Mia Golam Porwar Calls for Changing the Referendum Date

Mia Golam Porwar, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, has demanded that a referendum be held before the national election.

He made the call on Sunday (30 November) while addressing an eight-party divisional rally at the Madrasa Ground in Rajshahi.

Porwar stated that holding the national election and the referendum on the same day could create confusion among voters and make it difficult to conduct a fair election.

He alleged that the gazette announcing the same date for both the election and the referendum was issued following the advice of certain individuals within the interim government.

He further said that the government’s gazette was not a divine command and could be amended if necessary. He insisted that the referendum should be held first, followed by the national election. He also described the failure to disclose the details of the July Charter’s constitutional reforms as a violation of the people’s right to know.

According to Porwar, a level playing field has yet to be ensured within the administration ahead of the election. Referring to allegations of attacks on gatherings of the eight-party alliance, including Jamaat-e-Islami, in various parts of the country, he said that a neutral election would not be possible under such circumstances.

Porwar added that the recent incident of a daylight murder in the court area demonstrated the fragile state of law and order. In a country where killings take place in front of a court, there could be no guarantee that vote rigging or attacks would not occur on election day.

Urging the public to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum, he said that such a mandate would pave the way for change by addressing corruption, terrorism and suppression of dissenting voices.

A goodwill message from Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman was read out at the rally.

Khaborwala/SS