"On Wednesday evening in Dhaka, Shafiqur Rahman, the emir [chief] of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, unveiled an ambitious election manifesto. A key promise: If his party wins the country's February 12 election, it would lay the ground for Bangladesh to quadruple its gross domestic product (GDP) to $2 trillion by 2040. Addressing politicians and diplomats, the 67-year-old Rahman pledged investment in technology-driven agriculture, manufacturing, information technology, education and healthcare, alongside higher foreign investment and increased public spending."
"For years, critics have tried to portray Jamaat, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, as driven too much by religious doctrine to be able to govern a young, diverse, forward-looking population. The manifesto, by contrast, presents a party long excluded from power as a credible alternative and as a force that sees no contradiction between its religious foundations and the modern future that Bangladeshis aspire to."
"Until recently, Bangladesh's business elites and foreign diplomats either kept their distance from Jamaat or engaged with it discreetly. Now, they are doing so openly. Over the past few months, European, Western and even Indian diplomats have sought meetings with Rahman, a figure who until not long ago was seen by many, internationally, as almost politically untouchable. For a leader whose party has been banned twice, including by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina"
Shafiqur Rahman presented an election manifesto pledging to quadruple Bangladesh's GDP to $2 trillion by 2040 through investments in technology-driven agriculture, manufacturing, information technology, education, healthcare, higher foreign investment and increased public spending. Economists in Dhaka questioned the fiscal feasibility and described the manifesto as heavy on slogans and light on detail. The manifesto signals intent to recast the Jamaat as a capable governing force that reconciles religious foundations with modern aspirations. Business elites and foreign diplomats who previously avoided the party have recently met Rahman openly, reflecting political rehabilitation as Jamaat competes strongly in opinion polls.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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