The ruling Awami League will launch member collection drives across the country by the beginning of October to strengthen the party’s base at grassroots level and overcome organisational inertia.

The organisational activities of the 60-year-old Awami League slowed down after it assumed power on January 6 following a landslide victory in the December 29, 2008 parliamentary polls. Organisational stagnation and bickering at different tiers has caused concern in the party leadership. Top leaders of the party will also set out on a countrywide tour after Eid to put the house back in order.

‘We will start a member collection drive in the first week of October to assemble the new generation under the party flag,’ AL’s acting general secretary, Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif told New Age. He said the party’s newly formed central working committee would take a decision in this regard at its maiden meeting before Eid.

AL organising secretary, Bahauddin Nasim said the tour programme aimed at overcoming the stagnation in its activities and resolving disputes in several grassroots units. He told New Age that the party’s central leaders would talk to grassroots representatives, hear their problems and help them settle their disputes. ‘We will start touring the districts also to organisationally reactivate the party,’ Nasim added.

The new presidium of the party at its first meeting on July 31 decided to start a campaign to rope in new members. The meeting also decided to hold council sessions of the party’s grassroots units and start tour of the districts by the central leaders. After the meeting, party general secretary, Syed Ashraful Islam said that the central working committee would take a final decision in this regard shortly. But the AL executive committee held no meeting even after the passage of a month after its formation.

AL publicity secretary, Nuh-ul-Alam Lenin said application forms for membership had been sent for printing and the member collection drive would start in October. He said the Awami League had some one crore and 25 lakh members at present and it planned to infuse fresh blood in the party. The party, however, has not set any target for recruitment, he added. As per the party constitution, every citizen, aged 18 or above shall be entitled to become a member of the Awami League; if he/she does not appear to be involved in any activities against the independence, sovereignty, state security, territorial integrity, national solidarity as well as state ideals and public security. There are two types of membership in the organisation – primary (temporary membership) and full membership.

-New Age