A. B. M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury
Encyclopedia
Mohiuddin Chowdhury was the mayor
of Chittagong
, the second largest city in Bangladesh
, and a veteran politician associated with the Bangladesh Awami League
. He had held the office of mayor since 1994. In 2005 he was elected to his third term in a landslide victory against his opponent, a minister of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party
. Chowdhury is from the village of Gahira, in the Chittagong District
.
On election night, thousands of people in Chittagong came out to the streets and stood vigil at the election result declaration centre when rumours of "high-level" pressure to declare Mohiuddin's opponent the winner spread. Soon after voting stopped in the afternoon, the people come out en masse to protect their mandate in a demonstration of unity. Large groups walked to the city centre in support of Mohiuddin, since cars and public transport were banned during the evening.
There was widespread fear that large-scale violence would be triggered, as army convoys and police battalions were deployed in the city to impose a curfew. However, despite partisan pressure to halt the mass gathering, the security forces largely remained on the sidelines.
At about six am, after an overnight peaceful sit-in, election officials were forced to declare Mohiuddin the winner and disclose his winning margin. Election observers noted that if public pressure did not increase overnight, there was a possibility that the election results would have been manipulated by the ruling party.
Analysts noted that Mohiuddin's history of populism resulted in his cross-party support and his popularity in Chittagong; this has often put him at loggerheads with his own party leadership.
, which were almost entirely started following Mohiuddin's election as mayor.
One of Mohiuddin's key achievements were the network of public health
facilities around the city (designated as Urban Primary Health Centres) and charitable doctors' surgeries. During his time in office, 22 new primary health care
centres and dispensaries were established throughout the city. These centres provide basic health care
services – consultation with a qualified doctor and distribution of generic drugs at a discounted prescription cost. This has enabled the lower- and lower- middle-classes to receive basic health care before seeing a consulting physician at a government or private hospital. As a result of this extensive network of health care centres, the workload at government hospitals has been greatly reduced; they can now care for more serious illnesses, and the cost of medical treatment has also decreased.
The primary health care
projects in the city are praised by donor agencies and public-health professionals. During Mohiuddin's term he has built five maternity
clinics with basic childbirth facilities throughout the city, staffed with qualified doctors, midwives, and nurses. Under Mohiuddin the Chittagong city authority has also invested heavily to build a 100-bed specialised maternity hospital
, Mamon Maternity Hospital. The hospital has specialised neonatal care and advanced gynaecological-surgery facilities. The hospital is overseen by two consultant gynaecologists and a team of doctors.
Mohiuddin was the first mayor in Bangladesh to establish a private university
– Premier University, Chittagong
, sponsored by the Chittagong City Corporation. The university provides excellent academic facilities by Bangladeshi standards. After Mohiuddin took office, the corporation established nine postsecondary colleges, computer-training centres, a midwife-training centre, a healthcare-technology training centre (the first in Bangladesh to train in the operation of health care technology – radiology
and radiography
, for example) and eight night colleges to expand adult literacy. The Chittagong city authority also manages eight Hindu
religious-education centres (known as Sanskrit Toll) to provide religious education in Sanskrit
to minority students.
Mohiuddin initiated many unique and innovative services, ranging from a transportation and preservation service for the deceased, to the recycling of waste to produce organic fertiliser. One highly-acclaimed investment by the Chittagong City Corporation is the Theatre Institute Chittagong, where theatre enthusiasts can train and perform. The institute can also be rented and is popular amongst drama groups for its technologically well-equipped, purpose-built auditorium.
Mohiuddin pioneered city finances by actively engaging the Chittagong City Corporation in commercial ventures to generate income. By building shopping complex, residential areas and other income-generating projects (such as CNG refuelling stations), the corporation was able to generate income and expand economic opportunities for city residents. Mayor Mohiuddin's running of the Corporation is somewhat akin to a social enterprise
model, in which the authority actively participates and promotes economic and commercial activities, reinvesting its earnings to create more jobs and economic activity in the city. He was credited for not raising holding tax in Chittagong for seventeen years and yet running the public services without any borrowing from lending institutions. He started his tenure with a seventy lakh taka debt and a monthly salary expenditure of ten lakh taka. By the time he left, the Chittagong City Corporation was paying two and half crore taka salary a month and did not owe any money and already acquired substantial income generating assets under public management.
).
