AND SIMULTANEOUS PROGRAMME FOR AGITATION

We have been continuously struggling for long to overcome the ever-increasing economic, social and political crisis created by BNP-Jamat alliance's misrule. After the rigged and intrigued election in 2001 the BNP-Jamat Government not only destroyed the immense prospect of a nation's future and democratic advancement but also have led the independent Bangladesh, earned with sacrifices of thirty lacs martyrs, into an ineffective state. The main pillars on which state rest, has been very deliberately made fragile and weak by the BNP-Jamat Alliance. Rule of law has perished from this country. There is no security of life of the citizens. Murder, tyranny & persecution have taken a dreadful turn and transformed the country into a dead valley. The rise of so called Islamic fundamentalist, fanatical armed and tyrant groups and their activities with the help and patronisation of BNP-Jamat alliance have threatened the freedom, sovereignty and security of Bangladesh. The attempt on the life of Sheikh Hasina on 21st August and to make Awami League void of leadership by throwing grenades and shooting and mass killing is not an isolated event. The Khaleda-Nizami Junta has been harbouring this ominous conspiracy in order to take revenge on liberation war and to prove this state as unworkable one. The attempt to kill Sheikh Hasina, systematic killings of Awami League leaders and workers, planned attacks on members of other secular and democratic political parties and followers of free thinking, planned bomb blasting and grenade attacks on mosque, graveyard, cinema Halls, and cultural functions- all these are sewn in a single thread. The people of Bangladesh cannot submit to this situation.

Economic scenario of the country is known to all. Due to corruption, looting and failures of the government, the economy of the country has broken down. Development has nose-dived. Uncontrolled inflation, sky rocketing price of commodities, inefficiency and failure in economic management have created a condition of last gasp. The near famine condition has taken a permanent shape in the country. The cry of monga (almost famine) affected and hungry people without food has engulfed the sky and air. The rural economy has also shattered down. The peasants and agricultural section have fallen into a hard crisis as the government has failed to take any suitable measure for rehabilitating the people after the flood. No new investment is coming forth. The factories and mills are being shut down one by one and the labours and officials are being retrenched. Unemployment is increasing, as there is no new employment opportunity. The government has shamelessly surpassed all limits of partisanship. This has been pursued not only in the appointment in administration and government service, the Judiciary has also been extremely politicized. As a result the people have been deprived of free judiciary and of opportunity for fair judgment.

It does not need to be explained again that BNP-Jamat Alliance does not believe in the constitution, election, right to vote and parliamentary democracy. By dint of so-called brute majority, they have transformed the national Parliament into a party forum. No issue of national importance is allowed to be discussed in the Parliament and thus the Parliament has been made ineffective.

It is now evident that in the hands of BNP-Jamat Alliance, democracy, election system, nothing is safe. The widespread rigging in election in Dhaka-10 and in other different bye-elections by the Alliance government prove that they want to stick to power by "election engineering". In future no election will truly reflect the opinion of the people unless voting power of the people can be secured and free exercise of the vote can be ensured. Naturally the question of the reforms of election and neutral caretaker government system come to the fore.

The country is now in a juncture. The people of the country are now eager to get rid of the present distress. In order to fulfill the aspiration of the people and to bring an end to this BNP-Jamat misrule, all secular democratic parties have now forged unity on the basis of minimum programme. We believe there is no alternative to build an united movement and creation of mass upsurage to remove the BNP-Jamat Alliance government and to build a happy and prosperous future of the people. To bring about fruitful reforms, unflinching firm commitment to the values of liberation, establishment of good politics and governance, free from tyranny, corruption and communalism and to deliberate from the present economic crises, all secular democratic political parties, such as Bangladesh Awami League, II Parties, JSD, NAP (Mujaffar) simultaneously announced the following demands and movement programmes on 18th November. 2004.

9-point demands

1. To save the country from the conspiracy of extreme communal armed forces, to remove all war-criminals and Razakars from all strata of administration and to bring the war-criminals before the court of Justice.

To prohibit communal politics and publicity, to liberate education system from communalism, to stop any intervention on religion, free thinking and freedom of conscience.

To arrest and prosecute all those who tried to kill the Leader of the opposition Skeikh Hasina in the rally held on 21st August, threw grenade systematically in CPB, UDICHI and Chhayanot functions and in mosque, Church, Graveyard, Cinema halls; to stop all Jamat-Shibir and extreme communal armed forces units and training camps.

To arrest and punish those responsible for bringing arms, ammunitions in chittagong, Bogra, gojpurhat, Saghatta and other places.

2. To stop terror, to identify terrorist and godfathers and arrest and try them in the court of justice, to expel the terrorists from political parties and to stop political corruption, villainy and thereby build up a healthy political system in the country.

3. To constitute an independent Inquiry commission to root out corruption; to identify the corrupt and forfeit their properties.

4. To control Price of commodities including rice, to bring it within the reach of the purchasing capacity of mass people.

To effectively face the 'monga' in the northern region and the silent famine condition in various areas and to ensure food security for people.

5. To run the closed mills and factories, to save garment industries, to stop retrenchment and dismissal, to remove unemployment, to create employment opportunity, to establish equal rights for women.

6. To take effective agricultural rehabilitation by reducing the price of agricultural inputs and ensuring fair price for crops, to create Jobs for the agricultural workers.

7. To implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts peace accord Agreements.

8. To enusere maximum use of oil, gas and Chittagong port in the national interest.

9. To remove the BNP-Jamat Alliance government. To establish rule of law and effective parliament, to hold free and neutral election under the neutral caretaker government after making reforms in the election system

To bring about mass unity on these demands, a programme was announced as a first step to create mass no-confidence wall (human chain) on 11th December 2004 from 3-4 PM from Teknaf in the south-east, near the Mayanmar border to the northernmost point, Tetulia, near the Indian border comprising a stretch of 1000 km.

Newsletter _______________________
Vol. 3, No. 20, November 22, 2004
Bangladesh Awami League Publication