Tarique warns against rehabilitating fleeing autocrats, collaborators
BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Friday urged the interim government to avoid any actions that could enable the rehabilitation of fugitive autocrats and their collaborators in Bangladesh.
"I call on the interim government to ensure no steps are taken to allow these autocrats and their associates to regain footholds in the state or politics," he said during a virtual address at an iftar party hosted by BNP at the Ladies Club in Eskaton, Dhaka, honouring various professionals.
Tarique emphasised the need to preserve national unity against fascism for the country’s greater good. "By magnifying minor issues in the political sphere, doubts and suspicions are being unintentionally sown within the anti-fascist national unity," he noted. He warned that holding local elections before the national election—while billions in looted state funds remain unrecovered—could pave the way for fugitive autocrats and their allies still present in the country to regain influence.
Highlighting the disenfranchisement of nearly 30 million young voters during Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year "mafia rule," Tarique argued, "The national election must take priority to ensure these voters’ political empowerment." He added that sustainable reforms depend on empowering the populace politically, not just on theoretical changes.
The BNP leader criticized the narrative pitting reforms against elections as politically motivated. "To those insisting national elections wait until reforms are complete, I say reform is an ongoing process—it never truly ends," he remarked. He pointed to the current constitution, altered by autocrats into what he called their "party’s constitution," which mandates a parliament formed by direct public vote. Yet, he said, "Under the fugitive fascist regime, the world witnessed a parliament formed without people’s votes, in defiance of this provision."
Tarique stressed that democratic practice outweighs textbook reforms in politics. "Only through the people’s democratic engagement can reforms become sustainable and effective," he asserted.
He also recognised the vital contributions of civil society, professionals, and notable citizens, likening politics to the roof of a house supported by these groups as pillars. "Politicians, civil society, and professionals complement each other in a state. The more effectively distinguished citizens and professionals contribute, the more accountable and robust the political government becomes," he concluded.
