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Election manifestos

A.N.M. Nurul Haque
***An election manifesto essentially expresses the aims and intentions of the political parties, and also lays out the agenda they want to pursue. It should reflect the people's aspirations on the one hand and a party's ideologies on the other.***
WITH the ninth parliamentary election knocking at the door, the major political parties have not yet finalised their election manifestos. Obstacles over holding of the election and the negotiation of the parties with the government to remove these may be a cause for the delay in finalising the election manifestos.
According to a newspaper report, the election manifestos of the major political parties are still in the draft stage. Awami League (AL) has finalised its draft election manifesto based on a 31-point charter, with a pledge to continue the anticorruption drive if voted to power.
Stability of the agro-based economy, an effective parliament, poverty alleviation, containing of price spiraling of essential commodities, employment generation for the youth, women empowerment, and running of the constitutional institutions with non-partisan people are
the main targets to be achieved by the AL, if elected to power. It will also set specific targets in the political, economic and social sectors whether the party is voted to power or not.
A committee entrusted with looking after the election issues of the AL has finalised the draft manifesto, which will be placed at the next meeting of the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC), the highest policy-making body of the party, for approval.
Party sources said that the draft manifesto of the AL was being scrutinised by the senior party leaders, including its president Sheikh Hasina, before its submission to the ALCWC for approval.
It has been learnt that the party manifesto was basically drafted for the stalled January 22 elections of last year. But now many new provisions have been incorporated in line with the changes that have taken place over the past two years. Party sources indicated that another version of the manifesto might be required if the proposed grand electoral alliance of like
minded political parties was forged before the parliamentary election.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) recently organised a convention in Dhaka, where business leaders urged the major political parties to put economic agenda in their election manifestos on priority basis for achieving the desired development of the country.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Mahila
Parishad called on the political parties to make specific commitments in their election manifestos with a view to ensuring equal rights of women and establishing social equity.
The electorate is yet to know what economic programs the major political parties will promise to make the economy vibrant. The parties have not yet told the electorate about their plans for protecting the remittance from expatriate
Bangladeshis.
They should also mention in their election manifestos how they will deal with the problem of employing 20 million unemployed youth in the country, and their plan to offer some hope to them.
Improvement of the quality of life of about 30 million hardcore poor, who need the government's safety net program support, has hardly been among their top priorities of the parties in the election manifestos.
The first democratically elected president of Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed, has initiated a move to buy land in Sri Lanka and India for rehabilitation of 300,000 islanders who might turn into environment refugees due to climate change.
The political parties should clearly state in their election manifestos how they will meet the fall-out of climate change, which is posing threats to the homes and livelihoods of millions in the southern part of the country.
The country had experienced hartals and blockades from the mid-eighties, for which both the major political parties AL and BNP were equally responsible. BNP and AL imposed hartals one after another during their opposition period, demanding resignation of the government, and accusing it of indulging in corruption, harassment of political rivals and failing to run the administration. It is a common
expectation of the people that the political parties will vow to shun hartals, and that should be clearly stated in their election manifestos.
Major political parties are busy in negotiating crucial electoral issues with the government as well as with their electoral partners, and seem to be little bothered about their election manifestos. An election manifesto essentially expresses the aims and intentions of the political parties, and also lays out the agenda they want to pursue. It should reflect the people's aspirations on the one hand and a party’s ideologies on the other.
Therefore, preparation of the election manifesto is a serious business for the political parties. It should be done after diligent research and deliberations with people from different walks of life, as it enables the electorate to form an informed opinion about those they will elect.
The political parties lack minimum ethical respect for their election manifestos. The moment a party is voted to power, the election manifesto finds a place in the waste paper basket, to be kept there until another election knocks at the door. The parties should shun such an attitude, which is a deep-seated disregard of the concept of accountability.
ANM Nurul Haque is a columnist for The Daily Star.
E-mail: anmnhaque@hotmail.com