Manjur's focus integrity, Nasir's waterlogging

With the official electioneering for the Chittagong City Corporation poll starting tomorrow, both Awami League and BNP are busy preparing their campaign strategies by analysing the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) of the candidates they are backing and opposing.

Civil society and the general people are also evaluating the candidates, especially BNP-blessed mayoral hopeful M Manjur Alam and his main challenger AZM Nasir Uddin, Awami League's city unit general secretary.

Talking to The Daily Star, AL leader Ishak Miah, also chairman of the Nagorik Committee that will campaign for Nasir, said they would meet today to fix the focus areas.

The Committee will highlight the problems of waterlogging and waste mismanagement, said Badiul Alam, joint general secretary of Chittagong city unit AL.

These are the main areas of "failure" of incumbent Mayor Manjur, and these will be the decisive factors and a great tool to woo voters, said some AL leaders.

Waterlogging chronically plagues the port city but mayors from both the major parties have failed to address it over the years.

Refuting the claim of Manjur's "failure", Chittagong city BNP President Ameer Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said it was impossible to solve waterlogging with the limited budget of CCC. "It requires several thousand crore taka."

Moreover, he said, "bypassing the elected representative, the government has executed a lot of development works in Chittagong city through their politically appointed chairman of CDA, which is a sheer discrimination against an elected public representative."

Manjur's campaigners will also bring to fore the issues of human and political rights, law and order, alongside his positive sides, said Khasru.

"There is no question about Manjur's integrity. He does not face any corruption charge," he said, adding, "Manjur has not politicised the city corporation. Although many BNP activists are aggrieved at him for this, the people by and large are happy."

Khasru claimed, "Manjur has carried out more development works in the city than his successors."

Talking about the strengths of both, Pro-vice Chancellor of Chittagong University Prof Iftekher Uddin Chowdhury said, "Manjur is widely known as a polite person. He was never involved in violent politics. His integrity was never questioned during his mayorship."

On the other hand, Nasir's leadership quality has made all city leaders work together for him, he said. He is also closely associated with the grassroots, the professor added.

Vice Chancellor of East Delta University Prof Sikander Khan said Manjur, an adviser to the BNP chairperson, "failed" to properly lead his subordinates who often neglected their duties. "It's one of his main drawbacks." But he can exploit the anti-AL sentiment, he added.

Some BNP leaders, however, doubt whether the administration and law enforcement agencies will play a neutral role during the April 28 election and how they can take a strong stance in the face of the ruling party men's "authoritarian attitude".