Discord in BAPA comes out to the open

Environmental activists demonstrate while handcuffing themselves to a plane during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), at the Geneve Aeroport in Geneva, Switzerland, May 23, 2023.

Dear Bapa leaders,

Respect. I would like to inform you of some things with great sadness and pain. The masquerade that Iqbal Habib Bhai and Alamgir Kabir have started in Bapa against the talent, knowledge, logic, self-criticism and debate practice is sad. The mockery of Bapa General Secretary on poverty surprised me. I was shocked by the inconsiderate words of a person like Zakir Bhai. I think Bapa has been surrounded by a vicious circle. I think it is urgent to free Bapa from it. I have heard about Alamgir Kabir's eccentric and rude behavior in Bapa from some leaders before but I did not believe it. Having been associated with Bapa as a joint secretary for the past two years, I now believe that Alamgir Kabir is an extremely rude, untalented, deceitful, terror-dependent, artificial leader. I am a whole-timer of the environmental movement. I was fired from 3 jobs for going to the environmental movement. Currently, some organizations like Action Aid, Hunger Project, BPI, Oxfam, Foundation for Humanity, etc., occasionally give me some financial assistance (money 'kabita' in exchange for work). One day, during a WhatsApp conversation with Alamgir Kabir, I told him about this out of curiosity about how I was doing. Based on this information, he told me in the editorial board meeting that I play "Khap". Due to the financial crisis, he attacked me in the editorial board meeting in naked language by mocking poverty and taking this minimum legal benefit in exchange for work, which is sad. Zakir Bhai himself does NGO business, but he mentioned in the meeting that I live a luxurious life without any baseless information, which is sad. I would also like to inform you about a personal matter that in 2009, I had submitted an affidavit detailing my assets when I contested the upazila elections. I want to complete the challenge and I will provide that statement. If anyone can show that my assets have increased, I will face any punishment. Before that election, I did not even have a bank account. So I have no hesitation in telling you my bank account. I would like to inform you that I do not even have a single piece of land. My father has only one and a half bighas of land in his name. We are 6 brothers, two sisters and my mother. Whatever is divided at this rate is my ancestral land. I am a part-timer in the environmental movement. I do not do any other work. I do journalism without salary. At the moment, I have 5 thousand taka in my bank account. Please forgive me for presenting a personal matter. I am neither the convener nor the member secretary in the Climate Program Committee. This is in all the documents of the past meetings of Bapa. Which are also in our office files. However, Iqbal Habib Bhai systematically attacked me by mentioning me as the member secretary of the climate committee in the editorial board meeting. However, Aminur Rasul Bhai, the member secretary of the climate program committee, was present in that meeting. The president and general secretary of Bapa along with some of the vice-presidents were also present in that meeting. However, no one protested against this false information of Iqbal Habib Bhai. Bapa is now attacked by NGO businessmen, contractor businessmen, consultancy business syndicates. Bapa's organizational strength has not increased at all. No movement has been formed anywhere under Bapa's leadership in the last two years. Especially, no movement has been promoted from the center. The current luxury office, some members of Green Voice and relatives of Alamgir Kabir have high-paid jobs in Bapa. In this situation, Bapa is losing its public character day by day. Alamgir Kabir and Iqbal Habib Bhai are creating 'my man' in Bapa by providing financial and business benefits. Factional conflicts, gossip, low-quality culture, financial temptation, own circle, business platform, individualism, loss of honor, arrogance, etc. are now some of the characteristics of the BAP leadership with which the organization is infected. They are the ones who are now running BAP. This dishonest leadership has recently greatly tarnished the image of BAP in front of the countrymen. If BAP is not freed by Iqbal Habib Bhai and Alamgir Kabir, it will not be possible to rescue the pride and image of the organization. I had hoped that in a civic organization like BAP, the worthy would be evaluated. Talent and knowledge would be given importance. I had expected that BAP would build a mass-based mass struggle in the environmental movement. I had hoped that BAP would be run in the vein of collectiveness, unity, knowledge-based, creativity, and mass involvement. Now I see that BAP is being led in the wrong direction. BAP is losing its way. The main reason behind these mistakes is that Bapa is not being led by natural leaders now, Bapa is being led by artificial leaders. So, my humble request is "Save Bapa, Save the Environment Movement". With all the best wishes-

Md. Noor Alam Sheikh

Joint Secretary

Bapa.

CALL: 017 11058226