BNP mayor aspirant for Dhaka North Tabith Awal has pledged to prioritise dengue and pollution if he is elected in the upcoming Dhaka City corporations polls. He says despite not being a prominent face in politics, he has contributed in many capacities and his interest was always in party backing rather than being given posts.
In an exclusive interview with Bangla Tribune Tabith talked about his plans and dreams about Dhaka South if he is elected mayor.
The son of BNP leader and businessman Abdul Awal Mintoo says that the foremost reason he is contesting the polls is because Dhaka is where he grew up and spend the best and worst days of his life.
“I have visited at least 200 cities but couldn’t fathom why Dhaka cannot be as developed as them,” he said.
“There are war torn countries that are safer than Dhaka,” he said before adding that he saw a social obligation to resolve that.
Responding to queries on their complaints regarding irregularities in the polls, the Election Commission and Electronic Voting Machines and why BNP was participating now, he said:
“If you look at the national polls it’s clear that the votes were stolen the night before. We usually expect ballot stealing, centre occupations on the day of the election,” he said.
The businessman-turned-politician says that BNP is participating to protect the voting the rights of the people and because they are confident of a win.
“We are confident. The pledges that BNP has given in the last few days are all for the people,” he said.
He added that BNP supported the road safety movement and like everyone else was against the Digital Security Act.
“BNP’s experience says that they have never allowed any kind of economic disaster,” he said.
Slamming the government Tabith said under the incumbent regime the “share market has been destroyed” and default loans were destroying the banks.
As part of his election manifesto, he talked about identifying 12 issues which needs to be sorted to move forward. “If you have to specify, dengue has morphed into a big crisis in Bangladesh. We are on the top for pollution in the world.”
In addition to strictly monitoring the water and sound pollution, the city corporation needs to be made free of bad governance and graft, he said.
He also emphasised on taking steps regarding the waste management, water clogging, traffic control, safety and transport issues. “It’s a city, a living economy. Hence all issues must be equally prioritised.”
Tabith told Bangla Tribune, if elected he will working with housing issues especially women not being able to rent homes. Moreover, small-scale businessmen will be prioritised along with addiction.
“We really don’t have a lot of parks and open spaces,” he said and added that the issues will steadily be sorted on priority-basis.
Responding to queries on how he manage to work as a mayor belonging to the opposition party if elected, he said, “If you talk about politics then the current government isn’t connected with the people.”
He said that any mayor would be elected with the people’s vote and carry out his duty with the people’s mandate.
“There comes this social power then which is extremely important to implement any pledge,” he added.
On how he views his competition, said, “I don’t think I have a right to comment now. I see my opposition as competition, that’s it.”
Tabith says that most of the voters are under-35 and they are very internet-dependent which is why his campaign has been kept digital.
“I think the more e-publicity I do, the more people will know that I’m ready for this election,” he said.
He said that if he sees that he lost because the polls were not fair, then he will opt for legal measures and wage movements.
“If I lose in a fair vote, I will obviously accept it,” he said before adding that he will co-operate with the city corporation with his own plans.
BNP backed Tabith during the 2015 mayoral polls to Dhaka North where he competed with late mayor Annisul Huq.
Although Huq won, Tabith managed to bag over 300,000 votes despite boycotting the polls halfway alleging irregularities.
Atiqul Islam was elected the Dhaka North mayor after Huq’s demise in 2018 in an election that the BNP refused to participate in.