Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today announced her party's polls manifesto for the 2024 national election, vowing to build a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041.

"Bangladesh will be established as a high-middle-income country by 2031 and a developed, prosperous, smart one by 2041 by the Bangladesh Awami League, the bearer of the spirit of the Liberation War, if the people once again allow us to serve them by voting for the boat, the AL's electoral symbol," she said.

The premier said if the people of the country vote for the AL, her party will give them development, peace, and prosperity.

The AL chief made the remarks after unveiling her party's election manifesto at a city hotel this morning, just 10 days before the 12th parliamentary election slated for January 7.

The slogan of the AL's election manifesto is "Smart Bangladesh where Development Shines, Accelerating Employment".

The manifesto has given priorities to 11 issues.

In the manifesto, the AL vowed to show zero tolerance against corruption and terrorism, alleviate poverty, create employment, and ensure service-oriented and accountable administration.

The AL manifesto also put greater focus on infrastructure development, freedom of press and the practice of transparency, accountability, good governance as well as strengthened democratic values in all aspects of state management.

It, as well, promised to be tougher against money launderers, to eradicate bribery and corruption at all levels of the state and society, to establish a universal health system, and introduce health insurance.

"We are responsible for all the mistakes during the last 15 years ... Success is yours. Look at our mistakes with a forgiving eye. We promise to learn from past mistakes and conduct future activities according to your expectations," she said.

Right now, Bangladesh is standing in a transitional period and the country is going to join the ranks of developing countries from the list of least developed countries, she said, adding that this transition is an honour on the one hand and a huge challenge on the other.

"The government to be formed by the January 7 election must have the capacity to face this challenge. Only the Awami League can face this challenge and take the country to new heights," she said.

Looking forward to the 12th election, Sheikh Hasina said they have once again appeared before the countrymen with the election manifesto of Bangladesh Awami League.

"As a continuation of the past, this time, we have prepared an implementable election manifesto by setting specific targets. The continuity of the long-term action plans announced in the 2008, 2014, and 2018 election manifestos has also been maintained in the 12th election manifesto," she said.

The AL chief said they will not claim that they have always been a hundred percent successful in running the government despite sincerity and devotion.

She continued: "Awami League does not believe in the politics of words. We do what we say. The implementation of election manifestos of 2008, 2014, and 2018 is proof of that."

But at times, she said man-made, natural, and global obstacles slowed down Bangladesh's progress, adding that during 2013-16, they had to move forward by confronting the attempts of BNP-Jamaat to spread terrorism and militancy.

Since 2009, they had to deal with several natural disasters while the biggest blow came in 2020 when the global coronavirus pandemic broke out, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that the pandemic devastated economies and health systems around the entire world.

"Our government has successfully handled this terrible pandemic of the 21st century and kept the wheels of the economy running," she said.

However, as soon as the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic stopped, first, the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, and this year the Israel-Palestine war started, she added.

The sanction and counter-sanction against each other have thrown the world economy into turmoil and the least developed and developing countries like Bangladesh are being forced to import products at higher prices, she continued.
The depreciation of the domestic currency has led to an increase in inflation, which has an impact on commodity prices and people's lives, the premier said.

"Several times, despite multifaceted and all-out efforts, we have not been able to curb the rise in prices of daily necessities. This problem is not only for our country, but this problem is also for all rich and poor countries," she said.
However, "We are trying to reduce the plight of the lower and lower-middle class people through various initiatives, including expanding social safety net coverage. We hope that we can overcome this obstacle very soon, In Sha Allah," she added.

Whenever the election comes, the AL chief said an anti-liberation, anti-Bangladesh, and anti-development clique becomes active with a leap of conspiracy.

"They enter the field by using tricks or vote rigging or through the back door to come to power. If they become unsuccessful, they jump on the people to take revenge," she said.

She went on saying that the anti-liberation force wants to intimidate the public through arson attack, burning of vehicle, bombing, sabotage, or terrorist activities.

"This time, there was no exception. This time, they are also making conspiracies from abroad. Realising that they will not get the people's mandate, they have already indulged in terrorist activities," she said.

In the name of the hartal-blockade, the premier said that vehicles are being burnt, people are being killed, railway lines are being rooted up, and various vandalisms are being carried out continuously.

