Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s call for people to devote at least one hour every week to cleaning their homes and surroundings is both timely and motivational. His launch of the three-month nationwide dengue prevention and cleanliness campaign has rightly placed public participation at the centre of the fight against dengue. But for such a campaign to achieve lasting success, the message must go beyond government offices and public programmes and reach every neighbourhood, village, educational institution and workplace.
Most importantly, the campaign needs political ownership at the grassroots level.
As the country’s largest political party, the BNP has a vast network of leaders and activists across the country. Their active involvement could give the Prime Minister’s call enormous momentum. If party leaders and activists themselves take part in cleaning drives, remove stagnant water, discourage littering and organise awareness campaigns in their respective areas, ordinary citizens are far more likely to follow their example.
People generally respond better to visible action than to slogans. A local political leader cleaning a roadside drain, removing waste from a neighbourhood or leading volunteers in clearing mosquito-breeding grounds can send a much stronger message than a speech from a platform. Political leaders enjoy influence in their communities; that influence should now be used to promote cleanliness and public health.
The Prime Minister has made an important point: preventing mosquito breeding is the easiest and safest way to reduce dengue. Much of this responsibility lies within communities themselves. Discarded containers, plastic items, tyres and other waste can hold stagnant water and become breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. Regular cleaning can therefore prevent a significant number of breeding sites before they become a public-health threat.
The government and city corporations, of course, have major responsibilities. They must ensure regular waste collection, clean drains, remove accumulated rubbish, improve mosquito-control operations and respond quickly to dengue hotspots. But no government can keep every household and every corner of the country clean without public cooperation.
This is where political organisations can play a decisive role. BNP leaders and activists at the ward, union, upazila and district levels can transform the campaign into a continuous grassroots movement. They can mobilise students, youth, Scouts, BNCC members, volunteers and community organisations and make weekly cleanliness activities a regular social practice rather than a one-off event.
The Prime Minister’s reference to the power of the country’s youth is particularly significant. Millions of young people, if properly organised and motivated, can make a remarkable difference. Their energy should be channelled into building healthier communities as well as a cleaner Bangladesh.
The success of the campaign should therefore not be measured merely by the number of inaugural events or awareness programmes held. It should be measured by cleaner streets, fewer mosquito-breeding sites, better waste-management practices and, ultimately, fewer dengue infections.
The Prime Minister has issued a strong and positive call. Now political leaders and activists must demonstrate that they have heard it. The campaign should begin with those who lead, so that the people can follow.
