; Secretary of Dhaka North City Forum Engineer Tarikul Islam Tarek; Secretary of Dhaka South City Forum Wahidur Rahman Nijhum; Central Publicity Secretary Yasin Ahmed; President of Barisal City Forum Engineer Lutfur Rahman; and President of Gazipur City Forum Faruk Ahmed.
Speaking as special guest, Syed Abdul Aziz said—if elections are held under the PR system, representation of small parties and diverse opinions will be ensured in the National Parliament, and democracy will be strengthened further. On the other hand, the July Declaration is an important proposal in the political and constitutional history of Bangladesh, and a national consensus needs to be built on its legal foundation and practical implementation.
Other speakers at the event said— “At present, 91 countries in the world have adopted the PR system. If this system is implemented in Bangladesh, fascist tendencies will be prevented, a culture of dialogue will develop, and it will be possible to establish a multi-party participatory government.”
Lawyers, journalists, academics, and professionals present at the event expressed that for the sake of democratic development and good governance, broad discussions and implementation of elections under the PR system and the legal basis of the July Declaration are essential.
