Jalil quits politics, raps Hasina for dictatorship
Friday, 6 July 2007
Detained Awami League (AL) general secretary Abdul Jalil in a statement has said he is retiring from politics citing ill health and family concerns, but he rapped Sheikh Hasina for her "authoritarian leadership" and begged the government to release him, report agencies.
"I have decided to retire from politics because of my physical condition and looking at the faces of my children and family," Jalil, known to be a close aide to Hasina for his unflinching loyalty to the former prime minister, said in the statement.
His wife Rehana Jalil Thursday morning handed a written statement by Jalil to journalists at a press briefing at their Gulshan home and said her husband's life is at stake in prison.
She urged the President and the chief adviser (CA) to release her husband now under treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital under police guard.
Jalil was arrested from his Mercantile Bank office on May 28 and put under detention under the Special Powers Act of 1974. He is now under treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital.
In a four-page letter addressed to the Chief Adviser of the caretaker government and signed July 02, Jalil was critical of AL president Sheikh Hasina's leadership.
"The party needs immediate change (of leadership). The way it was run, allowed many wrongs and mistakes, and caused harms. The party came under the dominance of inefficient, opportunist and selfish people," he said.
Narrating his long political career from 1954, Jalil said the AL is a democratic political party and was run by a democratic constitution. "But because of us the party lost its democratic character and has been turned into a party of dictatorship."
He said the AL lost its democratic character as all flattered the party president and reposed all power in her hands. "Consequently, party's democratic character was destroyed because it was run on unilateral decision of Sheikh Hasina."
Jalil said there was no scope or atmosphere to take any stand against the decisions of Hasina, who was not ready to listen to others in the party.
Referring to the political change that came about on January 11, he said the AL welcomed the army-blessed caretaker government and they attended the oath taking ceremony. It was decided that support would be extended to the government to make a success of the reforms.
"But all on a sudden, defying our intention, the party chief demanded election without giving time to the government. None in the party supported her decision."
Jalil said the AL central working committee's meeting on March 3 adopted a unanimous decision to give more time to the government by opposing the demand for election within June.
"But defying the committee's decision, she (Hasina) made a contrary statement on one hand and on the other announced to ratify all actions of the government before she left for abroad."
"The party president has used her authority in a way that there is no scope to avoid her decisions," said Jalil.
"I was elected the party's general secretary at a council meeting. But I had to run myself as per the party chief's wish and direction."
"I have tried to make her understand but failed. I have worked following her orders and against my conscience so that the party's unity is intact," he said.
"Then the question comes as to why I did not resign? The post of the AL general secretary is held in huge respect. Millions of party activists honour the position."
"I could not do away with the greed of getting this honour. It's my failure. I am ashamed of that. I am sorry," the statement read.
"I have decided to retire from politics because of my physical condition and looking at the faces of my children and family," Jalil, known to be a close aide to Hasina for his unflinching loyalty to the former prime minister, said in the statement.
His wife Rehana Jalil Thursday morning handed a written statement by Jalil to journalists at a press briefing at their Gulshan home and said her husband's life is at stake in prison.
She urged the President and the chief adviser (CA) to release her husband now under treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital under police guard.
Jalil was arrested from his Mercantile Bank office on May 28 and put under detention under the Special Powers Act of 1974. He is now under treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital.
In a four-page letter addressed to the Chief Adviser of the caretaker government and signed July 02, Jalil was critical of AL president Sheikh Hasina's leadership.
"The party needs immediate change (of leadership). The way it was run, allowed many wrongs and mistakes, and caused harms. The party came under the dominance of inefficient, opportunist and selfish people," he said.
Narrating his long political career from 1954, Jalil said the AL is a democratic political party and was run by a democratic constitution. "But because of us the party lost its democratic character and has been turned into a party of dictatorship."
He said the AL lost its democratic character as all flattered the party president and reposed all power in her hands. "Consequently, party's democratic character was destroyed because it was run on unilateral decision of Sheikh Hasina."
Jalil said there was no scope or atmosphere to take any stand against the decisions of Hasina, who was not ready to listen to others in the party.
Referring to the political change that came about on January 11, he said the AL welcomed the army-blessed caretaker government and they attended the oath taking ceremony. It was decided that support would be extended to the government to make a success of the reforms.
"But all on a sudden, defying our intention, the party chief demanded election without giving time to the government. None in the party supported her decision."
Jalil said the AL central working committee's meeting on March 3 adopted a unanimous decision to give more time to the government by opposing the demand for election within June.
"But defying the committee's decision, she (Hasina) made a contrary statement on one hand and on the other announced to ratify all actions of the government before she left for abroad."
"The party president has used her authority in a way that there is no scope to avoid her decisions," said Jalil.
"I was elected the party's general secretary at a council meeting. But I had to run myself as per the party chief's wish and direction."
"I have tried to make her understand but failed. I have worked following her orders and against my conscience so that the party's unity is intact," he said.
"Then the question comes as to why I did not resign? The post of the AL general secretary is held in huge respect. Millions of party activists honour the position."
"I could not do away with the greed of getting this honour. It's my failure. I am ashamed of that. I am sorry," the statement read.