Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Secretary General Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has issued the following statement on 21 September 2019 expressing deep concern at the overall suffocating situation as ill-activities including murder, rape, terrorism, employment business, commission business, money laundering, bank looting, capital market scam, uncontrollable drug business, casinos, massive trend of briberies and corruptions are alarmingly increasing nationwide.

“The incumbent authoritarian government in last 11 years, has invalidated politics and turned the country into a failure state. Earlier, the government of the emergency period had come to the power on 11 January of 2007 and started the depoliticization process. The incumbent government has adopted the same strategies and implemented agendas accordingly. Along with the countrymen, we all are extremely concerned and worried over the exsting situation of the country.

The present government has seized democracy, rule of law, justice and voting rights of the people. They arranged a farcical election on last 30 December. The administration and the law enforcers started irregularities and casting fake votes from the previous night of the scheduled polling day. Subsequently, all the candidates of the ruling grand alliances were declared victorious. In brief, the incumbent authority has grabbed the office forcefully. And as such, this parliament can never be considered as the people’s choice as well. There is no effective opposition in this parliament. This parliament has been proved as failed and ineffective too.

The government has lost its control and authority. With the assistances of the administration and the law enforcers, the ruling party leaders and activists have become involved with terrorism, employment business, commission business, money laundering, bank looting, capital market scam, extortion, murder and rapes. Recently, the president and general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, BCL (student wing of the ruling Awami League) have been expelled for their involvement with commission business, tender terrorism, corruption and extortion.

On last 18 September, the law enforcement agencies raided into several casinos across the city and arrested Jubo League leader Khaled and 150 others. In these raids, the law enforcers also seized huge quantity of arms, drugs, 24 lac taka cashes and prostitutes. The mobile court also sentenced all of the arrestees with different periods of imprisonment instantly. The law enforcers revealed that, there are several big fishes who backed these illegal businesses. Even the top brasses of the ruling party received equal share from these businesses. Casino businesses are continuing in 60 more places across the city. On an average, these casinos dealt with cash transaction worth of 12 million taka per night.

From another raid into the office of the Jubo League G. K Shamim, the law enforcers recovered Tk1.80 crore in cash, Tk165.27 crore worth of fixed deposit receipts (FDR), and alcohol and firearms. Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have detained Kalabagan Krira Chakra Club President and Krishok League leader Shafiqul Alam Firoz and recovered bullets, firearms, drugs and casino materials. Such kinds of casino and brothel businesses are going on not only in Dhaka but also in different places of the country. The detained Jubo League Khaled also controlled a torture cell. The persons who denied to pay him due extortion, he brought them to that cell and tortured them barbarously.  

The countrymen think that such casino business is not a new phenomenon and it has been going on for long under the direct patronage of the ruling authority. Recently, a national daily disclosed such news and perhaps that news forced the authority to take action in this regard. But the question is, what was the role of the law enforcers and the Anti-Corruption Commission about the issues so far? What were their functions? Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 19 September said that, “I started against Jubo League but very soon, I will start similar crackdown against all the miscreants.” The fellow countrymen want to know, why the Premier did not start such crackdown earlier? The government which has come to the office through an illicit and farcical election or the authority which is giving bribes and other subsidies to the law enforcers for their involvement with the electoral misconducts, are they really own the moral stand to take action against the corrupted people?

Prior to last two parliamentary elections, the Prime Minister promised to hold a free, fair and credible election. But she desecrated those promises for twice. So, the people do not believe her anymore.

The higher academic institutions have also lost its due congenial atmosphere. Students are agitating in Jahangirnagar University against the corruptions of the Vice Chancellors. The students in Dhaka University are also in a movement against the admission of the BCL activists without any formal admission test. Under the silent backing of the law enforcers, some miscreants also attacked these agitating students. A recent survey reveals that, among the 1300 universities worldwide, no Bangladeshi university was not even among the best 1000. Another survey conducted by BBC disclosed that 65 percent students of Bangladeshi schools can not even read Bengali properly. These two surveys substantiate the miserable condition of the education sector.

While, the economy of the country is shrinking due to massive bank looting of the ruling party leaders and activists, central bank reserve’s heist, capital market scam and unprecedented corruption in all the mega projects. The banks are suffering from huge liquidity crisis. The government is operating its regular activities by taking loans from the banks continuously. These incidents disclose the all-out failures of the incumbent government.

The authoritarian rule of the present government has barred all the opposition parties from conducting political activities. The authority has sent hundreds of thousands of opposition activists into jail in connection with numerous false cases. They also seized the press freedom and people’s freedom of expression. The government is subduing the dissident voices just to facilitate the ill-activities of the ruling party leaders and activists. In words, the country has turned into a failed one and it is functioning just as a police state. The government has miserably lost the ability to bounce back.

Under the circumstances, I am urging my fellow countrymen to launch massive resistance against the scandals and unbearable failures of the government.