Jamaat-e-Islami central executive council member and Dhaka North city Amir, and Urban Development Forum chairman, Selim Uddin has said: “The country does not belong to any single party. The country belongs to everyone.”
He made the remarks Sunday, August 30, at 7:30 a.m., at the launch of a cleanup drive at the Khidir Canal near Uttara Sector 12’s Rupayan City, as part of the “Clean Dhaka” program.
Selim Uddin said that under the “Clean Dhaka” program, hundreds of tonnes of waste have been removed from 54 wards across Dhaka city under the leadership of designated volunteers.
He said: “We don’t understand why, despite the city corporation having everything at its disposal, this waste couldn’t be removed.
“We want the people of Dhaka to have clean air within this very week. We are not doing this to show off to anyone; we are doing this out of a sense of responsibility to solve the public’s problems.”
He alleged: “As part of the ‘Clean Dhaka’ program, while cleaning the canal at Uttara Kholpar, a leader of the ruling party told me, ‘We will clean this, why are you coming to do it?’ I told him we came to cooperate with you. But he wasn’t willing to accept that.”
Selim Uddin said: “The country does not belong to any single party. The country belongs to everyone. Why should there be any obstacle to doing good work? We told him not to engage in factionalism. Even the prime minister hasn’t said Bangladesh belongs to us alone; he has said Bangladesh comes first, before everyone. This is a country that belongs to all of us.”
Drawing the attention of the city corporation administration, he said: “In one week, we have brought Dhaka city under this clean-up program — that progress should not slide backward again. If we have to take to the streets with brooms once more, then, together with the public, we will hold those responsible strictly accountable for their negligence of duty.”
On city administration, he said: “Since the city administration isn’t elected, it’s difficult to expect that it can properly understand the public’s problems and suffering.”
Addressing the prime minister, he said: “Hold city elections before holding elections in the villages. If an attempt is made to install your own people and loot, we will not accept that. We want city elections without delay.”
He also called on leaders and activists of all political parties in the country, saying: “Let us all come together and try to solve the public’s problems.”
He also called for the swift implementation of the public’s mandate and referendum.
Noting that a “smart bin” had been installed as part of the program, Mohammad Selim Uddin said: “Three types of waste can be separately disposed of in this smart bin. We will recycle the collected waste to make pens, and distribute them at schools on the next Literacy Day.”
Appealing to city residents, he said: “We have seen many kinds of leadership. This time, let us bring forward as our new leadership those who will work to solve the public’s problems and cooperate with the people.”
Also present were Jamaat’s Dhaka North Nayeb-e-Amir Engineer Golam Mostafa, Uttara West assistant regional director Mahbubur Rahman, Uttara Model police station Amir advocate Ibrahim Khalil, Turag South Amir and Ward 52 councilor candidate Maulana Abu Bakr Siddique, Turag Central Amir Gazi Monir Hossain, Nayeb-e-Amirs Kamrul Hasan and Firoz Alam, Ward 1 councilor candidate Maulana Mahfuzur Rahman, Ward 51 councilor candidate Principal Salauddin, and Ward 53 councilor candidate Surujjaman.