Desk Report,
Proportional voting will push towards more dictatorship: Rizvi
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that proportional representation (PR) or proportional voting will push the party towards more dictatorship. In his words, it will close the opportunity to develop leadership at the local level.
Proportional voting will push towards more dictatorship: Rizvi
Rizvi said these words at a program at the Rangpur district and metropolitan BNP offices on Thursday afternoon. As part of the BNP’s central program on the occasion of the anniversary of the July mass uprising and victory, the ‘Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB)’ organized a voluntary blood donation and blood group determination program. He paid deep respect to the martyrs and injured people in the July mass uprising.
At that program, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, ‘Today, various things are being brought forward – proportional voting. Why proportional voting? It will block the path to forming leadership in the area. If someone becomes a leader after staying in contact with the people for a long time in the area, he can also be dropped by the party decision. This will lead to more dictatorship.’
Referring to the BNP’s traditional democratic voting system, Rizvi said, ‘Those who are legal voters will vote and elect representatives. The candidates of the party that gets the highest number of votes will form the government. We do not understand how proportional voting is being talked about in a country of 180 million people where there are 120 million voters.’
Rizvi also commented that unity of democratic forces is needed so that a ‘bloodthirsty’ party like the Awami League cannot come to power again. He said, ‘Democracy means freely criticizing each other, expressing dissent. Different political parties will work on their own programs. But we have to cooperate with each other for the greater interest of the country—that is what should happen.’
Urging BNP leaders and workers to be vigilant, Rizvi said, ‘As a force for democracy, we have to behave in such a way that no common person is harmed. “We must ensure that the name of BNP or any of its affiliates is not associated with any extortion or usurpation.”
