Staff Correspondent:

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the interim government’s goodwill should be prioritised over its shortcomings.

Mentioning that the government is a bit hesitant to take advice from the BNP, Fakhrul said that most of the people in the interim government are inexperienced.

He made the remarks after a meeting on Wednesday with party leaders at the BNP chairperson’s office in the capital’s Gulshan.

“In some cases, there may have been lapses on their part due to lack of experience. I believe this is entirely an issue of experience. Do you know what the biggest problem of this government is? They lack experience — most of the people in this government are inexperienced. Some individuals also have a problem: they are driven by ego,” he said.

“Political parties have experience in running a government — like we do. When it comes to consulting with us, talking to us, or seeking our opinions, they are a bit hesitant. I believe this is due to their lack of experience,” he added.

Fakhrul believes that discussions like yesterday between the chief adviser and political parties — this kind of engagement and exchange of views — would be better if held more frequently.

There is no lack of sincerity on the part of the government regarding the holding of elections, he said, adding that the government is moving in the right direction to hold the elections in February.

“We should focus more on the goodwill of the interim government rather than its weaknesses. As a political party, we will always want elections to be held as soon as possible so that a political government can be formed through that process. Without a political government, various problems start to grow,” Fakhrul told reporters.

He said, “We believe they should take immediate steps to speed up the election process and ensure that the promised election is held in mid-February. There should be a clear announcement on this matter so that there is no ambiguity or confusion; necessary steps should be taken. We have conveyed this to the chief adviser on our behalf, and he will take the necessary steps.”

He added that the Gopalganj incident “definitely involves politics,” and there is certainly a conspiracy to sabotage the election.

“In Gopalganj, fascist allies of the Awami League created a reign of terror. The fascist Awami force was defeated… and now, once again, we are seeing a situation where signs of that force’s resurgence from July–August have begun to appear.”