Although the mass media (under pressure from the government's intelligence agency DGFI) reported Mohiuddin's hidden wealth and millions of dollars amassed through corruption, none of the cases against him were proven; the army government voluntarily cleared him of nearly all cases. During the Bangladesh Awami League
's internal politics at this time, Mohiuddin was seen as a pro-Hasina leader and remained unswervingly loyal to Sheikh Hasina
's leadership.
Whilst in prison, Mohiuddin's daughter was diagnosed with blood cancer in Thailand. Although he was detained without trial for 21 months, despite repeated pleas from his family the government did not release him from prison to see his dying daughter. He was finally released from prison on 8 October 2008 following a High Court order. Despite his release, the army-backed government retained his passport and did not allow him to fly to Thailand in time to see his daughter. On 17 October, when the government finally permitted him to fly abroad and just minutes before he boarded the aircraft en route to Bangkok, Mohiuddin's daughter died.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
, the second largest city in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and a veteran politician associated with the Bangladesh Awami League
Bangladesh Awami League
The Bangladesh Awami League , commonly known as the Awami League, is the mainstream center-left, secular political party in Bangladesh...
. He had held the office of mayor since 1994. In 2005 he was elected to his third term in a landslide victory against his opponent, a minister of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...
. Chowdhury is from the village of Gahira, in the Chittagong District
Chittagong District
Chittagong District is a district located in the south-eastern region of Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division. The port city of Chittagong, second largest city in Bangladesh, is located in this district.-History:...
.
2005 mayoral election
In the whirlwind of Bangladeshi politics, politicians are not known for repeated electoral victory and increased public support; Mohiuddin was an anomaly in that respect. Not only did he win the mayoral race three times, he increased his winning margin in the third election. The election was cited as an example of "people power" in the Bangladeshi national media.On election night, thousands of people in Chittagong came out to the streets and stood vigil at the election result declaration centre when rumours of "high-level" pressure to declare Mohiuddin's opponent the winner spread. Soon after voting stopped in the afternoon, the people come out en masse to protect their mandate in a demonstration of unity. Large groups walked to the city centre in support of Mohiuddin, since cars and public transport were banned during the evening.
There was widespread fear that large-scale violence would be triggered, as army convoys and police battalions were deployed in the city to impose a curfew. However, despite partisan pressure to halt the mass gathering, the security forces largely remained on the sidelines.
At about six am, after an overnight peaceful sit-in, election officials were forced to declare Mohiuddin the winner and disclose his winning margin. Election observers noted that if public pressure did not increase overnight, there was a possibility that the election results would have been manipulated by the ruling party.
Analysts noted that Mohiuddin's history of populism resulted in his cross-party support and his popularity in Chittagong; this has often put him at loggerheads with his own party leadership.
Development Work
Mohiuddin has been credited with extensive infrastructure-development work and a generally efficient local administration in Chittagong. During his sixteen years and six month's tenure, the political party he was affiliated to, Bangladesh Awami League, was in charge of Government of Bangladesh for only six years, whilst Mohiuddin himself was held in prison without trial for two years. Despite these limitations his tenure was marked by extensive development works. One such key improvements Chittagong's state funded educational sector. Secondary schools for girls were built in almost every local ward, and new post secondary (two- and four-year education) colleges were built. No other city authority in Bangladesh offers the extensive educational services provided by the Chittagong City CorporationChittagong City Corporation
Chittagong City Corporation is a self-governing organisation which governs the municipal areas of Chittagong and some adjoining areas of south-eastern Bangladesh....
, which were almost entirely started following Mohiuddin's election as mayor.
One of Mohiuddin's key achievements were the network of public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
facilities around the city (designated as Urban Primary Health Centres) and charitable doctors' surgeries. During his time in office, 22 new primary health care
Primary health care
Primary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost...
centres and dispensaries were established throughout the city. These centres provide basic health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
services – consultation with a qualified doctor and distribution of generic drugs at a discounted prescription cost. This has enabled the lower- and lower- middle-classes to receive basic health care before seeing a consulting physician at a government or private hospital. As a result of this extensive network of health care centres, the workload at government hospitals has been greatly reduced; they can now care for more serious illnesses, and the cost of medical treatment has also decreased.
