BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed has rejected recent talk of introducing a proportional representation system in Bangladesh’s national election.
Speaking at a doa mahfil on Friday at the BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan, Rizvi said the idea was “completely illogical” for Bangladesh. He argued that voters were not familiar with proportional representation, or PR, and that it would make parliamentary accountability weaker.
“Suddenly, the issue of the PR system is being talked which is completely illogical. The people of Bangladesh are not familiar with this system. This is a very difficult matter for our country,” he said.
The BNP leader warned that if PR were adopted, citizens could end up with representatives they do not know. He said the system could also allow controversial figures to buy seats in parliament rather than being directly chosen by voters.
“The people will not be able to elect their representatives by their choice,” Rizvi said. “If this system is implemented by ignoring the wishes of the people, chaos and confusion might be created in the country.”
Rizvi added that Bangladesh had reached a “stable situation” after many difficult years and argued that unresolved political issues should be settled to strengthen democracy, not complicated by new voting rules.
The doa mahfil was arranged for the recovery of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other senior party figures, including Mirza Abbas and Nazrul Islam Khan. It was organized by Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal’s Dhaka Metropolitan South unit.
The event was chaired by convener Sumon Bhuiyan and moderated by member secretary Badrul Alam Sabuj. BNP Treasurer M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP convener Rafiqul Alam Majnu, and member secretary Tanvir Ahmed Robin also spoke.
