District level elections across Bangladesh yesterday and lots of candidates for people to choose from. Even though most are party hacks, under the electioral laws here they have to stand as independents, each with their own symbol.
The Election Commission helpfully provides them with a list to choose from, and towns and villages everywhere are decorated with black and white posters bearing the candidates’ faces and their symbols. As we drove from Dhaka to Sylhet recently I counted thirty five.
Some are clearly better than others i.e. the elephant and the tiger. But I’m not so sure about the rest – which would you choose?
A swimming white duck
A standing black duck
A dart board
A pineapple
A fish
A tea cup and saucer
A chicken
A key
A padlock
A candle
A lightbulb
An old fashioned telephone
A mobile phone
A camel.
3 Comments
January 31, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Hi Mark, this is Fahad and I am from Bangladesh currently studying at Sheffield. I love your blog. Its just so weird seeing foreign people getting a taste of true Bangladesh. I laughed for like 5 mins reading your article of the blind beggar. Keep it up, cheers.
February 7, 2009 at 12:34 am
Dear Mark Dummet
You were right .The symbol TIGER was undeniably better than others.
Abdul Bari from Balagonj ,Sylhet was elected as vice chairman because of the symbol TIGER. He got a massive win against other Heavyweight contestants ( candidates of Awamileague & BNP).Although he wasn’t that much happy about his symbol at first (why not !) .But the people of his area loved the tiger symbol and cheered for both of them (the Tiger & Mr. Abdul Bari ).They joyfully organized rally to support him at their own expenses. They were chanting slogans like ‘ the TIGER has come’ . They were even calling his son ‘ The son of tiger’.
we read the news on DAILY PROTHOM ALO and we loved it .
May BENGAL TIGERS live forever .
February 27, 2009 at 7:42 am
Hey Mark,
Read jorurikhobor.blogspot.com (which means important news in Bangla dot blogspot). It’ll lend you an extra eye when looking at all things Bangladeshi. Not everything is what is appears to be, you need to remember.