JP council: Ershad blames parties for prolonging his military rule

Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad on Saturday blamed the political parties for the prolonged military rule under his dictatorship and said that he had called elections only two years after his takeover, intending to return to the barrack.
But, he said, the political parties did not respond to my call to join the December 8, 1984 elections, forcing me to postpone the elections.
Addressing the inaugural session of Jatiya Party’s eighth national council session at the premises of Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, Ershad said he did not seize power in 1982.
‘As the then president showed reluctance to continue in office, the power was handed over to me as army chief. Had there been any other person in the post of army chief in place of me, he or she would have taken the same responsibility,’ he said.
Ershad said he founded the Jatiya Party in 1986 to restore democracy in the country.
He told his party men that he would invest all his efforts to take his party to power again for the interest of restoring peace and democracy, as well as accelerating the pace of development work in the country.
At beginning of the council session, Ershad dissolved the existing central committee of the party.
Later, the councilors reelected Ershad as Jatiya Party chairman and his wife Raushan Ershad as senior co-chairman uncontested, through raising their hands and voicing their vote, after their names were proposed by the election commissioner.
The councilors also elected Ershad’s younger brother GM Quader as party’s co-chairman and Ruhul Amin Howlader as party’s secretary general.
The councilors empowered the newly elected party chairman Ershad to form the full central executive committee according to his wishes.
The elections to the four top leadership positions of the party took no more than seven to eight minutes.
The council passed some amendments and inclusion of some new provisions in the party’s constitution.
There was no provision for the posts of senior co-chairman and co-chairman in the past. The amended party constitution also empowered the party chairman to create new positions if and when he feels the need for it.
Ershad demanded reforms in the election system in the country to avert violence centering on the elections and introduction of state government system in the country to decentralise power.
The Jatiya Party chairman also proposed a proportional representation election system whereby people cast their vote for parties and not candidates.
Ershad called upon the former Jatiya Party leaders who had left the party and formed separate parties to join the party again to strengthen its organisational activities across the country.
‘We would accept you (former leaders) wholeheartedly if you want to join the party again,’ he added.
Leaders of different political parties, diplomats and distinguished persons were present at the council session.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net