Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami announces 41-point election manifesto with 26 issues as its top priority

Staff Correspondent:

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has officially announced its election manifesto ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliament elections. The manifesto has been named ‘People’s Manifesto’. The manifesto was presented with the outline of state reform, establishment of good governance and building a self-reliant Bangladesh in mind.

The manifesto announcement ceremony began with recitation from the Holy Quran at Hotel Sheraton in Banani in the capital after 6:30 pm on Wednesday (February 4). Later, a visual of the ‘People’s Manifesto’ was presented. Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman delivered the welcome speech at the ceremony.

Jamaat-e-Islami has highlighted a total of 26 issues as its highest priority in its announced 41-point election manifesto. These include—the primacy of youth in state governance, ensuring women’s safety, building a technology-based society, implementing the July Charter, and abolishing the fascist system.

26 priority issues in the manifesto

The manifesto states—

1. Building a state with independence, sovereignty, and uncompromising national interests in the light of the slogan ‘Bangladesh without compromise in national interests’.
2. Establishing a humane Bangladesh based on justice and fairness, free from discrimination.
3. Empowering youth and giving them priority in state governance.
4. Building a safe, dignified, and participatory state for women.
5. Building a safe state free of extortion and terrorism by improving the law and order situation.
6. Establishing a corruption-free state through honest leadership and institutional reforms.
7. Building a modern and smart society based on technology.
8. Creating widespread employment in the technology, agriculture, industry, and manufacturing sectors; free application and merit-based recruitment for government jobs.
9. To build an investment-friendly and transparent economy by reforming the financial sector, including banks.
10. Ensuring a fair electoral environment including a proportional (PR) system and strengthening the supervisory government system.
11. Prosecute state-sponsored murders, disappearances and extrajudicial killings and ensure human rights.
12. Preserving the history of the July Revolution, rehabilitating the families of martyrs and injured fighters and implementing the July Charter.
13. Achieving an agricultural revolution by increasing the use of technology in agriculture.
14. Building a green and clean Bangladesh by 2030 through adulteration-free food security and implementing the ‘Three Zeros Vision’.
15. Developing small and medium industries, as well as establishing heavy industries and encouraging domestic and foreign investment.
16. Ensuring fair wages, improving the standard of living and a safe working environment for workers.
17. Ensuring all rights of expatriates, including voting rights, and their effective participation in state formation.
18. Not majority-minority, but ensuring equal rights for all as citizens.
19. Modern and universal healthcare and free treatment for the poor in stages.
20. Timely education reforms and introducing free education in stages.
21. Controlling prices of goods to keep them within the purchasing power of the people and ensuring basic needs.
22. Reducing the distance between the capital and the divisional cities to two-three hours by developing the road and rail communication system.
23. Ensuring low-cost housing for lower and middle-class families.
24. Continuing the ongoing trial and reform activities to completely eliminate the fascist system.
25. Ensuring international-standard social security by introducing a universal social security system.
26. Establishing a happy and prosperous welfare state by ensuring transparency and accountability at all levels.