Zonayed Saki, the mayoral candidate of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) polls, has launched election campaign after paying tribute to the Martyred Intellectuals Mausoleum at Mirpur in the capital on Tuesday morning.
The DNCC mayoral aspirant with hundreds of people stood at the mausoleum in silence for a minute in honour of the martyred intellectuals and placed wreaths to them.
Saki with the call “Change is possible and we want change;future Dhaka for masses and with masses” started the campaign from Bhashantek slum under ward 5 at Mirpur. This is one of the largest slums of the country.
“I am here to say if we the city dwellers can organise ourselves for ensuring democratic rights of citizen, better law and order situation where all can stand against any type of harassing situation, and for better accommodation facilities to all--a livable and safe Dhaka is possible,” he said.
“City corporation authority is responsible for ensuring security of city dwellers in each sector for examples, recent killings to shut the freedom of thinking, accommodation fare hike, traffic and transport crisis, less concern on natural or man-made disaster, inhuman conditions of working class and middle income people, less amenities for aged and kids, compacting cultural activities.
Citizens are utterly fading up on lot more issues like these for long. So, change in such stereotyped leadership is the most important duty, an elected city leadership must take the responsibilities and I made the call ‘Future Dhaka for masses and with masses’to bring the change,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Joint Convener of Peoples Solidarity Movement (Gonosonhoti Andolon) Zonayed Saki also the key organaiser and central leader of National Committee to “Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports,” entered student politics in 1990, carrying bloodied portraits of martyrs who had fallen during the student-led mass uprising against autocracy. He was elected as president of the left leaning student’s organisation Bangladesh Student’s Federation in 1998.
He made significant role in the student uprising against sexual harassment in educational institutions as a student leader.
Saki also led students against the government decision of cutting more than 11,000 trees of Osmani Udyan in 1999. Later, government changed the decision amid pressure.
His organisation‘Gonoshanhati Andolon’ Dhaka unit is on struggle to ensure Dhaka city dweller’s amenities and security with regular processions, rallies against bus fare hike, tenants right.
Revolutionary Women's Solidarity (Biplobi Nari Shanhati) leader and photographer Taslima Akhter, central leader of the party Abdus Salam, Firoz Ahmed, Bangladesh Bohumkhi Sramajibi Hawker Samiti President Bachchu Bhuiyan and Students' Federation President Saikat Mollik also attended the election campaign.