The National Citizen Party (NCP) has unveiled a 36-point election manifesto for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election.
The party has pledged, among other commitments, to lower the voting age to 16, create 10 million dignified jobs over the next five years, completely eradicate extortion to bring the political cost of doing business down to zero, and facilitate “reverse brain drain” by bringing talented professionals back to the country through one-off funding mechanisms.
The manifesto, titled “Manifesto of Youth and Dignity”, was formally launched at an event held at a Lakeside Hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka on Friday afternoon.
The party’s convener, Nahid Islam, presented the key elements of the manifesto.
Speaking at the event, Nahid Islam said, “Following our decision to enter into an alliance (the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party electoral alliance), questions have been raised about whether there remains any aspiration for a new political settlement.”
Pointing out that there has been debate and criticism both for and against the alliance, he said, “Our struggle for a new settlement continues—we remain committed to that demand. This is something that must be achieved through a long struggle.”
Speaking further about the alliance, Nahid Islam stated, “We have missed many opportunities, but we have also made gains. Some have questioned whether aligning with older parties means we have deviated from the goal of a new settlement. We have made it clear that a minimum level of political consensus has been reached within this alliance. It is essentially an electoral alliance. Our effort will be to realise reform demands through this alliance and to pursue the implementation of our own priorities.”
The programme began shortly after 3:30 pm with the national anthem, followed by the party’s election campaign theme song.
NCP spokesperson and chairman of the central election management committee, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, addressed the gathering, after which the core themes of the manifesto were outlined by joint chief coordinator Abdullah Al Faisal.
The event, moderated by Ehtesham Haque, head of the NCP manifesto drafting committee, also featured issue-based remarks by joint convener Nusrat Tabassum (women’s safety, rights and empowerment), senior joint convener of the National Health Alliance Gausul Azam (healthcare), and manifesto committee secretary Ishtiaq Akib (education and research).
Poet and thinker Farhad Mazhar, The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, Dhaka University academic Shehreen Amin Bhuiyan, and diplomats from various countries were also present.
What the 36 points include
The NCP manifesto is divided into 12 broad sections, from which the party has prioritised 36 points directly linked to rebuilding citizens’ lives and the state. These are as follows:
1. An independent commission will be formed to set timelines and accountability frameworks for implementing those provisions of the July Charter that depend on laws and executive orders.
2. Exemplary trials will be ensured for all crimes against humanity committed during the period of “Awami fascism”, including the July massacre, the Shapla massacre, the BDR killings, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission will also be established.
3. A special cell within the Human Rights Commission, vested with independent investigative authority, will be created to counter religious hatred, communalism, minority persecution and all forms of discrimination, violence and repression based on identity.
4. Annual income and asset statements of all elected representatives, including ministers and MPs, and senior government officials, along with detailed accounts of public expenditure and allocations, will be transparently published and regularly updated on a “Hisab Dao” (accountability) portal.
5. Lateral entry into the civil service will be expanded, and 100 per cent of promotions will be made performance-based through an independent promotion commission. Pay scales will be revised every three years in line with inflation, with imams, muezzins and khadems included in the pay framework.
6. The national identity card (NID) will be used as the single instrument for accessing all public services, eliminating the complexity of multiple cards.
7. Labour laws will be strictly enforced by setting a national minimum wage of Tk 100 per hour, ensuring mandatory workplace safety insurance and pension coverage.
8. The existing 10 million TCB smart family cards will be made usable at registered grocery shops instead of forcing beneficiaries to queue at trucks.
9. A structured house-rent framework will be introduced, alongside social housing projects developed through public–private partnerships and waqf- and sukuk-based financing.
10. By reducing the tax burden on the poor and middle class, preventing tax evasion and raising the tax-to-GDP ratio to 12 per cent, greater investment will be channelled into education and health; a cashless economy will be built.
11. Advance FTAs and CEPAs will be concluded to facilitate a planned transition from LDC status. Export diversification and new industries will be promoted to generate jobs, while discipline will be restored in banking, insurance and capital markets. Wilful defaulters will face a centralised database, strict laws, asset seizure and withdrawal of political rights.
