‘Reuters misquoted me, protesters not planning to form new party’: Mahfuz Abdullah

Leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement are not planning to form a new party, Mahfuz Abdullah, coordinator of the liaison committee of student movement leaders, said tonight, debunking a Reuters report published earlier on the day.

“My statement has been misquoted in the Reuters report. Bangladeshi media have published a poor or ‘intentional’ translation of the false statement,” Mafuj, who has been named as Mahfuj Alam by Reuters, told journalists in the evening.

“I told Reuters that we are not thinking of forming a new party as of now. We are working for the abolition of the fascist system and a new political arrangement. Our primary goal is to retain the spirit of mass uprising and consolidate the government,” he said.

“We will also work on the outline of the future Bangladesh by talking to various stakeholders of the state and society. This might take a month. But Reuters also wrote that after a month it will be determined whether we will form a party or not,” he added.

Stating that Reuters made a mistake, Mahfuj, who is also a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said the news agency used the word “voters” instead of “citizens”.

“However, we hardly talked about electoral politics. I have written to Krishna Kaushik, he may edit it,” he said.

He went on to say that the Reuters reporter repeatedly asked about the political spectrum of Bangladesh being dominated by the two parties and whether the student leaders would form a political party to change it.

“As I have said, we want reform of the system, not parties or individuals. So whichever party comes, it has to be accountable to the people. But [Reuters] stated it like that I am seeking to minus the two [parties]. Which is certainly not my intention.”

Mahfuj said their aim is to drive the political struggle towards constructive action with concrete objectives. “Everyone will know what the political structure will be at the appropriate time.”

Earlier on the day, Reuters published a report with the headline “Bangladesh student protesters plan new party to cement their revolution”. The report cited several coordinators of the student movement, including Mahfuj Abdullah, Tahmid Chowdhury, Adviser Nahid Islam, Umama Fatema, and Nayeem Abedin.

“Student leaders are discussing forming a political party to end the duopoly, said Mahfuj Alam, who chairs a committee tasked with liaising between the government and social groups such as teachers and activists,” wrote Reuters.

A decision would be made in about a month, the 26-year-old law student told Reuters, adding that protest leaders wanted to consult widely with citizens before deciding on a platform, it also stated.

Details of the students’ plans for their movement’s political future have not previously been reported. 

“People are really tired of the two political parties. They have trust in us,” the report quoted Mahfuj as saying.