Awami League ponders if Joy is ready for leadership

Recently, while exchanging views with Awami League organising secretaries, the prime minister’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy expressed his willingness to become more involved in Bangladesh’s politics.

“So far I have not been visible in politics. Now I want to be visible,” he said on that day.

One section of the party leaders, comprising mostly young leaders in their thirties and forties, are enthusiastic about bringing in Joy right now.

However, there is some hesitation among another section of leaders of the party about whether Joy is ready to immediately succeed his mother Sheikh Hasina as the leader of Awami League and also the country, although at this moment, it does not appear to be too much of a challenge for him.

They think Joy, who has spent the lion’s share of his life abroad, will need to better understand the country, its people and its soil to be able to step into his mother’s shoes.

However, Awami League presidium member Nuh-ul Alam Lenin told the Dhaka Tribune that there had not been any collective thinking about bringing Joy into the party’s leadership.

“There could be some individual thinking about bringing him into the leadership. The prime minister herself or the family may think about it,” he said.

Joy’s first visible presence in politics could be dated back to the time immediately after the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in which a number of party leaders and activists were killed.

Then opposition chief Sheikh Hasina and many other party men were injured in the attack, which is often termed a failed attempt on Hasina’s life.

At that time, Joy was in the US. Soon after the attack, he became vocal about his mother’s safety, saying he would always stand beside her during her difficult times.

He strengthened his political endeavours during the 2007-08 tenure of the army-backed caretaker government. After his mother was arrested, Joy was instrumental in mobilising international opinion to push for her release at home.

He attended various programmes of the Awami League in the US and lobbied for international pressure for his mother’s release. He also spoke strongly in international media against his mother’s arrest.

Before the December 2008 national election, Joy emerged as an integral part of the Awami League’s election campaign. It is often said the “Digital Bangladesh” slogan, which played a key role in the party’s landslide victory in that election, was Joy’s brainchild.

In February 2010, Joy formally joined the party as a primary member of the Rangpur chapter. Rangpur is the home of his late father Dr Wazed Ali Mia, a noted nuclear scientist.

Since then, he is said to have been playing an important role in politics from behind the scenes.

Initially, Joy studied computer science at the University of Bangalore in India. Later, he got his credits transferred to the University of Texas in US and graduated from there with a BSc degree in computer engineering. Subsequently, he attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he completed his Masters in Public Administration.

Party insiders say Hasina now wants her son to be active in national politics. As a matter of fact, over the last few years, she has grown heavily dependent on her son. However, insiders also say a number of senior leaders caution against “dynastic politics.”

Presidium member Lenin also told the Dhaka Tribune that before becoming active in politics, Joy should first work for a better understanding of “the soil and the people of the country.”

“I think if Joy wants to step into the party leadership, he will have to prove his leadership qualities. I believe he is now going through that process,” Lenin said.

“As a highly educated and talented person, Joy has the scope of contributing a lot for the country,” the senior leader added.

He also said there was no problem with using family traditions as a stepping stone for getting into national politics. “Anybody can come to politics if they can prove their abilities. I believe that Joy would eventually step up by giving proof of his leadership qualities just like his mother and grandfather.”

Awami League Advisory Council member Suranjit Sengupta said: “I welcome Joy in Bangladesh’s politics…I think Joy’s involvement will create a new trend in our politics.”

The younger leaders of the party however believe that it is now time for Joy to get to the next level. They believe that Joy should be given a portfolio for him to contribute better.

“Now we think Joy should be appointed to party post,” a secretarial body member told the Dhaka Tribune.

Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud said now that Joy has become a primary member, it was only a matter of time for him to pick up a party post.

“Party post is not important in politics and Joy is working for the development of the country. I am sure he will take up the party’s leadership role as well as that of the country when it is needed,” he said.