Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said that scrapping the latest amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) would be a secret deal between the government and a particular party.

“Such a move would unfairly destroy the level playing field for all political parties,” he said in a statement issued today.

Porwar said on October 23, the Council of Advisers of the interim government approved a draft amendment to the RPO stipulating that even if an electoral alliance is formed, candidates must contest the national election under their respective party symbols.

“However, according to various sources, the interim government may now withdraw the approved amendment following a so-called ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between a BNP leader and an adviser,” he said.

“The people believe that if the RPO, approved by the Advisory Council in line with the recommendations of the Election System Reform Commission, is scrapped, it would be a shameful, undemocratic, and politically motivated act,” the Jamaat leader added.

He further said if the approved amendment is repealed, it will raise serious questions about the neutrality of the upcoming national election and the assurance of a level playing field for all political parties.

“If, just four months before the election, the level playing field is destroyed through collusion between a political leader and a government adviser, holding a free and fair election will become impossible,” Porwar said.

He urged the interim government to uphold the existing RPO approved by the Council of Advisers in order to safeguard the nation’s greater interests and ensure equal opportunities for all political parties.