The twelfth national parliamentary election of Bangladesh is scheduled to be held on January 7, 2024. In the meantime, the government parties and their alliances are preparing to participate in the elections in 300 seats across the country.
The last date for the submission of nominations has already passed, and main opposition party BNP remains adamant in its decision not to participate in the elections. They aim to intensify protests in the field for their one-point demand to hold fair polls under a neutral caretaker government. Meanwhile, candidates of several other parties are contesting the elections from various regions across the country. The country's relatively small parties are also in an election mood, presenting their agendas and promises to work outside traditional ways for the people.
Three nominated candidates from the Sirajganj-1 constituency commented on the sixth episode of the TV show “Election Debate,” organized by Dhaka Tribune. They are Tanvir Shakil Joy MP, Vice President of Bangladesh Awami Volunteer's League; Engineer Md Zahurul Islam, General Secretary of Kazipur Upazila Jatiya Party, Assistant Secretary of Sirajganj District Jatiya Party; and Md Rezaul Karim Belal, President of Kazipur Upazila Zaker Party, Joint General Secretary of Sirajganj District Zaker Party.
Md Rezaul Karim Belal had received the Zaker Party nomination for Sirajganj-1, but he was one of more than 200 candidates of the party who withdrew as the party leadership took the strategic decision to focus on a limited number of constituencies to increase their chances of victory. Although he is no longer participating in the polls, Rezaul Karim came to the debate to discuss the overall goals and priorities of the Zaker Party.
The program was moderated by Dhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad.
The episode aired on Channel 24 TV yesterday, where leaders from Bangladesh Awami League, the current opposition in Parliament Jatiya Party, and Zaker Party expressed their views on the political situation, current goals, the global situation, economic challenges, women and youth situation in Bangladesh, and their plans for the Sirajganj-1 Constitution. Additionally, the respective parties discussed their political differences, freedom of expression, and the party’s commitment to anti-corruption.
Regarding the economic challenges of the government, AL candidate Tanvir Shakil Joy said: “This is a challenging election for the government. This year's election is going to be held through a challenge in different ways. In the aftermath of the Corona pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East is as unstable as any country. Our garment sector is facing challenges as the demand in the countries which were taking products from our garment industry has decreased; they are also going through the same economic recession. As a result, our orders have decreased, so we can export less. As expatriate demand has declined, remittances have also declined. Expenditure is increasing but income is not increasing due to stress; the whole world is in the cycle of the same situation. In the meantime, the Awami League is handling this economy and health policy.”
He said this election is going to be held amid all these challenges, so the AL manifesto contains the correct monetary policy for 6 months to 1 year to deal with the post-election situation.
JaPa candidate Md Zahurul Islam said: “Economic challenges are going to be more overt. Our party is emphasizing two things to deal with the situation. We identify two problems: the amount of the reserve decreasing, and problems opening LCs with banks. To overcome this situation, our plan is to increase remittances by exporting skilled manpower and taking special initiatives in the garment sector.”
Zaker party leader Rezaul Karim Belal said: “Economic challenges are also related to the issues of politics. We have not decided yet what will be the method of the national election. Differences of opinion have arisen over holding elections under a caretaker government. We have not yet reached a proper solution where all parties have a consensus.”
He added: “my party’s plan for economic development is to enrich various sectors from region-based. Identifying problems in my region and mobilizing them through incentives. And our master plan includes keeping the electricity and gas supply running in the region. Because to prosper in this region, it is necessary to ensure proper growth in the industrial and agricultural sectors.”
AL leader Joy said: “A large population here is involved in the agricultural sector and weaving industry. One of their major challenges is raw material supply and transportation, which we are already working closely on. And at the national level, we are working on two issues, withdrawal of additional VAT on raw materials and uninterrupted power supply, so that the work of this industry is not disrupted, and loans can be provided on easy terms for them.”
He added that the most benefited in Digital Bangladesh are the youth of our country.
