DHAKA — The National Citizen Party is in its infancy but will flourish with public support, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said in a video message posted Sunday night on the party’s page.
“We are a sapling today. God willing, if you stand with us, we will bloom one day,” Islam said.
The NCP fought hard to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections and won a beautiful symbol, the water lily, Islam said. “It is the image of our rural Bengal and the symbol of our riverine civilization. The water lily is a symbol of purity.”
“You may have never imagined entering politics. Politics may have seemed to you a fearful thing, something distant. You may think politics is for the wealthy, for those with manpower. But this politics changes your way of life — how will it be run? How will the government be run? In what direction will a state move? So we want to move away from this hatred of politics, from staying away from politics,” he said.
“We have seen politicians come during the mass uprising, but they did not fight. Common people also came alongside the politicians. So if you have a commitment to change the country, that kind of vision, please come this time. Conquer politics. Make politics your own. We don’t want a politics that is held only by wealthy looters and businessmen, by extortionists. Politics will belong to common people,” the NCP convener said.
“People’s representatives come to Parliament with the people’s votes. We freed Parliament from occupation on Aug. 5. That Parliament had become disconnected from the people. People’s representatives weren’t there. Our constitution was held captive using that Parliament. Our state was politicized. To free us from all this, we went to Parliament on Aug. 5. Elections are ahead. Since Aug. 5, we have spent the entire time discussing the country’s reform process through various commissions and the Consensus Commission,” he said.
“Bangladesh’s problems have been identified. A consensus has emerged. But everything depends on this Parliament. This Parliament will be a reform council. The changes we have spoken about will be implemented. So this Parliament will be the most important parliamentary election in Bangladesh’s history,” Islam said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report