Desk Report,
Another fight will be against corruption.
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has announced ‘another fight against corruption’ at a crowded rally in Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan. He also announced what his party will do if it is elected and forms the government.
Another fight will be against corruption.
Shafiqur Rahman said, ‘What will the future Bangladesh be like? I say, there will be another fight, God willing. One fight has been against fascism, another fight will be against corruption.’ He said, ‘We will not take donations, we will not commit corruption. We will not allow donations, we will not tolerate corruption. This is the Bangladesh we want to see.’
The rally was held yesterday, Saturday afternoon, under the chairmanship of Shafiqur Rahman, with seven-point demands, including holding elections through the proportional representation (PR) system. Shafiqur Rahman fell ill on the stage twice in a row while delivering a speech against corruption at the rally. Later, he finished his speech while sitting down. Shafiqur Rahman said, “If, by the will of Allah and the love of the people, members of parliament are elected from Jamaat and form the government, then no MP-minister will accept any government plot in the future. No MP and no minister will ride in a tax-free car. No MP-minister will handle any money in his own hands. If any MP and minister has received allocation for any specific work, he will be obliged to present his report as soon as the work is completed.”
This is the first public meeting in the history of Jamaat at Suhrawardy Udyan. People concerned say that this meeting will be especially memorable for the party and its Ameer Shafiqur Rahman. The party has named it the National Meeting.
Although the main speech began at 2 pm, the formalities of the meeting actually began at 10 am with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Then, Hamd, Naat and Islamic music were performed. After the Suhrawardy Udyan was full, the leaders and activists sat on various roads in the Shahbagh intersection, Ramna Park, and Dhaka University area. Many listened to the leaders’ speeches on the digital screens installed outside the Suhrawardy Udyan.
In his closing speech at the rally, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said, “If Abu Saeed had not stood up and held his chest, we might not have seen the Bangladesh we have today. So let us not despise and neglect those whose sacrifices have given us this blessing from Allah Ta’ala, let us not belittle them as children, let us not belittle other parties out of arrogance. Let us not speak in apolitical language.” He said, those who cannot avoid all this should understand that the form of fascism has taken root among them anew.
Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said, “We want to form a welfare state of good governance based on the Quran and Sunnah. The first vote of the young generation, capturing the spirit of the July mass uprising, should be in favor of the scales. We will unite Islamic and patriotic forces to build a new Bangladesh.’
A T M Azharul Islam, a member of the party’s executive council, said that the fate of Bangladesh has not changed in 54 years. The fate of the leaders has not changed. He urged Jamaat to win the elections by voting.
The party’s Naib Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said about the ongoing discussions on reforms, ‘Everyone says they accept reforms. But when they sit in meetings, some show a “no” attitude. Where is the problem? Reforms are for the welfare of everyone. So those who don’t want them have their own intentions! The center will not be captured through the PR system, then the intention will not be fulfilled. There is no opportunity to buy votes with money through the PR system, therefore the intention will not be fulfilled.’
Abdullah Muhammad Taher said that there is no place for militancy in Islam. No militancy will be able to rise in Bangladesh. It could be religious militancy or political militancy. Jamaat will stand against militancy if necessary.
Stating that even after a year of the mass uprising, no trial of the fascists has been seen yet, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan said, this trial must be completed before the elections. The fascist accomplices inside and outside the government must also be arrested. No new fascism will be allowed to establish itself in this country.
Another Assistant Secretary General of the party, HM Hamidur Rahman Azad, said, there is no alternative to the PR method to make the elections free from black money, fascism, nomination-trading and to guarantee the right to vote. He demanded the immediate formulation of the July Charter and the announcement of the elections through the PR method.
Dhaka Metropolitan North Amir Muhammad Selim Uddin and South Amir Nurul Islam Bulbul, Shibir President Zahidul Islam and General Secretary Nurul Islam, and Nazibur Rahman Momen, son of former Jamaat Amir Matiur Rahman Nizami, who was executed for war crimes, also spoke at the rally.
The event was moderated by Jamaat’s Publicity and Media Department Secretary Matiur Rahman Akand, Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, the party’s Dhaka Metropolitan South Secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud, and North Secretary Rezaul Karim.
Martyr family members were also present
The family members of Abu Sayeed, the first martyr of the July Movement, were also present at the rally. His elder brother Ramzan Ali said, “The murderers of the martyrs must be tried before the elections. The accomplices of fascism are still at large. They will come under the law only after the murderers are tried.”
