BNP Reform Question

Leaders jettison Khaleda on reforms question Rakib Hasnet Suman BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is becoming isolated within the party as more leaders, now articulating their views against her 'unilateral' decisions in running the party, are asking for reforms to bring democracy in the party. Former whip in parliament and BNP Joint Secretary General Ashraf Hossain yesterday called for curbing the power of the party chief and end 'dynasty'. Earlier several senior leaders of the party demanded decentralisation of power within the party. Another faction of BNP, however, raised questions about the recent 'revolt' against the party chief by some leaders and said those leaders had earlier accepted every decision of Khaleda Zia without any question. "The party constitution should be changed as the power given by the constitution was misused," Ashraf Hossain said. Terming Khaleda's 'family centric' leadership as undemocratic, he said, "The party chairperson has given priority to her relatives and non-political persons during the last few years. Even she appointed her relatives to the party positions without any consultation." "As a political party, BNP was not run the way it was supposed to. Fourteen years have passed without any national council and nothing has been done according to the party constitution. But I could not get the chance to tell this in the party platform," he said. Meanwhile, BNP Joint Secretary General Goyeshwar Chandra Roy yesterday hinted that party Chairperson Khaleda Zia might release her brother Sayeed Iskandar from the post of vice-chairman of the party. "I discussed the matter with her [Khaleda] over phone and she told me that she would ask her brother to resign," Ghoyeshshar told a TV channel last night. Sources said Sayeed Iskandar did not meet Khaleda Zia in last few days as she decided to ask her brother to resign from the post of party vice-president. "Dynasty is harmful for the democracy while decentralisation of power is urgent for the party," former whip Ashraf Hossain told the reporters yesterday. Ashraf, one of the close aides of BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, said it is good to see that some people are now speaking against dynasty. Earlier former BNP minister M Saifur Rahman said, "There should be an immediate end to family-centric politics." Freeing politics from family influence is needed for a vibrant multi-party democracy in the country, Saifur, who is also a member of BNP Standing Committee, said. He said a large number of leaders and activists of the party are worried about the concentration of power in the hand of a single person. Dhaka city Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka also spoke in favour of changing the party leadership and decentralisation of power to make the party pro-people. "BNP must carry out reforms within the party, punish the corrupt and remove failed politicians," former minister M Osman Farruk said in his recent interview with the media. The people of Bangladesh had enough of dynastic rule and now they want to live and work in a democratic environment, the BNP leader said, adding that all over the world people are rejecting dynastic rule and Bangladeshis are no exception. Meanwhile, BNP chairperson's adviser Hannan Shah yesterday said that Khaleda Zia is facing pressure to go to any ASEAN country on the plea of treatment.

 

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