Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Leader of the Opposition and Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, commented that a “ghost is hiding inside the mustard seed,” making it impossible for the current government to drive it away.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at the triennial national conference of the Transport Workers Federation held at the National Press Club on Friday morning (July 31).
Criticizing the government’s performance, the Leader of the Opposition quoted a recent statement by a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader:
“A senior leader of the BNP himself said, ‘We are disappointed. In the last five months under this government, corruption has not stopped; rather, it has increased.’ He further claimed that everyone except one person is involved in corruption, and that one person is Tarique Rahman. This is beyond my comprehension. If he, as Prime Minister, does not want corruption, how does everyone else get involved in it? Everything operates at his signal—so why does corruption not stop at his signal?”
Dr. Shafiqur Rahman questioned that when the government itself acknowledges its failures, no moral basis remains for them to stay in power. He asserted that, from a moral standpoint, the current government has lost the right to govern the country.
During the conference, he highlighted several other critical issues:
Lessons from the Fate of Autocracy: Referring to the previous fascist government’s unjust attempt to ban Jamaat-e-Islami, he noted that through the passage of time, those very evil forces are now banned and banished from history.
Irregularities in the Name of Employment: He pointed out that despite grand promises of job creation in the election manifesto, there is no real implementation. Instead, people are being misled through irregularities and extortion in various sectors, including tempo stands and public transport.
The Leader of the Opposition warned that unless the government addresses its administrative weaknesses and drives away the “ghosts” of internal corruption, it will fail to steer the nation toward its desired path.
