Terming the Dec 30 as the democracy protection day, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud has said the countrymen took part in the national election on this day one year ago spontaneously to help continue democratic polity.
“Jatiya Oikya Front, BNP and their associates wanted to kill democracy by foiling the December 30 election,” he told reporters before joining a seminar at an auditorium of Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in the capital on Monday (Dec 30).
The minister said: “But the mass people of the country took part in the polls with great zeal by removing all obstacles and the Awami League won the polls in a massive way. For this, Dec 30 is the democracy protection day.”
IDEB and Bangladesh Climate Change Journalist Forum (BCJF) organized the seminar titled “Madrid Climate Change: Evaluation and Future Doings”.
Deputy Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Habibun Nahar addressed the seminar as the special guest with IDEB President AKMA Hamid in the chair.
Directors of Department of Environment Ziaul Haque and Mirza Shwokat Ali presented two papers in the seminar.
Hasan said actually BNP and Jatiya Oikya Front unveiled their masks by observing the day (December 30) as a ‘democracy killing day’ or ‘black day’. “They tried to kill democracy in 2018 and 2014 as well,” he added.
He said the countrymen saw their (Oikya Front) “big procession” (!) yesterday marking the day where around 150 activists took part.
“Even, many central leaders of different parties of the alliance didn’t take part in the procession. Now they are talking baseless,” said Hasan, also joint general secretary of Awami League.
He said, “Now BNP and Jatiya Oikya Front are busy plotting conspiracies after being failed in facing us politically. But they would not be successful as the countrymen are not with them.”
Replying to a query about cocktails exploding in front of BNP office, Hasan said the countrymen witnessed their every movement in the past.
“They (BNP) carried out petrol bombs and arson attacks on the people in the name movement. Even. They fought among themselves. I think this is the manifestation of the internal conflict of BNP,” he added.
About one year anniversary of the government in this term, the minister said the government achieved more than it’s expected targets.
On another query about the change of the mayoral candidate for the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), he said the party nominated the candidate who has much acceptance among the common people and is more capable.
In the seminar, Hasan said, all COP conferences make a sensation among the common people. But many heads of government don’t want to understand the messages, he said.
“We should think deeply about what would happen in the near future due to climate changes. We need this earth. But the earth doesn’t need us,” he added.
Expressing his disappointment over the allocation of fund for the climate change effects, the minister said the fund is not enough. They allocated only one-tenth of the fund, he added.
He said, “Bangladesh has done many things as regards the climate change issue under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We have already installed 5.5 million solar home systems.”
Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar urged all to make utmost efforts in combating climate change impacts and to bring more fund for Bangladesh.
IDEB General Secretary Md Shamsur Rahman, BCJF General Secretary Motahar Hossain, environmentalist Ziaul Haque Mukta and Climate Change Programme Coordinator Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan, among others, addressed the seminar.