Why You Should Boycott the “Staged” Feb. 12 Election

Opinion

The illegal interim government led by Dr. Yunus is going to organize a rigged national election and referendum on February 12. After seizing power by unconstitutional means by removing an elected government, in the past 18 months, Dr. Yunus has, on the one hand, resolved all issues related to his personal interests as quickly as possible, while on the other hand, he has made one anti-national agreement after another to please his employers. He has handed over the decision-making power in the country’s security, economy, natural resources, ports and other important sectors to foreigners. Through the drama called the election to be held on February 12, Dr. Yunus basically wants to ensure the legitimacy of all his anti-national misdeeds.

Think about it, has Dr. Yunus’ government done a single thing in the public interest in the last 18 months? Soon after seizing power, this illegal government released all the top terrorists and militants from jail and turned the country into a sanctuary for terrorists. Murder, rape, mob violence, theft, robbery, extortion are commonplace. Ask yourself, do you feel safe leaving your home?

The country’s economic situation is dire today. Without undertaking any development activities, this government has borrowed 4 lakh crore taka in 18 months? Where did all this money go? In addition, due to printing new notes worth about 50 thousand crore taka, the country’s inflation has increased to a record level, the heat of which you can feel when you go to the market. The country’s investment has fallen to the lowest level in history. Dr. Yunus’s press secretary said that there would be a flood of jobs in the country. However, the reality is that hundreds of factories have been closed in the last eighteen months, at least two million people have become unemployed.

Relations with our friendly countries have been ruined for purely political gain and to prolong power. Trade relations with other countries have been ruined to benefit only one country, and the price will be paid for this for many years to come.

Dr. Yunus said, we will not go abroad, foreigners will come to us. He has successfully implemented this one word. Almost all countries in the world have suspended or limited the issuance of our visas. Foreigners are coming, but it is only for their own interests. The young generation who dream of going abroad for higher education or a better life, should search the internet once and see, what are your opportunities to go abroad now?

Many may say that Dr. Yunus will leave after the election. So let there be an election somehow. You are wrong. Through the referendum that has been added to the national election, Dr. Yunus will put the final nail in the coffin of the democratic system of governance in Bangladesh. By making the Yes party win in this referendum, Dr. Yunus will on the one hand confirm the legitimacy of all his misdeeds, and on the other hand, he will change the constitution and introduce a system of governance that will make it impossible for any political government to get out of the anti-national decisions he has made. Bangladesh will turn into a banana republic.

And who will come to power through this rigged election? Either BNP or Jamaat-NCP alliance. Just think about their activities in the last 18 months. Did any of them protest the slightest bit against any anti-national work of Dr. Yunus? Did they have any program related to any issue related to public interest? The answer is, no. Rather, all of them, out of greed for power, have repeatedly gone to the Jamuna and taken smiling pictures with Yunus and played a supporting role in all the anti-national works of this illegal government.

During the tenure of this illegal government, freedom fighters have been garlanded with shoes, all the monuments of the great liberation war have been demolished. Independence Day and Victory Day parades have been stopped, the Ekushey Book Fair has been closed. BNP, which claims to be pro-liberation or progressive, has not been heard to raise a single voice against these things. BNP’s field-level leaders and activists were busy with unlimited extortion across the country, occupying bus stands and taxi stands. And their top leadership was busy worshipping Yunus. In the midst of Dr. Yunus, the people have even seen Zia himself!

On the other hand, the war criminal group Jamaat is completely involved in the conspiracy to turn the country into a fundamentalist state. The intelligence agency of their birthplace Pakistan, ISI, has come to their aid. They have installed their people in all the important places of the country. They are just waiting for the election results to be in their favor. Only then will the next stage of establishing a Taliban state begin. Jamaat’s attitude towards women, who constitute half of the country’s population, has been proven in the statement of their Ameer.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Jamaat Ameer said that women in this country are not yet ready to lead. However, in the past 33 years since 1991, two women have been elected as Prime Ministers through democratic processes in this country. Women have become opposition leaders, speakers, home ministers, foreign ministers, judges, university vice-chancellors, army major generals, and pilots. On the other hand, Shafiqur’s bail has been forfeited three times.

So the reason for Jamaat’s anger towards women is easy to understand, this anger is anger born of incompetence. Ask women, how have you been in the last 18 months? Just close your eyes for a moment and think about what Bangladesh is waiting for you?

And what has the newly formed King’s Party, NCP, the alliance partner of Jamaat, done for the country since their birth, except for the so-called July ideology? You can’t find a single example of good work other than filling their own pockets through recruitment, lobbying, extortion and mob violence. Their only future is to merge with Jamaat.

Let’s come back to Yunus. While attending the UN General Assembly, Dr. Yunus said in an interview with Mehdi Hasan that the people of this country sell their votes for 500/1000 taka, so quick elections are not a solution. A few days ago, he said that the people of Bangladesh are number one in the world in fraud. Yes, this is Dr. Yunus. This is how he thinks about the people of Bangladesh. That Yunus is going to organize a show election to ensure the legitimacy of all his injustices.

Think about it with a cold mind. Do you want to be a partner in all the anti-national misdeeds of Dr. Yunus? Do you want to continue these anti-national acts by giving legitimacy to the BNP or Jamaat alliance, which are partners in all of Yunus’ misdeeds, to come to power? Do you want to throw away the constitution written in the blood of three million martyrs? Do you want to keep women imprisoned in their homes in a medieval way? Do you want a Taliban state system?

If you don’t want it, boycott the rigged elections on February 12. Refrain from voting yourself, and encourage others to abstain.

We are standing at a critical juncture in history. Only your well-considered decisions can bring Bangladesh back on the right path.

–Aminul Haque Palash

Former diplomat and security analyst