‘Mob justice will be brought under control,’ says Fakhrul

Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said mob justice would be brought under control.

“Of course, it will be controlled. The law and order situation, which deteriorated to some extent, must be improved,” he told reporters at the Secretariat on his first working day after the formation of the government.

“A big storm has passed over us. There has been a revolution, an uprising, a mass movement. It is not reasonable to expect that everything will be fixed instantly in such a moment,” he said.

Fakhrul said he would take immediate steps to hold local government elections soon.

When asked whether a white paper would be published on the activities of the interim government, he said it was not necessary.

“They took responsibility at a special moment. At that time, as much as was necessary, they were able to accomplish most of the tasks. What was the core issue? The transition to democracy. They completed that. So, you must give credit to them. They have done many good things,” he said.

Asked whether an election without the Awami League was inclusive, Fakhrul said, “Nationally and internationally everyone has said this was an inclusive election. And because it was inclusive, it has become acceptable to all.”

On the government’s decision regarding the Awami League, he said the matter would be informed after discussions within the government.

Responding to a question on whether the country’s law and order, economy and foreign policy were fragile, the minister said, “No, not that bad. It is not as bad as you are portraying.”

“Our law and order situation has improved compared to before. In the economy, macroeconomic stability has largely returned. The banking sector has come under much greater control. These were nearly destroyed. With coordinated efforts, we believe we can further improve them,” he said.

Asked about the key challenges facing the government, he said, “We have come with challenges. The challenge is to build the nation.”

“Democracy is our main ingredient as we move forward. That means democracy will be present in everything we do. We believe in that democracy,” he added.

He expressed hope that he would be able to make the ministry more dynamic.