12. Extortion will be completely eradicated to reduce the political cost of doing business to zero for both domestic and foreign investors, supported by a 999-style hotline and a strictly enforced zero-tolerance policy.
13. Inflation will be brought down to 6 per cent, the publication of misleading economic data will be stopped, regulatory bodies will be granted full independence, and school-based financial education will be introduced to safeguard public savings.
14. The voting age will be lowered to 16, and a Youth Civic Council will be formed to institutionalise and amplify young people’s voices.
15. Ten million dignified jobs will be created within five years. SME-focused cash-flow-based lending, a Tk 100 billion (10,000 crores) fund for women and youth entrepreneurs, reduced registration costs and tax exemptions for the first five years will be ensured.
16. Through state-regulated placement, language and skills training, 1.5 million safe and skilled migrant workers will be prepared annually.
17. An education reform commission will rationally integrate all existing streams and methods of education. A separate pay scale for teachers will be implemented, and 75 per cent of MPO-enlisted institutions will be nationalised within five years.
18. A mandatory six-month full-time internship or thesis-based research component will be introduced at undergraduate level to better link higher education with employment.
19. Reverse brain drain will be facilitated through one-off funding for expatriate researchers’ seniority and laboratories, alongside the establishment of a national computing server with special emphasis on computational research.
20. Specialised Healthcare Zones (SHZs) will be established in the northern and southern districts of the country to provide treatment for complex and critical illnesses, offering an alternative to overseas medical tourism.
21. A GPS-tracked national ambulance and pre-hospital emergency system with paramedic response teams will be introduced, with modern emergency departments, ICU and CCU facilities ensured at all divisional and district hospitals.
22. NID-based digital health records and an effective referral system will be created for all citizens, gradually bringing everyone under a national health insurance scheme.
23. To enhance women’s political empowerment, direct election of women representatives in 100 reserved seats in the lower house will be facilitated. The number will be gradually reduced as women’s participation increases.
24. Six months of fully paid maternity leave and one month of paternity leave will be made mandatory in all institutions. Optional period leave will be introduced in government workplaces, alongside compulsory daycare facilities.
25. Decentralised, upazila-based distribution of sanitary and other essential women-friendly health products will be ensured through direct allocations to health centres and public schools and colleges.
26. A one-stop “Diaspora Digital Portal” will be launched to provide passport, NID, birth registration, consular services and investment facilities online, with strict monitoring to prevent harassment at airports and embassies.
27. Remittance-linked investment and pension benefits will be introduced, along with “RemitMiles” travel rewards on flights.
28. Education, healthcare, employment, voting rights, skills development and social protection for persons with disabilities and marginalised communities will be ensured.
29. Integrated public transport systems under single authorities will be established in Dhaka and Chattogram, while expanded freight rail services will reduce pressure from trucks on roads.
30. Polluting brick kilns will be shut down, clean transport and green technologies promoted, with at least 25 per cent of electricity generated from renewable sources within five years and 40 per cent electric vehicles introduced in government procurement.
31. Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) will be made mandatory in all industries, supported by tax and financial incentives, with zero tolerance for industrial pollution, river and canal encroachment and environmental destruction.
32. Fertiliser, seed and machinery subsidies will be delivered directly to farmers via NID-based verification and cashbacks. Procurement centres, multipurpose cold storage and warehouses will be established to ensure direct procurement from farmers.
33. Food sovereignty will be ensured through enhanced research, conservation and distribution of indigenous seeds, alongside strict enforcement against food adulteration.
34. The highest diplomatic and political stance will be taken on issues like border killings, fair water sharing of international rivers, repatriation of Sheikh Hasina and other Awami terrorists, and unequal treaties with India; if necessary, recourse to international bodies and courts will be taken.
35. A humanitarian solution to the Rohingya crisis will be pursued through bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, alongside efforts to join ASEAN and strengthen ties with Southeast Asian nations.
36. A reserve force double the size of the regular armed forces will be created, with plans to form a UAV brigade in the army within five years and acquire at least eight medium-range surface-to-air missile batteries.