NCP presents ‘Manifesto of Youth and Dignity’

The National Citizen Party (NCP) is announcing a 36-point manifesto ahead of the 13th parliamentary election.

The party’s election promises are being announced at a function titled “Manifesto of Youth and Dignity” at a hotel in Dhaka on Friday afternoon.

The new party, composed of many frontline leaders of the July Uprising, speaks of implementing the July National Charter for state reforms. It also promises to prosecute the killings, disappearances and extrajudicial killings committed during the uprising, and the murders at Shapla Chattar and the Peelkhana.

The student-led mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024, toppled the Awami League government, which had been in power for a decade and a half.

Three days later, the interim government formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus promised state reforms, trials for the killings and disappearances and torture during the Uprising, and elections.

The NCP, which formed in February last year with the aim of establishing a new consensus in politics, has joined an 11-party electoral alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami for the upcoming polls.

The NCP manifesto was announced at Friday’s event by party leaders Adnan Faisal and Nusrat Tabassum.

The first part of the party's election manifesto states that an independent commission will be formed to create a timeframe and accountability structure for the implementation of the clauses of the July Charter that depend on laws and ordinances.

The second phase of the manifesto promises to ensure exemplary justice for all crimes against humanity committed during the “fascist rule” of the Awami League, including the “genocide” in July, the “Shapla Chattar genocide”, the BDR massacre, disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and the formation of a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission”.

THE 36 POINTS

1. An independent commission will be formed to establish the implementation timeline and accountability framework for the July Charter provisions that depend on laws and administrative orders.

2. Exemplary justice will be ensured for all crimes against humanity committed during the era of Awami fascism, including the July massacre, Shapla Square massacre, BDR massacre, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings, and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be established.

3. A special cell with the authority to conduct independent investigations will be created under the Human Rights Commission to prevent any discriminatory acts, persecution, or oppression based on religious hatred, communalism, minority oppression, or ethnic identity.

4. Annual income and asset statements of all ministers, MPs, elected representatives, and high-ranking government officials, as well as detailed records of government expenditure and allocations, will be clearly published and regularly updated on the “Hishab Dao” (Accountability) portal.

5. Lateral entry into the bureaucracy will be increased, and 100 percent of government promotions will be performance-based through an independent Promotions Commission. Pay scales will be updated every three years to align with inflation, and the inclusion of imams, muazzins, and khadims in the pay scale will be ensured.

6. To eliminate the hassles and complexities of various cards, the NID card will be used for accessing all services.

7. The national minimum wage will be set at Tk 100 per hour, and labour laws will be strictly enforced to ensure mandatory work-safety insurance and pensions.

8. The existing 10 million Smart Family Card system of the TCB will be made usable at registered grocery stores, instead of requiring people to stand in line at trucks.

9. A clear rental structure will be established, and social housing projects will be developed on a public-private partnership and Waqf Sukuk basis.

10. The tax burden on the poor and middle class will be eased and tax evasion will be stopped to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio to 12 percent. This will allow investments in education and healthcare, and a cashless economy will be established.

11. For a systematic LDC graduation, advance FTAs and CEPAs will be negotiated. Export diversification and the development of new industries will create employment, and order will be restored in the financial sector (banking, insurance, and capital markets). A central database, strict laws, asset seizure, and withdrawal of political rights will be ensured against willful defaulters.

12. To eliminate political costs on businesses for both local and foreign investors, all forms of extortion will be completely eradicated through the introduction of a 999-style hotline and the strict enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy.

13. Inflation will be reduced to 6 percent; the publication of false and misleading economic data will be stopped. Full independence of regulatory institutions will be guaranteed, and school-based financial education will be introduced to safeguard the savings and future of the people.

14. The voting age will be 16, and a Youth Civic Council will be formed to institutionalise and amplify the voice of young people.

15. In the next five years, 10 million decent jobs will be created in the country. In the SME sector, cash-flow-based loans, a fund of Tk 100 billion for women and youth entrepreneurs, reduced registration costs, and tax exemption for the first five years will be ensured.