"The charred bodies of the mother and child have deeply shaken everyone's conscience. Such heinous acts can no longer be tolerated. Without getting the response to the people, mercenary forces are continuing this vandalism and damaging the vehicles," she said.

The people of this country will never let them fulfill their dream of disrupting the election through terrorism, she continued.

"As you resisted them in 2013-2016, let us collectively defend them this time. This anti-independence, anti-development vulture party will never be able to wound Bangladesh with their poisonous teeth and claws - let's take this oath in the month of victory," the AL chief said.

She reminded that this country's outstanding achievements- starting from establishing the rights to speak the mother tongue and achieving the motherland's independence, have come through the hands of the Awami League.

The AL president said Bangladesh has been transformed in the last 15 years as today's Bangladesh is by no means poverty-stricken or economically fragile.

"I can unequivocally say that today's Bangladesh is now a 'Changed Bangladesh.' Bangladesh is now a fast-paced country moving forward with its potential. Minor setbacks cannot hinder our economic progress today," she said.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader also spoke at the function.

Convener of the Election Manifesto Committee Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque gave the address of welcome.

Cabinet members, politicians, foreign diplomats, educationists, journalists and eminent personalities of the country were present.

Two video documentaries highlighting the journey of Bangladesh towards prosperity under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were screened at the function.

Actress Mahiya Mahi entered the Dhallywood industry with the film "Bhalobasar Rong". Over the course of 11 years, Mahi has expanded her career beyond the film industry, making appearances in the field of politics through diverse platforms. The actress engaged in political activities for several months now, actively participating in various Awami League meetings. There were indications that she would participate in the 12th national elections for Awami League. This speculation was confirmed on Saturday. A representative of Mahi collected the party nomination form of Bangladesh Awami League from the Chapainawabganj-2 constituency. This confirmation was posted on Facebook.

Mahiya Mahi spoke with the media yesterday and stated that a representative has collected the nomination form on her behalf. The actress posed while holding the nomination form with her husband Rakib Sarkar, mother Dilara Yasmin, and father Abu Bakar Khokon and shared the image on her official Facebook page. She also confirmed that she will submit the collected nomination form on Monday.

Mahi said, "I am from Chapainawabganj so I have been working for the people there. Those people wanted me to buy a nomination form. The rest actually depends on the party and it will nominate whomever it deems worthy. Nevertheless, I maintain a hopeful outlook; those who are at the policy-making level of the party will make the final nomination after vetting the nominees."

When questioned about the reason for her decision to participate in the parliamentary elections, Mahi said, "As a public representative I will have the opportunity and possibility to work on a much larger scale in comparison to my current reach." 

"The parliamentary seat of Chapainawabganj-2 encompasses three upazilas and presents a substantial area for impactful initiatives. Being a public representative offers a chance to make a significant difference, which might not be feasible for an ordinary individual. I believe that with determination, anything is achievable. From this perspective, I understand that if I were to become a Member of Parliament, I could undertake extensive efforts for the well-being of the people in that region. My primary focus would be on implementing substantial plans, particularly addressing the needs and concerns of the women in Chapainawabganj," she elaborated.

When asked about her intentions for women, Mahi stated, "Under the Awami League's tenure, thhas been significant progress in agriculture nationwide. Given that my region is also agriculturally inclined, I aspire to further enhance and support the agricultural sector."

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"My primary focus will be on agriculture. Additionally, inspired by the exemplary leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister, who has demonstrated the essence of women's leadership and the importance of self-respect, I am committed to empowering the women of Chapainawabganj. My efforts will be directed towards fostering their progress and encouraging them to move forward with dignity," she said.

"My job would be to guide them to becoming independent women entrepreneurs right from the comfort of their homes. The objective is to enable women to earn income independently, allowing all female members of the family to achieve financial independence. Given that we reside in the era of Smart Bangladesh, the focus will be on utilising the country's technology to empower and create entrepreneurs seamlessly from one household to another," the hopeful actress explained. 

Since 1991, Bangladesh has witnessed robust, genuine general elections till 2008, with the exception of the one in February 1996 which was overseen by the ruling government and boycotted by the main opposition of the time. Regardless of the veracity of those elections (1991, June 1996, 2001 and 2008), the losing parties labelled them as "unfair," claiming "minor irregularities," "blatant rigging," "election engineering," "ballot stuffing" or "voting at night." We also witnessed how 153 lawmakers were elected uncontested in the 2014 election, while in 2018, there were widespread allegations of ballot stuffing on the eve of the actual polls.

