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Reformists put on loyalty vest

Now trying hard to get posts

Rakib Hasnet Suman
Reforming BNP seems to be put on the back burner as the curtain on the party's national council is lifted today, since the grassroots level leaders, who have been the most vocal for reforms, are rather busy proving their loyalties to the Zia family nowadays.
The new breed of 'reformers' who were pushing for electing leaders with good images to the party’s central level committees, now believe loyalty to the Zia family should be the main criterion for distributing those posts.
In February this year during a meeting between central and grassroots level leaders, the latter however had suggested purging the party of corrupt elements.
Many of the young' reformers' had even urged the top leadership not to continue the party's ties with Jamat-e- Islami, considering the sentiment of the younger generation about the Islamist party's role during the country's liberation war.
But none of those issues is being discussed anymore, as the grassroots 'reformers' have awakened to a more pragmatic belief that whatever Chairperson Khaleda Zia decides that must
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be right for the party.
To keep their posts and positions safe, they are now competing against each other to stand as close as possible behind the Zia family with the corollary competing visibility of resoluteness.
Talking to The Daily Star, Obaidul Islam Badal, general secretary of Nalchhiti upazila unit of BNP in Jhalokathi, hoped that dedicated leaders 'who did not betray with the Zia family during the trying times under the recent emergency regime' should be prioritised for election to central party posts.
Jahangir Alam Rubel, president of Gopalpur upazila unit in Tangail, said the party has recently been reorganised democratically, and now they want to see those leaders at the central level, who stuck by the Zia family through the two years of the caretaker emergency.
When Badiuzzaman Ferdous, president of Kamarkhanda upazila unit in Sirajganj, was asked how
much of their reform proposals has been accepted and implemented by the top echelon of the party so far, he evaded the issue saying the party recently elected the lower level leadership democratically, and he believes that is a sign thartheir other expectations will also be fulfilled in the national council.
He however cautioned that the party must be aware that the ‘betrayers' should be kept out of powerful positions.
Amjad Hossain, newly elected vice-president of Shoilokupa upazila unit said they believe the chairperson will do what is best for the party. "What we think is not important. We depend on madam [Khaleda Zia], and she will take the right decision."
Some lower level leaders who had been quite bold against known corrupt leaders of the central level, urged this correspondent recently not to remember the old comments they had made in February.
"Brother don't embarrass me please, as you can understand the situation, now we
know madam is right," a leader who was recently reelected a unit chief, told this correspondent last week.
He however had been very critical of some central leaders due to their alleged corruption only ten months ago during the grassroots level leaders' meetings with six central teams led by the joint secretaries general.
Later those teams submitted reports with reform recommendations from the lower level leaders to Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Taking the reports into consideration, Khaleda decided to reorganise the party from the grassroots level up, and dissolved 71 district committees on June 9 replacing them with convening committees for elections, some of which have been held recently, electing presidents and general secretaries to the units.
But no grassroots level recommendations regarding change of party policies has yet been officially accepted, let alone implementation.