The capital’s main thoroughfares are now embellished with countless colourful festoons and hoardings, displaying the government’s success of the last four years. The picture was taken on Monday. Reaz Ahmed Sumon
The capital’s main thoroughfares are now embellished with countless colourful festoons and hoardings, displaying the government’s success of the last four years. The picture was taken on Monday. Reaz Ahmed Sumon
Keeping the next general election in mind, the ruling Awami League has started propagating its success stories through billboards and drawn flak from various quarters, including politicians and business community.

The billboards at key points portray massive development activities of the incumbent government whose tenure is going to expire on October 24 as per the constitution.

Through these hoardings, the ruling party has urged the countrymen to reelect the Awami League to ensure the continuity of the development activities taken up by the government.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday also urged the countrymen to vote for the Awami League to continue the development activities.

Party leaders say they have decided to use the billboards so that people from all walks of life can know the government’s success achieved during the last four and half years.

But, it has drawn flak from the business community as well as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam said people had already taken decision.

“There will be no result projecting the success stories,” he added.

Also, the business community seems unhappy with the government’s decision as their advertisements cannot draw people’s eye for AL billboards.

The advertising agencies run the business taking lease from the Dhaka City Corporation, private owners and the government.

An official of an advertising company said the government has grabbed 90 percent of their billboards to project the success stories.

“The government places its stories even on our advertisements. Clients have already started complaining as they have rented the billboards to advertise their products ahead of Eid festival,” the official said preferring anonymity.

The billboards feature food safety, achievement in diplomacy, poverty alleviation, pure drinking water, progress in communications sector, education for all, digital Bangladesh and establishing the rule of law.

The business leaders allege that the government started using the billboards as it is in its power.

AL leaders have brushed aside the allegation, saying that the government had not grabbed the billboards. “Everything has been done through negotiations,” said a leader wishing not to be named.

Despite repeated attempts, AL press and publication secretary Hasan Mahmud, also environment and forests minister, could not be reached for comments.

Officials of the advertising agencies alleged that the government could easily propagate its success stories after the festival.

“The business community is supposed to advertise their products ahead of the festival, but it has been stopped,” an official said, adding that even the government did not ask them about its move.

Ramendu Majumdar, president of Advertising Agencies Association of Bangladesh, reportedly said any sort of publication should be run as per the rules. “I don’t know whether the government has followed the rules,” he added.

Awami League joint secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif hit back at the opposition’s criticism of the government’s campaign through billboards to project its development activities.

“Campaigns are being done to give a counter to the opposition’s false propagandas. Some successes of the present government are being presented through billboards,” he said Monday.

Hanif, also prime minister’s special assistant, said although BNP leaders are criticizing government campaign through billboards, they will never be able to claim that any misinformation is placed on the display.

The Awami League leader asserted this as counter-criticism while addressing a discussion on National Mourning Day at the Public Library auditorium in the capital.

He also said Jamaat should not have the registration with Election Commission as a political party after the High Court verdict that declared illegal the registration of the party.

“Jamaat is doing politics based on the ideologies of Pakistan. Till now, they don’t believe in independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh. They should not have the right to do politics on this soil,” Hanif added.

“Jamaat never confessed to the misdeeds it carried out during the country’s liberation war in 1971. They still claim that their role during the freedom fight was right. Jamaat leaders and activists were engaged in killings, rape and torture as per the party decision in 1971,” he said.

About Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s joining politics, he said, “Joy is a son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and grandson of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It is natural that meritorious person like him (Joy) will come to politics.”

The Awami League joint secretary further said the main opposition BNP have got scared of the news of the Joy’s joining politics as he Joy is a person having clean image.

“The opposition is afraid that Joy will be a competitor of Tareque if he comes to politics. People will compare Joy with Tareque. There is no allegation against Joy but Tareque is facing many graft allegations.”

“It is Tareque who made the country the champion in corruption by establishing Hawa Bhaban. The country was in grip of terrorism and militancy due to his role during the BNP’s past regime,” he added.

Noted actor ATM Shamsuzzaman, Dhaka city unit AL organizing secretary Shahe Alam Murad, Krishak League vice-president Sheikh Mohammad Zahangir, among others, addressed the programme. uf