“This government is doing the most in empowering women. We have reduced the problem of eve-teasing in the country. The major disruption in women's empowerment was health and education. We have mobilized community clinic services to improve them. And it is not enough to create opportunities for women's employment, so we are increasing opportunities for entrepreneurship,” he said.
He considers drug consumption by the youth to be the greatest problem of the present time.
JaPa leader Zahurul said: “To boost the weaving industry, we are planning to increase production by increasing their facilities with subsidies.”
He thinks that the youth should be involved in politics. “The talent of the youth is needed in politics for the development of the country. And we will take the initiative to involve them in cultural activities.”
Zaker Party leader Rezaul Karim said: “Bringing the youth to politics is now a challenge. Economic and political support are closely related to development. Young voters should be motivated to vote.”
He complained that the youth are apprehensive about what kind of vote will be taken, and said the party has “big plans” for young and women voters.
About corruption and freedom of expression, AL leader Joy said: “Corruption is being prosecuted under this government. There are no MPs or ministers of the country outside trial. Accounts of their assets are being sought, and corruption cases are pending; many are on trial.”
He added that freedom of speech is most important in the development of democracy. “Many media outlets have evolved over the past 15 years, but freedom does not mean arbitrariness. To overcome unacceptable issues, the government had to deal with them with a strong hand.”
JaPa leader Zahurul said: “The parochial politics in freedom of dissent is getting a bit better now, I think. Corruption is affecting the economy. Currently, mega projects are behind the corruption. When we come to power, we will take a strict stand against corruption.”
Zaker Party’s Rezaul claimed that Freedom of dissent is not here.
“Black money in elections, corruption in polling stations, the same thing happened under all previous governments. Our ideology is different from the current conventional political parties, so we think we are more responsible and honest to bring change in the country. We hope that the people of the country will choose us,” he said.
What they said
Expenditure is increasing, but income is not rising due to stress, and the entire world is caught in the cycle of the same situation. Meanwhile, the Awami League is managing the economy and health policy. However, this election is taking place amid all these challenges. In the aftermath of the Corona pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East is as unstable as any country. Our garment sector is facing challenges as the demand in the countries that were purchasing products from our garment industry has decreased; they are also going through the same economic recession. Therefore, our manifesto contains the right monetary policy for the direction of 6 months to 1 year to deal with the post-election situation. On the other hand, the major disruption in women's empowerment has been in health and education. We have mobilized community clinic services to improve them. Moreover, creating opportunities for women's employment alone is not enough, so we are increasing opportunities for entrepreneurship.
We identify two problems: The amount of the reserves decreasing, and LC problems with banks. To overcome this situation, our plan is to increase remittances by exporting skilled manpower and take special initiatives in the garment sector. The talent of the youth is needed in politics for the development of the country. The parochial politics in freedom of dissent is getting a bit better now, I think. Corruption is affecting the economy, and currently, mega projects are behind the corruption. When we come to power, we will take a strict stand against corruption. Also, to boost the weaving industry in the Sirajganj-1 area, we are planning to increase production by enhancing their facilities with subsidies.
Economic challenges are also related to political issues. We have not yet decided on the method of the national election, and differences of opinion have arisen over holding elections under a caretaker government. We have not yet reached a proper solution where all parties have a consensus. Our master plan includes keeping the electricity and gas supply running in the Sirajganj-1 region because ensuring proper growth in the industrial and agricultural sectors is necessary for prosperity in this region. Our ideology differs from that of the current conventional political parties, so we believe we are more responsible and honest in bringing change to the country. We hope that the people of the country will choose us.
From Bangladesh's Sirajganj-1 Constituency, the AL, Jatiya Party, and Zaker Party presented their party and personal positions, evaluations, political stances, analyses, women, and youth development, as well as future commitments to the people. We observed a difference of opinion among the parties, highlighting a perceived issue of unity in election management. We can understand the solutions they are considering from their respective viewpoints. Additionally, each party shared its plans for employment and the development of women and youth, expressing confidence in the successful implementation of their master plans. We hope the audience gained insights from these discussions. Through this participation, we aimed to examine issues at both the national and international levels.
