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Registration date : 2008-06-10
 |  Subject: Khaleda zia says 'No, thank you' ..................  Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:02 pm | |
|  Khaleda Zia has "gratefully" rejected a BNP standing committee's decision to make her lifetime leader, the party said Sunday evening.
"I feel deeply grateful for the proposal the standing committee of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party made in its latest meeting, to make me the party leader for life," she said in a statement released by a party official.
"I thank all concerned for this.
"This proposal was only an expression of overwhelming emotion at a particular time.
"I humbly reject this offer without any disrespect to such emotions," Khaleda said exactly 24 hours after the standing committee took the decision in a meeting that she herself chaired.
The party policymakers had decided late Saturday afternoon that Khaleda Zia would lead BNP for life, just two days after her release from jail.
Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui placed the proposal on Khaleda's lifetime leadership, secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain had told reporters after the meeting.
Khaleda called the 'urgent' meeting of the party's top policymaking body to discuss a schedule and agenda for BNP's planned dialogue with the government among other urgent issues stemming from her release, a party official had earlier told us .
Delwar later called a us correspondent to "clarify" the standing committee decision.
Delwar said Khaleda Zia's "lifetime leadership" of the party did not mean being appointed "chairperson for life".
"Leading BNP for life is not the same as being lifelong chairperson," Delwar said
Khaleda, Sunday evening's statement, said: "Being an individual with some knowledge of history and being respectful of democratic norms and principles, I never consider leadership to be a permanent settlement,"
"Being a democratic party, BNP is run in a democratic process according to the party constitution.
"This constitution has no provision for anyone to occupy any post or leadership for life.
"Leaders at all levels including chairperson are elected democratically," she said.
Meanwhile, in another round of clarification, the BNP secretary general, whose appointment to the post was confirmed at Saturday's meeting, said a section of the media confused "leadership for life" with "chairperson for life".
"The late Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is still leading the Awami League. Shaheed Ziaur Rahman is also leading the BNP," he told reporters at his NAM flat Sunday evening.
"In the same way, Nelson Mandela is also leading South Africa. The standing committee believes desh netri Khaleda Zia will also lead BNP for life in the same manner," he said. | |
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