Pre-independence Jamaat and current Jamaat not the same: Golam Porwar

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar has said that the party today is not the same as it was before Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after delivering the keynote address as chief guest at a workers’ rally organised by the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Federation at the Cumilla Town Hall ground at around 11:00 am on Friday.

“In the political context of the Pakistan period, there may be discussions about the policies and roles of political parties of that time. But many things have changed after independence. The Jamaat-e-Islami of that period and the Jamaat of today are not the same. There have been repeated changes in the party’s constitution, policies and methods,” Golam Porwar said.

He further said, “If you read the Jamaat’s constitution, you will see that in the introduction itself we have stated that we respect the struggle and sacrifices of the freedom fighters of the Great Liberation War. One cannot become a member of Jamaat-e-Islami without recognising the sacrifices made for the independence and sovereignty of this country. Despite such constitutional changes, when a section continues to raise this debate, it is not patriotism or love for independence. It is a foreign conspiracy aimed at dividing the nation.”

The Jamaat leader added, “The Leader of the Opposition and the Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer made a very constructive statement regarding the proposed bill on the definition of the Liberation War. He said we want to move away from politics that divides the nation. Even during the interim government, we had drawn attention to the fact that there were political motives behind this bill and that it should be amended. However, the definition has been changed repeatedly; it did not exist in this form under previous governments. Those who are active in dividing the nation are responsible for keeping it in this manner.”

Golam Porwar said, “Jamaat-e-Islami believes that in world history, political debates may exist, but no nation can move forward by repeatedly debating old issues 50 to 60 years after independence. The Ameer of Jamaat has said, ‘if we remain stuck in history, we can never create history’. Most members of the current parliament are young people born after independence. If you label them as anti-independence or razakars (collaborators), the public do not accept it; rather, it becomes a subject of ridicule.”

In his speech as chief guest at the rally, the Jamaat Secretary General said that although communism speaks about workers’ rights, in practice it has failed to establish them. Likewise, he argued, it is not possible to implement Islamic labour rights in a state dominated by western democracy, socialism, and nationalism.

An Islamic governance system is necessary to implement Islamic labour policies, he stated.

The rally was chaired by Rafiqur Islam, president of the Cumilla city unit of the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Federation. Special guests included central adviser Maulana ATM Masum, city unit chief adviser Kazi Din Mohammad, central adviser Maulana Yasin Arafat, and central vice-president Md Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan.

The event was conducted by city unit secretary Zillur Rahman and assistant secretary Md Main Uddin Sarkar. Other speakers included labour leaders Aktaruzzaman, Md Shafiullah, Nizam Uddin, Kalim Ullah, Mohiuddin Ripon and others.