BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Monday urged all political parties to move beyond debates over consensus and focus instead on seeking people’s mandate on agreed issues through the upcoming national election.
“The charter has been signed based on whatever level of consensus was reached — that chapter is now closed. Let’s go to the election and take these issues of consensus to people,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader said if any party had specific demands or plans for the future, it should take those to the people and seek their support.
“There’s no point wasting time quarrelling in Dhaka or trying to pressure others. Go to people and take their mandate. No individual, government, commission or political party can decide what the next parliament will do — only the people can,” he said.
Khosru, a BNP Standing Committee member, stressed the importance of returning to democratic practice.
“We must remember, no one has given us the authority to sit in Dhaka and make decisions for the nation. That power belongs to the people. We must come back to democratic norms and respect that," he said.
The discussion was organised by the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh at its auditorium to mark the organisation’s 55th founding anniversary.
Highlighting BNP’s goal of building a technology-driven Bangladesh, Khosru said skills and innovation should form the base of sustainable national development.
Referring to the development vision of late President Ziaur Rahman, he said investment is never a problem if good projects are planned.
“Ziaur Rahman used to say, ‘Money is not a problem as the problem is whether you have a good project. Bring a good project and there will be no shortage of investors, local or international,” he said.
The BNP leader said the country now needs projects that add value, ensure returns on investment, create jobs and protect the environment. “These are the kinds of projects we must work on.”
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He also stressed the need for greater investment in education and healthcare.
“If we don’t invest in these two sectors, all our talk about demographic dividends will be meaningless. To benefit from our population, people must be healthy and well-educated. Everyone should have options to choose the path they prefer,” the BNP leader said.
Khosru said skilled workers often earn more than professionals. “A plumber abroad can earn more than a doctor or an engineer. An electrician earns a good income too. So we must invest heavily in these areas.”