Winds of change over Narayanganj

Syed Mansur HashimAgainst countless rumours and endless speculations, the independent candidate Selina Hayat Ivy carried the day at the Narayanganj mayoral polls. It would appear that history is repeating itself as her father too had been swept to the same position whilst being deprived of the ruling party's support in the mid-'70s. The fact that a candidate bereft of backing from her party could emerge victorious only goes to show that power still belongs to the people, a lesson that ought to be heeded by policy-makers lest they lose touch with realities on the ground. The Narayanganj elections were important for a number of reasons. It is the first time that electronic voting machines were deployed, albeit on a limited scale. Though the principal opposition parties have long stood against its introduction, the experiment seems to have worked rather well in the field. It paves the way for its introduction in larger polls in the future. The Narayanganj experience sheds light on peoples' mindset in the current political situation. Ivy's 'clean' image was undoubtedly the pivotal factor in propelling her to an overwhelming victory that saw her bag some 65 per cent of the 276,329 votes cast. It was a resounding 'NO' to the candidates with doubtful credentials allegedly liking them to everything from extortion to land grabbing. Credit must also go to the media - both electronic and print - which led a campaign for clean politics. Pre-election canvassing saw the presence of political heavyweights from Dhaka actively trumpeting the cause of their favourites. It would appear that this time round, the citizens of Narayanganj were more interested in seeing someone with a proven track record of delivering goods in the driving seat. Hence the age-worn tactics of intimidation, threats of impending militant activity and streets awash with easy cash failed to sway the electorate. Indeed, people turned up in their thousands to polling booths. Despite the decision not to deploy the army, security was tight with thousands of law enforcers on station and by all counts the election was held in a peaceful manner. The last minute decision of the BNP candidate to ditch his candidacy failed to dampen the mood, which goes to show how much importance the electorate put on this election that had become a test of nerves between the darling of the party and the underdog independent. The turnout was nearly 70 per cent with a high percentage of women and first time voters. As with the general elections of 2008, where young people voted in record numbers to sweep the incumbents to power, one can draw a parallel of sorts between the two elections in that, it was a vote for 'change'. People would like to see a change from the unbridled corruption that seems to have become part-and-parcel of existence in Bangladesh, to have public representatives in office who make good on electoral promises, carry out meaningful development of the locality and take concrete steps to tackle lawlessness that has become all too pervasive. Now the difficult task for mayor-elect has to deliver on the massive expectations of her electorate. The 'clean' image factor appears to have been the deciding factor in peoples' selection of councillors too. With 20 out of the 36 councillors elected possessing no prior criminal records will undoubtedly be a boost for Ivy in carrying out her programmes. Yet, one cannot but feel some pity for the newly elected mayor. Expectations of the electorate range from fixing the dilapidated infrastructure including roads, electricity to lawlessness. Unfortunately, most of these sectors need fund and without cooperation from the ministries concerned, the office of a mayor turns into a lame duck. After the bonhomie between the electorate and the elected at the time of election the honeymoon becomes a short-lived one. Powerful interest groups will move heaven and earth to discredit the 'choice of the people' for Narayanganj since it has long been a hub of major criminal activity. However, should she be able to deliver in curbing corruption in public office and bring some modicum of peace in the troubled city, that alone would prove to be a major breakthrough. At the end of the day, the lesson to be learnt for the 'centre' is that never take peoples' support for granted. The Narayanganj polls have shown the 'pulse' of the people and political parties must take heed of the cry for good and honest people to lead this country.