Nurul Islam Hasib
Senior Correspondent
Dhaka, Nov 28 (bdnews24.com)—Doctors lobby Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), which was instrumental in the 1990 civil uprising against the military dictator bringing the curtain down on the autocratic era, goes to biennial elections on Thursday.
BMA Election Commission said the polls will kick off at 8:30am and continue 'uninterrupted' until 5pm countrywide.
As many as 33,892 doctors are expected to give their mandate in the 'crucial' election that comes just a year before the government runs its term.
Ruling Awami League-backed Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad (Swachip) has pitted itself in the vote without the like-minded doctors' groups against pro-BNP Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB), which has teamed up with Jamaat-e-Islami-backed National Doctors' Forum (NDF).
Leaders of both the panels told bdnews24.com that they would work to 'change' the BMA that is said to have lost its professional image after 1990 and has been working as 'a loyalist to the government of the day' since 1996, time since when no opposition-backed panel won.
Even the young aspirants from both panels are calling for change. However, physicians groups backed by left-leaning political parties which stayed away from the election remained sceptical about their call.
"Together we all destroyed its professional image. Now I want to bring it back. It's difficult I know… But it's my challenge," Dr Iqbal Arslan, the Swachip hopeful for the office of Secretary General, told bdnews24.com on Wednesday.
He was quietly confident of winning the election which, analysts say, is 'crucial' for the ruling party since it was defeated in the polls to Bangladesh Bar Council, the lawyers body, this year.
DAB candidate for the Secretary General, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, said they would play a role in 'overhauling' the health system should they get the mandate.
But he had his doubts about the election being 'fair and peaceful' as they saw 'attempts of intimidation' to get votes for the government-backed panel.
"Incapable, ineligible and narrow-minded doctors' led the BMA in the last three years. Now they're threatening our doctors not to go to the polling centres," he alleged.
Former BMA President Prof Rashid-e-Mahbub believes as a professional body BMA has the role to play for the both doctors and the people.
"But in reality it's busy with party politics. It serves as a loyal organisation of the ruling party," he said.
"It (loyalty to the ruling party) began after 1990 and became obvious after 2000," the former President who was elected twice between 1996 and 2000, said.
Mahbub's forum, Doctors' for Health and Environment – which was established by former student leaders of Bangladesh Students Union – had been running elections together with Swachip, but this year they are making an exception.
"We did not want to be a part of this BMA. Better we'll stay outside and work as a pressure group to bring change," he explained.
Another former BMA leader, Dr M Mushtuq Husain, General Secretary of Bangladesh Chikitshak Sangsad, does not believe Swachip and DAB can make any change.
"They (DAB, Swachip) were created to serve political parties. To political parties they are even more important than BMA. We can easily understand it when we see the Health Minister still holding the post of Swachip President."
"But they (DAB, Swachip) are not admitting the truth," the former student leader of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) said.
He said the Swachip leader had spoken about change in the BMA after 1996, but the national association did nothing but keeping the government 'undisturbed'.
"If the ruling party-backed panel wins this time, there will be no change in the BMA. And if the pro-opposition panel wins, they will only fuel the opposition's anti-government movement like in 1996 when the opposition-backed BMA played a role in much-talked-about Janatar Mancho against the BNP government."
"I doubt they will really do anything for professional development."
Young Executive Member hopefuls feel change is badly needed.
"I'm strongly against a BMA which is loyal to the political parties," one such candidate from DAB panel, Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, said.
He promised to work for young doctors, mainly interns and those who passed out from private medical colleges.
His rival candidate Dr Debesh Chandra Talukder from Swachip was on the same wavelength.
"We want a BMA for all doctors' and for all people."
The physicians will elect t 41 executives and one Central Councillor (CC) per 100 doctors' in the election.
Dr Mahmud Hasan is the Presidentian runner from Swachip while Dr AKM Azizul Haque is his rival from DAB.
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