Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the voters in all the four city corporations cast their votes freely and peacefully on Saturday, which was very rare in the past.
She made the statement while addressing the 27th rising anniversary of the Special Security Force (SSF) at her office. The prime minister said elections were being held in the four city corporations – Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal — and people were going to the voting centers to cast their votes. “Now people can cast their votes freely,” she said.
Regarding the voting experience in the recent past, Hasina said when she came back home in 1981 the situation was not the same as it is today. “The situation was not like this, at that time election meant vandalism by hooligans,” she sad.
Recalling her campaign in favour of Awami League during the 1970 election, the premier said at that time she had gone from door to door seeking votes from people for the party.
On her return home in 1981, Hasina said, she started her struggle to establish the voting rights of people. “We fought for establishing the constitutional rights of people, we fought for the right of people so that they could cast their votes in favour of their favorite candidates,” she added.
The voting in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet city corporations was held on Saturday with high voter turnout. There was no report of any violent incident during the voting time that started at 8am and ended at 4pm without any break.
The ruling party-backed four candidates — Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran (Sylhet City Corporation), Talukder Abdul Khaleque (Khulna City Corporation), Shawkat Hossain Hiron (Barisal City Corporation) and AHM Khairuzzaman Liton (Rajshahi City Corporation) — are in the polls race.
The BNP-backed mayoral candidates are Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul (Rajshahi City Corporation), M Moniruzzaman Moni (Khulna City Corporation), Ahsan Habib Kamal (Barisal City Corporation) and Ariful Haque Chowdhury (Sylhet City Corporation).
Another report says: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked the members of Special Security Force (SSF) to give importance to the matter of public relations of heads of the state and government and designated VIPs while providing them physical security.
As a public representative, we are accountable to people. So, you have to be careful so that none are hurt due to your behaviour, she said adding- SSF members have to treat all visitors with respect.
The prime minister was addressing a function at her Tejgaon office marking the 27th founding anniversary of the force responsible for providing physical security to the President, Prime Minister, designated persons and foreign dignitaries during their visit to Bangladesh.
She said, “It’s important to maintain a good relation and have intensive communication and coordination with all concerned agencies to build a foolproof security. At the same time, you have to consider with high importance about the relations of the VIPs with common people.”
Sheikh Hasina said, “People are owner of all power of the republic. Each and every activity of the government in a parliamentary democracy is taken and implemented for public welfare. It’s not possible to serve people being isolated from them,” she maintained.
In view of this, the Prime Minister urged the SSF members to maintain a harmonious adjustment between their duties and people’s expectations.
“Your success lies on ensuing top security through maintaining high level of professionalism keeping relations with people, not creating distance with them,” she said.
Reminding the members of the force about their social and family responsibility, the Prime Minister said, SSF members must be careful about good moral character, bond with family, discipline, honesty, dutifulness and humane virtues.
Director general of SSF Major General Sheikh Aman Hasan also spoke on the occasion. PM’s advisor on defense affairs Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Sheikh M Wahid Uz Zaman and senior civil and military officials were present.
Extending her greetings to the SSF members, the Prime Minister said, members of the force, since its inception, have been performing their duties with utmost competence and sincerity.
-With The Independent input
