Dr. Shafiq calls for ‘united Bangladesh’
Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Monday accused successive governments of looting the country and deliberately dividing society along religious, ethnic and regional lines, pledging that his party’s 11-party alliance is committed to building what he called “a united Bangladesh.”
Addressing separate election rallies in Meherpur-1 and Meherpur-2 constituencies in the afternoon, Dr Shafiqur said the people of Bangladesh, “witnesses to 54 years of political reality,” have seen rulers enrich themselves while fragmenting the nation.
“Those who have ruled the country looted on one hand, and on the other created divisions based on religion, identity and region, tearing the nation apart,” he said.
“The meaning of 11-party unity is one united Bangladesh. This country will not be allowed to be divided again.”
He said decades of corruption and misgovernance had pushed the country to the brink, arguing that no past ruling party could honestly claim to have governed with integrity.
“Over the last 54 years, the country has been sunk by corruption and misrule. None of those who ruled can place a hand on their heart and say they ran the state honestly,” he said.
Dr Shafiqur accused previous governments of failing to ensure public security, create jobs for young people or provide future generations with a suitable education.
“They cannot escape responsibility for bank looting, plundering state resources and social decay,” he added.
Framing the upcoming election as a choice between continuity and change, the Jamaat chief asked whether people wanted to return to what he described as “rotten old politics and politics of division,” or embrace a new direction.
“We have come to the ??? with the call for change,” he said, claiming support from youth, women, workers, farmers and people from all walks of life.
He said Bangladesh must be freed from corruption and warned that “no new fascism” would be accepted by the people.
“On the 12th, 125 million voters will exercise their civic rights. We are united for justice, honesty, transparency and social justice,” he told the rallies.
In a pledge aimed at restoring public trust, Dr Shafiqur said that if Jamaat were entrusted with state responsibility, misuse of public funds would not be tolerated.
“Every taka of government income and expenditure will be made public,” he said, adding that from union parishad members to members of parliament, all elected representatives would be required to disclose their assets to the people every year.
He also placed environmental issues high on his agenda, saying the country’s rivers had been destroyed.
“If we are given responsibility, restoring the life of rivers will be our first task. If rivers survive, the soil survives, the fields change. With the love of this land and its people, we will work,” he said.
Citing what he described as Jamaat’s past record in government, Dr Shafiqur referred to two former party leaders who served as ministers.
“They carried out their duties with honesty and competence. If we get responsibility again, every ministry will be run by honest and capable people,” he said.
On women’s rights, he said a nation that honours its mothers and sisters is honoured by God.
“If Jamaat comes to power, women will enjoy full security and dignity at home, on the streets and at workplaces. Violence against women and children will not be tolerated,” he said.
Addressing extortion, he said those who had turned it into a profession would be given a chance to abandon it and return to honest lives. “If extortionists repent and return the money, the state will ensure their security.
But to build a humane and prosperous Bangladesh, strict measures will be taken to suppress crime,” he added.
Speaking about youth, Dr Shafiqur said his party did not want to rely on unemployment allowances but aimed to build young people into skilled human resources.
He promised that the government would bear the costs of job applications and that the education system would give importance to Arabic and English alongside Bangla.
He also pledged equality before the law. “Whether an ordinary citizen or the head of the state, everyone will be equal in the eyes of the law.
No one will be spared for committing crimes,” he said, adding that elected representatives must be “servants, not rulers,” and face the public at least once a year.
Concluding his speech, the Jamaat chief called on voters to support the July charter in the upcoming referendum, urging them to vote “Yes.” “‘Yes’ means freedom, ‘No’ means subjugation,” he said.
At the rallies, he introduced Jamaat’s candidates Maulana Taj Uddin Khan for Meherpur-1 and Nazmul Huda for Meherpur-2, calling on supporters to work for their victory in the February 12 election.