Ershad now wants electoral system overhauled
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday told parliament that an overhaul of the electoral system was a must to bury all controversies over polls once and for all.
“We can't deny that questions are still being raised regarding the January 5 national election,” he said.
"In our country, the people enjoy democracy only on election day. But we want democracy on all 365 days,” said the special envoy to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“No election of the country is above controversy.... The people will vote for symbols like 'Boat', 'Plough' or others, not individuals. If we adopt this, we can get rid of all debates forever."
Ershad had announced that his party would quit the January 5 parliamentary election if it was not inclusive but the government forced his party to take part in the one-sided vote.
He criticised the government in the presence of Sheikh Hasina yesterday.
While slamming the administration for its failure to ensure women's safety, Ershad used some unparliamentary words referring to the posts of the prime minister, speaker, deputy leader of the House, and leader of the opposition, all held by women.
It angered female MPs but Ershad's wife Raushan Ershad, also leader of the opposition, apologised to them later, and the words were expunged.
Condemning “looting" of banks, Ershad noted that classified loans in state-run banks amounted to around Tk 10,000 crore. "This money is ours, the taxpayers'."
He lambasted Finance Minister AMA Muhith for allocating an additional Tk 5,000 crore to state-run banks, from which money was looted in the name of loans.
"Looters looted our money from banks. And the government is giving money to those banks to make up for their capital shortage.... What type of justice is this?”
Pointing to money laundering and deposits in Swiss banks, Ershad said constitutionally Bangladeshis could not open accounts with any foreign bank.
"Then how this money went out of the country… this was done through the hundi. Can't we find those people? Can't we bring the money back? Can't we put them in the dock? We surely can.”
Taking the floor after her husband, Raushan Ershad stressed the need for strengthening the Board of Investment and improving infrastructure to attract foreign investment.
She said the banking sector was now in a very sorry state. "Politicians are recruited to the boards of directors of banks in many cases, and they help provide loans and waive the interest on political considerations."
She suggested that the government increase the age limit for recruitment to public services to 35 years from existing 30 considering session jams at educational institutions.
She also urged the PM to seriously assess environmental risks before implementing the coal-based Rampal power plant and Rooppur nuke power plant.
Raushan demanded that the government omit the word "Birangana", which refers to the women tortured during the Liberation War, and call them "freedom fighters" instead.
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