AL critical of its poor show on a few fronts

Two high-profile Awami League ministers yesterday criticised party activists for their behaviour which, they said, has made people restive.
They also admitted that the government could not perform well all its jobs including containing tender manipulation and controlling markets, the latter having often increased prices of essentials.
At a discussion meeting organised by Awami Jubo League to mark the Victory Day, the two senior leaders made the self-criticism for the first time in one year in power, evaluating the activities of party men and the performance of the government.
The present government is going to be one-year-old soon and people will evaluate its performance against what it promised, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said at the discussion at Mohanagar Natyamancha in city's Gulistan.
"I will not deny the truth that prices of essentials often increased as the government could not monitor markets properly," said the senior presidium member of AL.
"I will not say that the government could perform all its duties properly," she said, admitting that the government is yet to ensure employment of all while tender manipulation also occurred during the last one year.
She blamed the conventional rules of public procurement regulations for tender violation.
Matia, however, pointed out several achievements of the AL government, including distribution of cards, food and cash under social safety-net programmes like the VGF, Food for Work, Test Relief and others. She said the government was also successful in conducting hajj operations this year.
Jute and Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui said, "We are not being able to tackle the party's inner instability. We endured lots of sufferings and oppression in the past. People have given us an opportunity this time. We should not misuse the opportunity...Let us downplay our personal interests and work for the country."
He said, "We need to change our mindset and behaviour to bring in changes. The Awami League activists have to change their mindset to build a 'digital Bangladesh'."
Addressing as the chief guest, noted columnist-journalist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury said the AL would continue to enjoy state power if it can ensure that food prices will not increase anymore, violence will not occur and its activists will not engage in tender manipulation.
He bitterly criticised BNP chief Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and other leaders of the last BNP-Jamaat-led four-party government for their corruption and misrule.
Presided over by Acting Jubo League Chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury, the meeting was addressed, among others, by poet Asad Chowdhury, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's then press secretary to Aminul Islam Badsha, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and Jubo League General Secretary and Whip of Parliament Mirza Azam.