So, the nature of the impending election gives us a moment to ponder the present political scenario. The ruling Awami League is desperately trying to showcase the polls as inclusive and competitive—one that will lead to high voter turnout, although the main political opposition BNP and some left-wing and right-wing parties are boycotting the polls.

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As the ruling party's main challenge is to make the election look inclusive, it has adopted a strategy of allowing and encouraging those within its ranks to run as "independent" candidates. But before the ruling party chief endorsed their "independence," these aspirants were known as "rebel" candidates, who run against candidates of their own party after having been spurned in the race for nomination.

These independents have now become a major concern for ruling party nominees. According to news reports, intra-party fights are now likely, meaning that the contest will mainly be limited to AL nominees and AL independents. However, whoever wins, it is basically a victory for the ruling party. The election will look competitive as both candidates will try to reach out to the voters, possibly leading to higher voter turnout, although how fierce the intra-party feud will be is yet to be seen. There will also be no walkover this time, meaning no string of candidates being elected unchallenged—like what happened in 2014.

Rights advocate Sultana Kamal has rightly stated that the election has become a staged performance. We know the opposition parties have been terming the election staged, but when it comes from a noted civil society member who is uncompromising on issues of liberation and human rights, that gives it more credence.

Obviously, it is a good move to make the election competitive, but this one may prove to be costly depending on how it plays out in the future.

Meanwhile, the ruling party's alliance partners seem more concerned. They held a series of meetings with AL to negotiate a settlement on the number of seats that might be conceded to them. According to reports, this is likely to be only seven—down from 16 in 2018—with Jatiya Party (Monju) getting one, and two leftist parties getting three each. All the alliance partners said they wanted to contest the election with the AL symbol like they did in the past.

This time, the ruling party announced candidates for 298 seats. So, it has to withdraw some of its candidates from the seats where its alliance partners will run. But this is not enough for the coalition partners. They want no independent candidate from the ruling party, which essentially means they want to be elected unchallenged. They want assurance of victory in the polls, because an endorsement from AL ensures that. This precludes any possibility of competition, which is the main essence of an election.

There is more. The main opposition in parliament, Jatiya Party, is also negotiating with the ruling party over seat-sharing. It also wants assurance of victory and a guarantee that there will be no independents in its constituencies. But AL has said there will be independents. It is surely a rare incident in Bangladesh politics when the opposition party is in discussion with the ruling party over election strategy. Jatiya Party saw itself broken into factions over election, and its manner of negotiations points to its utter lack of confidence in winning a competitive election.

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So when the political situation is largely like this, the whole affair seems like a friendly charity match, in which it doesn't matter who wins. After all, it will either be AL's nominee or loyalist, or an "opposition" endorsed by AL itself. This proves that Awami League has become so strong that other parties exist merely on paper. Basically, those parties have degenerated into political clubs without any ideology, and the polls are merely a cosmetic exercise to exhibit—by dint of their presence on the ballot—that they do indeed exist. Their only intention is to land in parliament with the blessings and generosity of the ruling party.

The alliance partners and Jatiya Party have been in a favourable position for the last 15 years, enjoying their status and privileges. However, they have failed to strengthen their parties. Meanwhile, the ruling party has taken the election process to such a level where its victory is a certainty one way or the other.

While opposition parties used different labels to term previous elections, as stated before, this time it's different. Rights advocate Sultana Kamal has rightly stated that the election has become a staged performance. We know the opposition parties have been terming the election staged, but when it comes from a noted civil society member who is uncompromising on issues of liberation and human rights, that gives it more credence.

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The most crucial point is that, previously, these questions were raised after the elections ended, but this time, they are being raised even before it is held. The way AL is managing contesting parties and the strategies it has adopted to make the election inclusive and competitive, this election is surely a cosmetic one through which the government will be able to claim that everything was perfect, at least, through the clinical lens of legitimacy. But it would fall desperately short in terms of the spirit and purpose of elections.

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla is chief reporter at The Daily Star.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.

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