‘People voted for us, but those were snatched away’: Jamaat ameer vows to spare no ‘vote thief’ in city polls

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman today (23 October) said people had voted for his party in the national election, but those votes were snatched away, adding that the party must learn from its mistakes and prepare better for the upcoming city corporation elections.

“When people tell us, ‘We voted for you, but you could not protect our votes,’ we have to admit that we had weaknesses,” he said while speaking at a rukon (party activist) conference organised by Jamaat’s Dhaka North unit at the capital’s China Friendship Conference Centre.

The Jamaat ameer said the party was grateful for the love and support people had shown it, adding that the national election had helped it identify its mistakes and weaknesses.

The party must remain alert to ensure that those mistakes are not repeated, he added.

Speaking about the upcoming city corporation elections, Shafiqur said the party’s nominated candidates had been blessed with considerable knowledge by Allah.

He called for people to unite against wrongdoers, saying that no thief would be spared.

“We will not stop; we cannot afford to stop. We must give our utmost and work day and night in the upcoming city corporation elections,” he said.

The party had reviewed the mistakes made during the national election, and he hoped it would avoid repeating them by acting on the lessons learned.

At the event, Shafiqur also inaugurated an app called Nagorik Sheba (Citizen Services), developed by Jamaat’s Dhaka North unit. According to the organisers, the app offers more than 50 services for citizens.