Gazipur City Corporation is the largest city corporation in the country. Voting in the GCC polls will be held on 25 May. But a discussion is going on at different levels regarding the probable candidate of ruling Awami League. One of the AL nomination aspirants is Jahangir Alam, who is a former general secretary of the Gazipur city Awami League and winner in the last GCC polls. He talked to Prothom Alo’s senior correspondent Mohiuddin and Gazipur correspondent Masud Rana regarding the party and various aspects of the election.
You have lost both the party and mayoral posts. What kind of challenge are you facing now after returning to the party as a general member?
Challenge is always tough. I have received justice from the party and it has given me another chance to get involved with the party politics. I have been suspended from the mayoral post following the allegations of three people. None of those who brought the allegations are citizens of Gazipur. Appearing before the investigation committee formed by the local government ministry, the three people said they did not file any such allegation; their names were used.
I was suspended based on such an anonymous letter. There are 66,000 elected people’s representatives across the country under the local government ministry. What could be the meaning of doing something like that (suspending) by the ministry? Then what is the necessity of keeping a chair for the people’s representatives? Let the administration do the task of people’s representatives. What is the necessity of arranging vote? Where would I go to seek justice amid this dramatic voting and cheating with people?
The country achieved independence in just nine months but the ministry could not prove an allegation received through anonymous letter in 16 months. Many people are involved with such illegal activities maybe in exchange of money or in exchange of power.
Those who provided misinformation to the prime minister should face trial. I believe they will be brought to book a day. I’m in the middle of a struggle now. A fight between truth and falsehood is going on. Many people support illegal activities in the name of remaining neutral.
You are the first mayor of Gazipur from Awami League. How much are you hopeful of getting nomination from the party this time around?
The party considers about the nomination based on the people’s opinion and gives the ticket to the person whom people would accept and cast vote for. It’s not that the support has to be 100 per cent; over 50 per cent is enough.
I believe most of the people would support if any survey is conducted. Out of this belief I expect, my party Bangladesh Awami League will give nomination to me, party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will choose me.
Q :
Would you contest in the polls if you do not get the party ticket?
I’ll wait for the party nomination until the last minute. Since the prime minister is my guardian, I’ll get justice even though it is late.
BNP is hinting at that they won’t contest in the polls. How would the polls be competitive then?
All the opposition parties contested in the voting when I was elected last time. They accepted the election until counting of the votes. I always kept a good relation with the opposition. I believe if I get the nomination for “boat” (electoral symbol of Awami League), it would be a participatory polls through contest of all the parties. I hope ideal personalities from all the parties will contest in the election.
Q :
What is your expectation for fair polls?
It is the duty of the state, the government and election commission to hold a fair election. This is the constitutional right of the people. The future will be bleak if the voting is not free and fair. None of us wants darkness; we want to step ahead towards the light. Citizens of an independent country would move and live by doing their jobs independently.
I support the initiative to set up CCTV cameras in all the polling centres and using EVM for neutral election so that none can do something nasty amid this good job; none can take resort to rigging; so that none can do any illegal work by using the power anyhow. All the stakeholders should keep an eye to the Gazipur City Corporation. It is their duty.
* The interview was originally published in the print edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza