Rajequzzaman Ratan, Central Committee Member, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal

Rajequzzaman Ratan, Central Committee Member, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal : Many people say elections under partisan government take place in many countries, but do they realize the reality here? We have to remember that there are traditions and conventions in countries where such elections take place – what the election-time government can and cannot do during polls. They operate by conforming those conventions. But in our country, such traditions or conventions have never been followed, which is why elections under a partisan government mean uncertainty and mistrust.
People are actually suffering from uncertainty regarding our elections. First of all, we have to relieve them from this crisis of confidence. In order to make people confident, the government has to hold a free, fair and inclusive election. The participation of all political parties has to be guaranteed. There will be fewer questions of who won or lost if a congenial environment is created through everyone’s participation. Even if the candidate loses, he/she has to understand that the promise they made to the people was not accepted, so they have to stand in the test again. And if they win, they must not come to think that they have won everything. Their attitude has to be that “the people have put their hope in me and I will fulfill it.” Unfortunately, we have seen that after winning the elections, lawmakers care more about fulfilling their own wishes rather than those of the people. They take everything, what they deserve and what they don’t. Seeing this, the people then ask whether this is what an election is supposed to be; a legal name for theft?

Based on an interview by Ashiq Rahman, translated by Abrar Hussain