Dhaka, Dec 15 – The Ganosamhati Andolan, a component of the Left Democratic Alliance, in its election manifesto released on Saturday ahead of the December 30 1national elections, pledged to establish fear-free Bangladesh restoring democracy. Three Ganosamhati candidates — Zonayed Saki, Hasan Maruf Rumi and Zulkarnain Babu will contest the polls in Dhaka 12, Chattogram 10 and Pabna 1 constituencies respectively.
As the court is yet to approve the party’s registration, Ganosamhati candidates will contest the polls with the symbol ‘spade’ — the symbol of Biplabi Workers Party.
Complaining that the Election Commission failed to act as a neutral body to check aggressive ruling party’s dominance over opposition contestants, party leaders said that the existing atmosphere was an exhibition of one-party electioneering.
The acting executive coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolan, Abul Hassan Rubel, read out a seven-page election manifesto at a press conference at the party office in Dhaka, in presence of party chief coordinator Zonayed Saki, among other senior leaders.
Rubel said that Ganosamhati promised to amend the laws which were contrary to people’s right to political involvement, movement and freedom of expression and repeal section 70 of the constitution so that parliamentarians could examine their party policies freely.
The party also called for the trial of all extrajudicial killings, forced-disappearance and torture; formation of an autonomous organisation by the citizen to ensure accountability of law enforcing agencies and political influence-free law enforcing agencies, he added.
The party promised that lower courts would be freed from ministries for home and law, Rubel said, adding that Anti-Corruption Commission, Human Rights Commission and Information Commission would be freed from ruling elites’ dominance while a constitutional commission with the responsibility to recruit in constitutional posts would be formed.
He said that Ganosamhati called for the cancellation of the existing Representation of People Order, which is considered as undemocratic, and introduction of proportional representation in the parliament.
The party also demanded the introduction of a bicameral legislature.
For an enriched Bangladesh, Ganosamhati has placed 53 pledges, including easing terms and conditions for investment by expatriate Bangladeshis, fixing Tk 16,000 as minimum national wage, allocation of six per cent of GDP for education, increasing salary and benefits for teachers to attract meritorious students to the sector, and popularising the use of renewable energy.
The party, if elected, would set environmental conservation as one of its priority agenda and cancel Rampal thermal power plant and Rooppur Nuclear plant, Rubel said. GW News Desk
