Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman on Monday said that his party wanted to entrust the country’s future to young people, describing them as courageous, technologically capable and willing to embrace changes.
In a televised address to the nation as part of election campaigns, broadcasted by the state-run Bangladesh Television, he called for an end to divisive politics and pledged to build a united, peaceful and accountable state.
Alleging that people’s democratic rights had been systematically dismantled since 2009, he urged voters to support reform initiatives through the forthcoming referendum and the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections on February 12 to build what he termed a ‘new Bangladesh’.
Shafiqur said that successive elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024 had been ‘farcical’ that deprived citizens of their voting rights and weakened all democratic institutions through enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Referring to the 2024 July uprising, he said it emerged from people’s struggle to reclaim rights and dignity.
‘People, especially the youth, want change, but some oppose it because change will shut down their path of wrongdoing,’ he said, praising slain activists including Abrar Fahad, Abu Sayeed, Mir Mugdha, Osman Hadi, and protesters of the uprising for showing the courage to resist ‘fascist’ power.
Shafiqur urged citizens to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum to complete unfinished reform processes initiated after the July uprising.
He claimed that Jamaat-e-Islami was the first party to outline governance strategies through a policy summit, which was also reflected in the party’s election manifesto.
Criticising past governments for corruption and misuse of state institutions, he said that Jamaat-back people’s representatives had not been accused of corruption.
Pledging that his party would not allow governing the country merely by family identity, he vowed to dismantle what he called a looting-based political culture.
Outlining Jamaat’s election manifesto priorities, he said the party sought public endorsement for honesty, unity, justice, efficiency and employment, while rejecting corruption, fascism, domination, unemployment and extortion.
Shafiqur also pledged reforms in education, the judiciary and the economy, protection of women’s dignity, minority rights and expatriate workers, and diplomatic efforts for the safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
Terming the forthcoming national elections a historic opportunity, Shafiqur urged voters to support his party candidates with the ‘scales’ symbol and other candidates under the 11-party electoral alliance, saying that the mandate would enable the alliance to help steer Bangladesh towards a just and inclusive future.
Source: https://www.newagebd.net/post/Politics/290665/jamaat-amir-vows-reforms-youth-led-governance
