Hamin Ahmed warns to not vote without a cultural manifesto

With the national election approaching, Hamin Ahmed, a leading member of the popular band Miles, has called on political parties to present clear plans for music and culture in their election manifestos.

The schedule for the national election is set to be announced this week, officially starting the election countdown. As part of shaping the future of Bangladesh, political parties have already begun outlining their plans, which will be published as their manifestos. At this critical time, Hamin Ahmed has highlighted the importance of including music and culture in these plans, stressing that parties without positive strategies in this sector should not receive votes.

In a post on Facebook, Hamin cautioned, "No political party should be given a vote without a clear plan for music and culture." He further wrote, "The national election is just around the corner! Music creators, artists, and music lovers want to know—what is your cultural and music-based manifesto for the future of Bangladesh?"

Hamin also questioned why, in its 54-year history, no political party has ever included music, one of the country's most significant cultural sectors, in their election manifesto. "No political party has announced their plans regarding music—they have addressed everything else, but not music!" he said, emphasizing the issue in both his post and the comments section.

Pointing to the country's large music-loving population, Hamin noted that millions of Bangladeshis, ranging from the young to the elderly, could collectively pressure political parties to publicly commit to clear plans for music and culture. "It's not just talk—this is an extremely important issue. Out of 180 million people, is it 20, 30, or 40 million, or even more who love music? This includes young, middle-aged, and elderly people who regularly listen to music," he wrote.

He added, "If we say—let the parties announce their plans for culture and music, or else we won't vote; or that whichever party provides a clear plan, we will all vote for them—what would happen? Everyone needs votes. This is our power as citizens—use this power."

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Hamin Ahmed's post has already sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many artists, composers, musicians, and music lovers expressing their support for his initiative