Ruling Awami League (AL) will release its election manifesto on December 27, and start its election campaign in Sylhet tomorrow (December 20) after offering prayers at Hazrat Shahjalals mazar.
"Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will release the election manifesto at a press conference on December 27," AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Monday at a press briefing at the party Presidents Dhanmondi political office.
He said that the first electioneering public rally of AL will be held in Sylhet on December 20 after offering prayer at Hazrat Shahjalals mazar.
Quader urged the party leaders and activists to abide by the code of conduct and maintain a peaceful environment during campaigns.
In September, AL constituted an Election Manifesto Drafting Sub-committee with its presidium member Dr Abdur Razzaque as convener and information and research secretary Dr Salim Mahmud as member secretary.
Other members of the sub-committee are- Dr Mosiur Rahman, Dr Anupam Sen, Dr Sattar Mandal, Dr Bajlul Haque Khandkar, Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, Dr Shamsul Alam, Dr Dipu Moni, Dr Hasan Mahmud, SM Rezaul Karim, Shekhar Dutt, Dr Maqsud Kamal, Dr Mahfuzur Rahman, Prof Khairul Hossain, Prof Sadeka Halim, Sazzadul Hasan, Tarana Halim, Wasika Ayesha Khan, Biplab Barua, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, Prof Mohammad A Arafat, Sayem Khan, Sadiqur Rahman Chowdhury and Sabbir Ahmed.
The committee has finalised ALs draft election manifesto.
After its first meeting held on September 28, the sub-committee issued a public notice on October 4, signed by its Member Secretary Dr Salam Mahmud eliciting opinion of the people and community leaders regarding the manifesto.
In the public notice, the sub-committee requested people and community leaders to send their opinions by post to AL Presidents Dhanmondi political office by October 20.
According to Salim Mahmud, "The 2018 election manifesto will serve as the basis for the new one. It will incorporate strategies to leverage the countrys resources to address current global challenges and guide the nations progress."
Awami Leagues previous manifesto, titled "Bangladesh on the march of prosperity", outlined plans for a developed and prosperous Bangladesh by 2041 and a secure delta by 2100.
The new manifesto is expected to address various crisis as implementation of the 2018 manifesto was somewhat hampered by two global crises, Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, party sources said.
AL leaders involved with the drafting manifesto said that the election pledges would be formulated keeping future generations in view mind and would contain details of short, medium and long term plans, including the Second Perspective Plan (2021-2041), Delta Plan 2100, Ninth Five Year Plan (2026-2030), Tenth Five Year Plan (2031-2035), and Eleventh Five Year Plan (2036-2040) to lead the nation on the path of progress without any interruption.
They said, AL will pledge to end countrys extreme poverty by 2031 and build a Smart Bangladesh by 2041. The vision for a Smart Bangladesh will rest on four key foundations: Smart Citizen, Smart Economy, Smart Government, and Smart Society.
In line with this, the manifesto will outline the strategy to expand digital manufacturing and exports, boost the domestic digital market, and advance peoples digital skills. It will also contain plans for increased investment in cutting-edge technology including robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and nanotechnology.
On the economic front, the manifesto will include a declaration to transform Bangladesh into an upper-middle-income economy with detailed plans to raise the countrys per capita income to $5,906 by 2031.
Besides, there will be details of strategies to make Bangladesh a developed country with per capita income above $12,500 by 2041 along with the promise to reduce poverty to below 3 per cent by that year. AL sources said that thematic proposals have been solicited from party leaders, university professors, and intellectuals in formulating the manifesto.
