2024-07-06 09:59:47
BNP has supported the ongoing movement of students demanding the abolition of quota system in government jobs as logical. At the same time, the party also demanded the cancellation of the National Pension Scheme.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said this in a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan in the capital on Saturday (July 6).
He said that for the past few days, students have been protesting on the streets against the High Court’s order to abolish the quota system in the recruitment of government jobs. We believe that freedom fighters are the best children of the nation. They are awarded state honors. State rituals, national days and even burial with state honors after their death are complete. These are what they deserve, and also have various benefits including freedom fighters allowance.
BNP Secretary General said, based on the Declaration of Independence, the main commitment of the War of Independence was to ensure equality, human dignity and social justice. To build a state and society without discrimination. All citizens are constitutionally and legally equal. But as per Article 28 (4) and 29 (3) of the Constitution some reservations may be made as an exception to women and backward sections of citizens and genuine freedom fighters and physically challenged. It is almost impossible to survive as a nation in a technology and talent driven world system by maintaining the 56 percent quota system. Quota system in any class, including first, second, third and fourth, cannot help in development of merit and is in conflict with the pledge of liberation war to build a nation and society without discrimination based on merit.
Mirza Fakhrul said that the current illegal, unelected, authoritarian government is engaged in the despicable old tactic of suppressing the just demands of the people by using the judiciary i.e. putting a gun on the neck of the court to suppress the fair movement of students. At this time of the 21st century, there is no alternative to establishing a merit-based state system in order to survive in the technology and knowledge-based global system. So we agree with the fair and logical demands of the quota reform movement of the general student society.
He said, we believe that all efforts to suppress the logical demands of the student society by the law and judicial department will fail. Because, the lesson of history is that the righteous movement of the people can never be suppressed. We hope the government will accept the logical and fair demands of the students in time. I urge students to resolve this issue by accepting the just and logical demands of the students.
Fakhrul said, we are noticing with great concern that all the teachers and employees of all the public universities of the country have stopped the education program recently. The government has issued a circular involving the teachers and employees of all the public universities of the country to introduce a universal pension scheme. Angered by this matter, the teaching community and employees of the public universities of Bangladesh rejected it and protested against it. All activities including teaching and examination have been stopped in all educational institutions. A stalemate has emerged in higher education institutions. It is very worrying for the nation. In fact, it opens another avenue for corruption in this bankrupt government. Since the economic condition of the country is extremely critical, other sectors want to take this pension money from the teachers unfairly.
Mirza Fakhrul also said that 40,000 applications have been received so far from about 18 crore people in the 4 projects of Sarvajanin Pension Scheme (BBC). Former Finance Minister Lotus Kamal said in his speech introducing this bill in Parliament that the government will not find space to keep the money of Sarvajanin Pension Scheme. Launching a new scheme called Sarvajanin Pension Scheme is a strategy to repair the weak financial sector of the government amid the financial crisis of the government. This is another new looting scheme of this illegal and financially bankrupt Deolia government – called pension scheme, pratya scheme etc.
He said that the government wants to introduce this scheme among 140,000 officials and employees in private, self-governing state and statutory institutions.
The illegal government wants to introduce this provision in an arbitrary manner without any discussion with about 50 thousand teachers and employees in the universities. But it is mentioned as optional in the paragraph containing the purpose and reasons of this Act. In this context, the movement and protest started by the teachers’ society is certainly logical and worthy of support.
Mirza Fakhrul said, capitalizing on the mismanagement and weakness of the government, a class of business robber syndicates and some corrupt government officials are looting without limit. They are smuggling money abroad by completely destroying banks and all financial sectors. The government is not taking any effective action against them. In such a situation, citizens will invest their life-earned wealth in this new looting scheme?
He said, state treasury is almost empty, banking sector is almost bankrupt. This government wants to empty people’s pockets by introducing more schemes like pension scheme to sustain such predatory system. In the name of so-called development, the government is putting the burden of expenditure on the shoulders of the people. If the development bully of the government is so strong then the pension should be increased.
Therefore, the people are rejecting all the schemes of the government, including the politically motivated and unethical so-called pension scheme. BNP Secretary General also said that we support this logical movement of university teachers and employees and call for immediate withdrawal of this pension scheme.