Political party manifestos must clearly state if they support ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote

Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), has urged political parties to spell out clearly in their election manifestos whether they would support a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote in the event of a referendum.

He said that while parties have expressed support for reforms outlined in the July National Charter, this position must be explicitly reflected in their manifestos. 

Majumdar made the remarks at a press conference titled “What kind of election manifesto is needed to reflect the aspirations of the mass uprising?”, held on Saturday morning at the National Press Club in Dhaka. The event was organised by Shujan.

Addressing the press conference, Majumdar said that holding free and fair elections alone was not enough, stressing the need for a broader democratic transition. He said democracy must be institutionalised through systems that ensure credible elections are conducted on a regular basis.

He also called on political parties to abide by the law, warning that democracy could not take root in the country unless parties themselves practised democratic values.

Referring to past elections, Majumdar drew attention to the rapid growth of assets among winning candidates, remarking that power appeared to come with a “magic wand”.

He said politicians must explain how they would end the commercialisation of politics and the politicisation of business, as well as prevent the accumulation of wealth through the misuse of power.

In his opening remarks, Majumdar described election manifestos as written contracts between political parties and voters, even if they are not formally signed.

He argued that citizens should have access to legal remedies if parties fail to honour their pledges and should be able to question how far commitments have been implemented.

He recalled that ahead of the ninth parliamentary election, the Awami League had released a manifesto titled the “Charter for Change”, but later failed to uphold many of its promises, ultimately paying a political price for doing so.

At the press conference, Professor AKM Waresul Karim, dean of North South University, presented 15 key issues on behalf of Shujan that should be incorporated into party manifestos. These included firm commitments to implementing the July National Charter and Reform Commission recommendations, ensuring accountability of state institutions and law enforcement agencies, restoring constitutional balance, strengthening democratic institutions and local government, combating corruption, promoting merit-based governance, eradicating extreme poverty, empowering women, ensuring equitable healthcare, addressing climate change and environmental protection, and safeguarding democratic values and political culture.

The press conference was chaired by Shujan treasurer Syed Abu Naser Bakhtiar Ahmed. Shujan executive committee members Ekram Hossain and Dilip Kumar Sarker were also in attendance.