The popular uprising that took place in July-August this year 'gave Bangladesh a new opportunity to transform into a democratic state.' Bangladesh Nationalist Party BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir thinks so. Mirza Fakhrul said this in an interview given to the Washington-based magazine The Diplomat.
In the interview, Mirza Fakhrul gave an important opinion on the position of BNP and highlighted his comments on the current issues of Bangladesh. The interview was conducted by Shahadat Hussain, a researcher at the International Relations Department of the South Asian University in New Delhi.
The Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina is often labeled as 'fascist'. Bangladesh Nationalist Party has emerged as the most popular and single largest political party in the country after the end of 15 years of consecutive rule by Awami League. It is assumed that BNP will get the majority of seats in the next parliamentary elections.
BNP's top leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been serving as the party's general secretary since 2016. Prior to this, he was the Acting Secretary General since 2011. He was a cabinet member in the last BNP government in 2001-2006. Although he started his political life outside Dhaka, he gradually rose to the top level of the party. Mirza Fakhrul has been leading the BNP since 2011, which is considered to be the party's toughest period. Fakhrul is leading the party as the main leader of BNP in Bangladesh as the acting chairperson of the party, Tariq Rahman, is currently based in London.
Question: Do you see the July revolution as a 'revolution', or a mass coup?
Mirza Fakhrul: Undoubtedly, this is a coup d'état. For about 15-16 years, the political parties led by BNP were fighting to stop the oppression of the fascist government. The latest movement started demanding reform of student quota. A large number of students took to the streets. Many students tragically lost their lives during this time.
In the beginning this movement did not take the form of mass uprising or revolution. However, the tragic death of Abu Saeed, one of the first martyrs of the July Revolution, brought a turning point in the movement. His death brought together all the opposition political parties in a united effort to overthrow the fascist government, which eventually led to a popular uprising.
We see this as a new opportunity to overthrow a brutal fascist regime and transform Bangladesh into a democratic state. The students' demands were mainly based on the elimination of long-standing institutional discrimination. National unity and organized political structure is needed to deal with it. So we gave importance to national unity and worked to ensure it. Since the interim government came to power, they have embarked on reforms, the first step in the necessary changes.
Question: You are talking about national unity. However, an adviser recently claimed that after Sheikh Hasina's departure, the movement's student leadership offered to form a national government, but the BNP did not accept it. Why did your party support that proposal?
Mirza Fakhrul: I am not aware that any proposal to form a national government was made by the student leadership. But after the fall of the Fascist regime, delegates came to us and asked for an opinion on the formation of an interim government. They suggested some names, and we gave feedback accordingly.
Question: Six reform commissions have been constituted in the country, one of which is the Constitution Reform Commission. How is your team represented and involved in these processes?
Mirza Fakhrul: No representative of BNP was included in the reform committees. These committees are constituted without any political party representation, which is natural and consistent for a caretaker government. But they have asked for our opinion and we will send our opinion to these commissions.
BNP is claiming the election and is currently considered the most popular party. However, critics feel that BNP may turn into another 'Awami League' if it comes to power. In particular, on the basis of the events after August 5, it is said that many BNP leaders and workers of the Trinamool were involved in encroachment and looting. These are nothing but negative propaganda spread by opposition media and political parties against BNP. Such incidents are not rare after mass movements. We are not denying some of the incidents happening across the country.
But BNP has taken important steps to solve the issues. So far we have expelled about 700 leaders and workers who were found involved in these activities. We are committed to maintaining discipline and accountability in the party and upholding democratic values and public trust.
Question: Awami League always claims that minority Hindus are not safe under the rule of other parties. After August 5, there have been incidents of attacks on minorities. Can all be dismissed as political attacks? Doesn't it make the demands of Awami League stronger?
Mirza Fakhrul: Something must have happened. Many Awami League leaders-activists, who have committed injustice, tortured, looted – common people are angry against them. These attacks were not driven by BNP or students, but by 18 years of humiliation, deprivation and anger.
These incidents are deliberately portrayed as minority persecution. Some are preaching that 'communalism is on the rise in Bangladesh,' which is detrimental to the country's interests. This is purely politically motivated and an attempt to tarnish the image of Bangladesh. This propaganda is arranged by Awami League, so that it can be shown to the international community that communalism is increasing in the country. Their aim is to ensure the support of allies including India and present themselves as the only party capable of solving this problem.
The irony is that during the rule of Awami League, the incidence of minority torture has increased significantly.
Question: You are working towards power and public opinion seems to be in your favor. How will BNP's foreign policy? The last time you were in power, Bangladesh followed the 'Look East' policy. Will there be any surprises this time?
Mirza Fakhrul: Our foreign policy is simple. We want friends, not lords. I want to have friendly relations with all countries, but I don't want to be subordinate to anyone. Communication, business and friendship are crucial in today's interconnected world, but we prioritize self-reliance.
