Funds of a ministry was also used along with donations of businessmen to finance ruling Awami League’s sudden publicity stunt in which it wrapped capital Dhaka with thousands of billboards boasting the gov-ernment’s achievement in the last four and half years.
The party’s Press and Publicity Secretary Hasan Mahmud said they have covered at least five thousand bill-boards in Saturday and Sunday’s drive and plan to go for port-city Chittagong during the Eid.
However, Hasan, who is also environment minister, could not confirm the source of the huge campaign. “I really do not have any idea whether the money for the giant placards and banners were spent from the government exchequer or the party fund.”
However, a party source on condition of anonymity and requesting that names are not mentioned said a state minister, who is also a top leader of Awami League, disbursed funds allocated for publicity in his min-istry for the campaign. He, however, could not confirm the amount spent from the ministry.
“The government had a plan to allocate publicity fund for every ministry to publicise the achievements in this tenure. However, it is still on the planning table. This ministry already spent funds for this billboard campaign in the name of government publicity.”
Meanwhile, another party source claimed the use of government fund was minimal and leaders of Jubo League, ruling Awami League’s youth front, collected most of the fund.
Ismail Chowdhury Samrat, president of Dhaka (south) city unit, who came into spotlight after running a similar stunt after Bangladesh’s win in the maritime dispute with Myanmar, is also one of the top initiators of the billboard campaign. He, however, could not be reached for comments despite numerous attempts.
Sources in the party and the billboard industry said that some journalists, who run advertisement firms, implemented the campaign, which according to industry estimates cost nearly Tk100m.
The ruling party used mostly 600-1,000 square feet digital banners hoisted on billboards in an unprece-dented campaign ahead of the upcoming national elections.
Leading billboard advertising firm Neptune’s executive Nizam Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune: “Each square feet of digital banner costs Tk15 for printing and Tk3 for installation. A standard 20 by 40 feet billboard would cost at least Tk14,400. With additional costs the amount would stand at around Tk20,000 each. So the cost of five thousand billboards would be close to Tk100m.”
Hasan pointed out printing posters would have cost nearly the same. “If we made a million posters, each would cost from Tk6-10. So we went for billboards as it would maximise outputs.”
He pointed out that posters hardly attract city dwellers, most of whom read billboards. “If we hang a bill-board in Farmgate area it will cover millions of passengers every day, so we went for billboards rather than posters.”
A senior official of the Bangladesh Outdoors Advertising Establishment Owners Association, who also has close ties with Awami League, told the Dhaka Tribune on terms of anonymity that they were aware of Awami League’s plan for a billboard campaign, but it happened earlier than planned.
“Awami League’s plan about billboards was constructive. The plan was to establish some new billboards in lucrative places in the capital and other cities at their own cost.”
Party sources said not only billboards, but the ruling party is also planning to go for “digital” campaign. Some professional campaigners would work with the party before the general elections. Renowned add firms have already been selected for the purpose and a huge budget has been allocated for the move.