16. Through government-regulated placement, language, and skills training, 1.5 million safe and skilled expatriate workers will be trained annually.

17. An Education Reform Commission will be formed to rationally coordinate all existing forms and systems of education. A separate salary structure for teachers will be implemented, and 75 percent of MPO-registered educational institutions will be nationalised within five years.

18. To link higher education with the career, a six-month full-time internship or thesis research will be made mandatory at the undergraduate level.

19. A reverse brain drain project will attract expatriate researchers through seniority and one-time funding for their labs. A national computing server will be established to give special emphasis to computational research.

20. To provide treatment for complex and incurable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, trauma, infertility, and complicated surgeries, specialised healthcare zones (SHZ) will be established in the northern and southern regions of the country, creating a domestic alternative to overseas medical tourism.

21. To ensure universal emergency medical services in remote and hard-to-reach areas, a GPS-tracked National Ambulance & Pre-Hospital Emergency Care System with emergency paramedic response teams will be developed. State-of-the-art emergency departments will be established in all divisional and district-level hospitals. Each district hospital, we will ensure at least one modern ICU and CCU equipped with advanced facilities.

22. An NID-based digital health record system and an effective referral system will be established for every citizen. Gradually, all citizens will be brought under a National Health Insurance scheme.

23. To facilitate women’s empowerment, 100 seats in the lower house will be reserved for female representatives through direct elections, and this number will gradually decrease as women’s participation in politics increases.

24. All institutions will provide 6 months of fully paid maternity leave and 1 month of paternity leave as mandatory. In government workplaces, optional “period leave” will be introduced, and daycare facilities will be made mandatory.

25. The supply of sanitary products and other essential women health items will be ensured through an Upazila-based decentralised system. Under this program, direct allocations will be provided to Upazila health complexes as well as government schools and colleges.

26. A “Diaspora Digital Portal” (one-stop service) will be created, where passport, NID, birth registration, consular services, investments, etc. can be done online. Strict monitoring will be implemented at airports and embassies to prevent harassment and abuse.

27. Based on the amount of remittances sent by expatriates, they will be offered investment and pension benefits, and “RemitMiles” travel miles for flights.

28. Education, health, employment, voting rights, skill development, and social protection for persons with disabilities and marginalised communities will be ensured.

29. In Dhaka and Chattogram, an integrated public transport system will be established under a single authority, and freight trains will be increased to reduce the burden of trucks on the roads.

30. Polluting brick kilns will be closed, clean vehicles and green technologies will be ensured. Within five years, at least 25 percent of electricity will be generated from renewable sources, and 40 percent of government procurement vehicles will be electric.

31. The installation of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) will be made mandatory in all industrial facilities across the country, with tax and financial incentives provided to reduce associated costs. A zero-tolerance policy will be enforced through strict legal action against industrial pollution, encroachment of rivers and canals, and environmental destruction.

32. Subsidies for fertiliser, seeds, and machinery will be provided to farmers through direct cashback using NID-based verification. Crop Sales Centres, multipurpose cold storage facilities, and warehouses will be established to ensure direct procurement of produce from farmers.

33. By strengthening domestic seed research, preservation, and distribution capacity, the government will ensure not only food security but also food sovereignty, while intensifying anti–food adulteration drives and enforcing strict penalties.

34. Regarding all existing issues with India, including border killings, Bangladesh’s fair share of water from international rivers, bringing back Sheikh Hasina and Awami League terrorists, and unequal bilateral agreements, we will take a firm stance at the highest diplomatic and political levels, and if necessary, pursue action through international organisations and courts.

35. Through bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, we will pursue a humanitarian solution to the Rohingya crisis and improve relations with Southeast Asian countries by joining ASEAN.

36. A reserve force twice the size of the conventional force will be created for the armed forces. Within five years, a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) brigade will be formed in the Army, and at least eight medium-range surface-to-air missile batteries will be acquired.