Question: India is the main neighboring country of Bangladesh. India's relationship with your party has always gone through ups and downs. Even in the last decade's efforts, it has not been possible to open any new horizons in this regard. How to evaluate BNP-India relations in the future?
Mirza Fakhrul: We are always in favor of maintaining good relations with neighboring countries. This is one of the cornerstones of our declared policy. Right from the time of Ziaur Rahman, when we were in power, we worked to maintain positive relations with India. But the question of our national interest cannot be compromised.
Issues like water distribution need to be resolved. Killings on the border should be stopped. The principle of equality in connection should be ensured. We have to compensate for the benefits taken from us. Besides, India's unnecessary interference in Bangladeshi politics is never acceptable. We hope that such interference will stop. The decision of Bangladesh will be taken by the people of Bangladesh.
Question: India is spreading a lot of misinformation and false narratives about the current interim government of Bangladesh and the country's situation. This is nothing new—your party's acting chairman has also been portrayed negatively in the Indian media. India's view of parties outside the Awami League circle is generally negative. How can Bangladesh deal with this problem?
Mirza Fakhrul: The only way to counter false propaganda is to establish a strong government built on people's power. First, democratically elected leadership must be ensured in Bangladesh. All political parties must remember that we are an independent country, capable of taking our own decisions. Also, Bangladesh needs to create a strong counter-narrative. Confusion should be removed by presenting accurate information and details of events in the international media.
Question: Young people discuss ideas for a new political settlement. Your team doesn't seem very enthusiastic about it. What is your opinion on this?
Mirza Fakhrul: What do they mean by the new political settlement? They should clarify this concept. I want to know, what is their new political settlement? I have not found anything written about this anywhere. It is not clear what their proposal is. The kind of politics we envision is clearly enshrined in our constitution. If they also have such a clear view, it should be proposed.
Question: Not only your party but many other parties fought against fascism. Common people and students sacrificed their lives. What do you think about why people will vote for your party in the next election?
Mirza Fakhrul: BNP is the people's party. It does the kind of politics that matches the aspirations of the people. People want freedom, they want to live in a democratic state. They want to vote, elect leaders through fair elections and thrive with job opportunities. BNP creates that opportunity.
BNP came to power three times, each time through elections. During its tenure in power, BNP carried out fundamental political reforms. Ziaur Rahman (founder of BNP) introduced multi-party system instead of one-party system. Later, under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia, the caretaker government system was added to the constitution, another milestone in political innovation.
Economically, the BNP moved away from a flawed socialist model and introduced a mixed and diversified economy, which we now know as a free market economy. It was then that private sector financing began and the economy underwent major changes. The garment sector, which is today the main driving force of our economy, started during Ziaur Rahman's time. Even remittances started coming in as a result of his initiative.
Later, during the regime of Begum Khaleda Zia, various sectors including banking were reformed. BNP is a party which has concrete evidence of solving people's problems and ensuring development. Our party has also ensured the independence of the judiciary and the freedom of the media, which are fundamental pillars of a democratic country.
Question: You have observed 50 years of post-independence politics in Bangladesh. The new generation—many of whom have recently taken active part in popular uprisings—could play a role in shaping the country's politics for the next 50 years. In which direction do you think the direction of the new generation of politics?
Mirza Fakhrul: The new generation is already active in politics, both on the streets and in government. There is a new generation of representatives in the governance and decision-making process. Their main demand is a social system without discrimination. However, no formal or written proposal for the changes they want is yet to be seen.
They often refer to recent events as revolutions. Personally, I don't think of it as a revolution but as a student-led popular uprising and democratic change. I believe, as a liberal democrat, in a politics where all parties have the opportunity to participate, we do not want an environment of statutory blockade.
A political party will be chosen by the people through elections. For this reason, we have strongly expressed our position in favor of early elections. Elections will resolve many ongoing challenges and controversies. Debates and discussions will continue until the elections are held.
We started the reforms two years ago and our efforts are still going strong. However, negative statements like 'BNP is against reforms' or 'BNP is involved in corruption' are being spread against us to belittle us. Those of us who are nationalists, who believe strongly in democracy, create problems for those who favor subjugation rather than independence.
We want to see Bangladesh as a democratic country, where the practice of democracy will solve all problems. We want to uphold the principle of 'I may not agree with you, but I will protect your right to free speech'. Another important point is that there is widespread poverty in a large part of the country. Their economic development needs urgent attention.
Question: Your party often claims that BNP is liberal and democratic. Your team chairperson is a woman, she has been leading the team for a long time. However, the representation of women in your party is still low and you have not met the declared target of 30 percent women candidates. What is your opinion on this?
Mirza Fakhrul: We will make every effort to increase the participation of women in our team. This is our priority, and we are committed to achieving this goal.
Translated by: Abdur Rahman
