Push for polls by Dec threatening stability: Patwary

Insisting that the election "must be held by December" is tantamount to threatening the country's stability, said Nasiruddin Patwary, chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party, yesterday.

The youth will not accept the politics of intimidation, he told a workshop organised by NCP's Dhaka (north) unit at a hotel in the capital's Gulshan.

"We are still on the streets, and we will continue to be on the streets in the future."

The country will move towards a democratic process only after reforms are made and justice is delivered,  Patwary said.

"Those who fail to understand this should ask people what they want. Then you will find direction. Then you will come to your senses. For now, you are intoxicated by the greed for power."

The NCP is a democratic outcome of the July uprising, and if the party is blocked from participating in a democratic process, the youth may lead a second revolution.

"If you push us towards a second revolution, there will be no room for dynastic politics in Bangladesh. If you obstruct this democratic force, you're pushing 40 percent of Bangladesh's population into a crisis. Let the youth rebuild the country, not fight another war."

Calling for an overhaul of the electoral system, he said, "We are not asking for just another election. We want a permanent, fair electoral system."

He reiterated that the NCP had no confidence in the Election Commission and it did not subscribe to seat-sharing politics.

He also called for the complete dismantling of what he described as a "fascist system", warning that the youth-led movement born out of the recent July uprising would not settle for a mere change in leadership without structural reforms.

"This constitution must be replaced. As long as it remains, fascism will remain. We don't want help from India, the US, Russia, or China unless it is based on dignity and mutual respect. We won't accept new forms of colonialism."