BNP promises not to nominate loan defaulters in national election

Highlights:

• BNP will be cautious not to nominate any loan defaulter in election
• People to decide if Awami League will participate in election
• Only an elected government can properly resolve country's problems
• If BNP returns to power, they will make best efforts to find suitable solution to Rohingya crisis

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has promised that his party will be cautious not to nominate any loan defaulter in the national election.

"We're committed to people that we'll surely try to ensure that defaulters do not get nominations. We'll be very careful in this regard," he said during a symposium titled "White Paper and Thereafter: Economic Management, Reforms and National Budget" at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital today (18 January).

Fakhrul made the remark in response to a question from noted economist Prof Rehman Sobhan, who asked whether the BNP would support the proposition that loan defaulters should be barred from contesting elections to curb the influence of money and muscle power.

He said that his party is working on a future course of action to move the country forward, taking lessons from past experiences.

The BNP leader, however, acknowledged that it may not be possible to change everything overnight.

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He stressed the need for properly rebuilding the country's institutions. "Our democratic institutions were destroyed during the Awami League government. We believe in institutional settlement. What we need most now is to fix the institutions. Enough is enough. Let's truly build Bangladesh as per our dreams and the desires of the people."

In reply to a question about whether their party wants the fascist political party Awami League to participate in the election, Fakhrul said it is the people of the country who will decide on this matter. "As a political party, we're not willing to make a decision on it."

Asked why the BNP is insisting on the interim government to hold the national election promptly, Fakhrul said they believe only an elected government can properly resolve the country's problems. 

"Since the elected government comes to power with the public mandate, they have the authority to address the people's issues."

When asked about the Rohingya issue, Fakhrul said the Awami League had not taken proper steps to resolve the crisis, including holding talks with China and India, as it was not a priority for them.

He said if the BNP returns to power, they will make their best efforts to find a suitable solution to the Rohingya crisis, just as they did in the past.