Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that any decision on adopting a proportional representation system should be left to the next elected Jatiya Sangsad.
The concept is new and unfamiliar to the public, he also said.
Speaking at a views exchange meeting with members of the Christian community at the BNP chair鈥檚 Gulshan office in the capital, Fakhrul iterated the BNP鈥檚 position that it sought free, fair, and acceptable Jatiya Sangsad elections.
He said that the government and the Election Commission were making efforts in that regard, but certain聽 developments had caused deep concerns.
Explaining the BNP鈥檚 reservations about the PR system, Fakhrul commented that its main drawback was that it restricted voters鈥� freedom to choose individual candidates.
In such a system, he said, people would vote for parties rather than persons, thereby weakening the concept of direct representation.
As discussions on the PR system are gaining attention and movements are forming around it, it is natural for those seeking immediate elections to restore democracy and form a democratic parliament to be concerned.
During the meeting, Christian community members raised concerns about social issues and nomination opportunities in the upcoming general elections.
Fakhrul assured them that their concerns would be taken seriously.
Fakhrul urged the citizens to protect the spirit of the Liberation War, saying that they must always remember the soul of Bangladesh 鈥� the secular, inclusive state the nation had fought to build
in 1971 鈥� and they should not allow that soul to be destroyed.
While the nation, he observed, had aspired to be non-communal, there were now attempts to redefine it along religious lines.
Fakhrul hoped that the people would once again vote to reaffirm that Bangladesh should remain truly non-communal and rooted in Bangladeshi nationalism.
Addressing the Christian representatives, Fakhrul said that he would forward the letter they wrote regarding nomination requests to the acting BNP chair, which would receive the highest priority.
He urged them to speak up confidently about their needs and rights, advising them never to consider themselves a minority or a small group.
Among others, Christian Lawyers鈥� Association president Albert Rosario, Bangladesh Christian Forum leader Anil Leo Costa, Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front chair Bizon Kanti Sarkar, BNP joint secretary for religious affairs John Gomez, and BNP executive committee member Sushil Barua spoke at the event.