The primary health care
Primary health care
Primary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost...
projects in the city are praised by donor agencies and public-health professionals. During Mohiuddin's term he has built five maternity
Maternity
Maternity or motherhood is the social and legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a mother and her child.It is specially related with the protection of the baby and the mother within and after the childbirth.-See also:...
clinics with basic childbirth facilities throughout the city, staffed with qualified doctors, midwives, and nurses. Under Mohiuddin the Chittagong city authority has also invested heavily to build a 100-bed specialised maternity hospital
Maternity hospital
A maternity hospital is a hospital that specializes in caring for women while they are pregnant and during childbirth. The hospital also provides care for newborn infants....
, Mamon Maternity Hospital. The hospital has specialised neonatal care and advanced gynaecological-surgery facilities. The hospital is overseen by two consultant gynaecologists and a team of doctors.
Mohiuddin was the first mayor in Bangladesh to establish a private university
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
– Premier University, Chittagong
Premier University, Chittagong
Premier University or PUC is a private university in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It was established in 2002 by the local government institution Chittagong City Corporation , has the advantages of the best of both Private University and Public University Systems. According to an international...
, sponsored by the Chittagong City Corporation. The university provides excellent academic facilities by Bangladeshi standards. After Mohiuddin took office, the corporation established nine postsecondary colleges, computer-training centres, a midwife-training centre, a healthcare-technology training centre (the first in Bangladesh to train in the operation of health care technology – radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
and radiography
Radiography
Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By using the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed which displays areas of different density and composition....
, for example) and eight night colleges to expand adult literacy. The Chittagong city authority also manages eight Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religious-education centres (known as Sanskrit Toll) to provide religious education in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
to minority students.
Mohiuddin initiated many unique and innovative services, ranging from a transportation and preservation service for the deceased, to the recycling of waste to produce organic fertiliser. One highly-acclaimed investment by the Chittagong City Corporation is the Theatre Institute Chittagong, where theatre enthusiasts can train and perform. The institute can also be rented and is popular amongst drama groups for its technologically well-equipped, purpose-built auditorium.
Mohiuddin pioneered city finances by actively engaging the Chittagong City Corporation in commercial ventures to generate income. By building shopping complex, residential areas and other income-generating projects (such as CNG refuelling stations), the corporation was able to generate income and expand economic opportunities for city residents. Mayor Mohiuddin's running of the Corporation is somewhat akin to a social enterprise
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
model, in which the authority actively participates and promotes economic and commercial activities, reinvesting its earnings to create more jobs and economic activity in the city. He was credited for not raising holding tax in Chittagong for seventeen years and yet running the public services without any borrowing from lending institutions. He started his tenure with a seventy lakh taka debt and a monthly salary expenditure of ten lakh taka. By the time he left, the Chittagong City Corporation was paying two and half crore taka salary a month and did not owe any money and already acquired substantial income generating assets under public management.
Arrest in 2007
After the army-backed government assumed power in Bangladesh in January 2007, Mohiuddin and other top politicians in the country were arrested in an overnight raid on 7 March. He was incarcerated (mostly incommunicado) in various prisons in the country. When first arrested, unlike other arrested leaders he was taken to a remote jail in Bandarban (a district of Chittagong Hill TractsChittagong Hill Tracts
The Chittagong Hill Tracts comprise an area of 13,295 km2 in south-eastern Bangladesh, and borders India and Myanmar . It was a single district of Bangladesh until 1984. In that year it was divided into three separate districts: Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban. Topographically, this is the...
).
Although the mass media (under pressure from the government's intelligence agency DGFI) reported Mohiuddin's hidden wealth and millions of dollars amassed through corruption, none of the cases against him were proven; the army government voluntarily cleared him of nearly all cases. During the Bangladesh Awami League
Bangladesh Awami League
The Bangladesh Awami League , commonly known as the Awami League, is the mainstream center-left, secular political party in Bangladesh...
's internal politics at this time, Mohiuddin was seen as a pro-Hasina leader and remained unswervingly loyal to Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
's leadership.
Whilst in prison, Mohiuddin's daughter was diagnosed with blood cancer in Thailand. Although he was detained without trial for 21 months, despite repeated pleas from his family the government did not release him from prison to see his dying daughter. He was finally released from prison on 8 October 2008 following a High Court order. Despite his release, the army-backed government retained his passport and did not allow him to fly to Thailand in time to see his daughter. On 17 October, when the government finally permitted him to fly abroad and just minutes before he boarded the aircraft en route to Bangkok, Mohiuddin's daughter died.