{"id":66053,"date":"2021-01-27T06:38:14","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T06:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=66053"},"modified":"2021-01-27T06:40:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T06:40:22","slug":"mujib-rahmans-conservative-bid-for-city-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=66053","title":{"rendered":"Mujib Rahman\u2019s conservative bid for City Council"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Rahman\u2019s<\/div>\n<\/div>
Mujib Rahman is running in the Feb. 2 election for City Council\u2019s District 24.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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News Desk: In the special election for City Council District 24, Mujib Rahman is claiming status as the most conservative Democratic candidate. The Bangladeshi immigrant believes his focus on \u201cfaith and family\u201d directly represent the views of the community and will earn him the elected position.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s conservancy in my district,\u201d he explained. \u201cThere are [candidates] who don\u2019t like American [ideals] and a capitalistic society. I\u2019m different.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bangladesh Society of North America president, who has clocked in experience working in the Internal Revenue Service and as a Census supervisor, is now looking to tackle the role of elected official. The position became vacant after former Councilmember Rory Lancman resigned to begin a new post as special counsel for ratepayer protection with the Governor\u2019s Office. The winning candidate will serve in the role until Dec. 31.<\/p>\n

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The Council bid is the second for Rahman, who ran against Lancman in the 2012 election. Lancman took home 73 percent of the votes, beating out Republican Alex Blishteyn with about 20 percent, leaving Rahman with 6.3 percent. In that race, Rahman ran on the \u201cFamily Values\u201d line. Now, he\u2019s running on the \u201cUnity Party\u201d ticket.<\/p>\n

Here is where Rahman stands on three key issues.<\/p>\n

Public safety<\/p>\n

Rahman described protecting the community as his No. 1 priority. The people of District 24 are vulnerable to attacks and muggings, he said, which can be reduced by supporting police.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefunding the police \u2014 it hurts my community,\u201d Rahman said, commenting on the City Council\u2019s decision to slash the 2021 NYPD budget by $1 billion in June. With calls to continue trimming law enforcement funding still raging throughout the city, Rahman promises to protect cop allotment.<\/p>\n

In Rahman\u2019s eyes, the anti-police protesters were successful in their fight for police accountability, especially after Mayor de Blasio signed Lancman\u2019s chokehold ban into law in July. The local law, included in the NYPD Accountability Package, made the restraint and other uses of deadly force by an officer punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The maneuver, used on Eric Garner in 2014, was banned by the NYPD in 1993, but there was little repercussion for officers who still employed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat gives us protection,\u201d Rahman said, adding that because the police handbook contains a multitude of restrictions that keep officers in check there is no reason to introduce more regulations into law. \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of rules there. Why should I bother for more?\u201d<\/p>\n

The role of law enforcement is to stop crime as or before it happens and to protect community members from becoming victims, the City Council hopeful said, but they will never be able to stop crime completely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big issue is you need to change social behavior [through] good parenting … If we can raise good children, we can stop crime,\u201d Rahman said.<\/p>\n

The key elements to deterring crime are a strong education, a positive environment and attentive guardians, he explained. Rahman disagrees with his fellow candidates that the problem of crime should be addressed by funneling more money into community programs, schools and living assistance \u2014 the problem has to be addressed with long-term behavioral changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cheap to just say, \u2018OK, we will change. We just need more funding.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t help. It\u2019s not the money, we have to change their behavior,\u201d Rahman said. \u201c[Good parenting] is the thing we have to establish in the long run … We have to teach [children] to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Development building<\/p>\n

One of the major takeaways Rahman wants voters to remember is that he is a bona fide capitalist in an era of rising socialism. His stance on private development, specifically, reflects his free-market views.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m for private development. Supply and demand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Though growing at a slower rate than in past decades, New York City\u2019s population is steadily rising, creating a greater need for housing. The government should not be involved in housing construction, he said.<\/p>\n

However, Rahman does acknowledge that there should be a certain degree of restrictions on private developers to ensure that their housing projects provide public benefit. For example, he said that projects located near water borders should include publicly accessible waterfront spaces. Privatization should not equate to alienation, he explained.<\/p>\n

Rahman said he supports affordable housing as well, as long as it is limited to those who need it the most and that it is not funded by the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as no government taxpayer money is involved and it\u2019s accessible for the public … for those who are needy, that\u2019s fine,\u201d Rahman said before adding that he\u2019s wary of those who don\u2019t work that take advantage of affordable housing and government-sponsored programs in order to sail through life on the taxpayer\u2019s dime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should go to work,\u201d he said. \u201cThat should be looked at, there should be stricter guidelines [for who qualifies].\u201d<\/p>\n

Education<\/p>\n

Rahman immigrated to the United States to pursue higher education and returned to Bangladesh after studying computer science at City College. It wasn\u2019t long before he came back to the U.S. for the greater job opportunities. The academic advantages left a lasting impression on Rahman, who is a staunch supporter of an individual\u2019s right to choose where he or she receives an education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI support charter schools \u2014 better education,\u201d he said, adding that he is also a large supporter of private education because it provides families with the alternative to seek better schooling when public education fails. \u201cWhy do we have to go to bad schools?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rahman sends his own children to private schools and hopes to see more built in the district during his term if elected to amplify the accessibility of \u201cbetter\u201d education, which he believes is available to all New Yorkers. For those who can\u2019t afford private education, specialized high schools are available and attainable. Because of that equal opportunity, Rahman doesn\u2019t support funneling more funding into public schools, especially in a time when budget monies are limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have very hard times ahead of us. No one has money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Money doesn\u2019t make or break the success of schools, he continued. The key is the teachers, and Rahman said he\u2019d support replacing \u201cnon-qualified\u201d teachers to improve education in public schools.<\/p>\n

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  • Courtesy: Queens Chronicle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Mujib Rahman is running in the Feb. 2 election for City Council\u2019s District 24. News Desk: In the special election for City Council District 24, Mujib Rahman is claiming status as the most conservative Democratic candidate. The Bangladeshi immigrant believes his focus on \u201cfaith and family\u201d directly represent the views of the community and will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":66055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45],"tags":[263],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n