Councillor denies neglecting voters

30 September 2008

A NEWHAM councillor who is thinking about becoming an MP in Bangladesh insists he is not neglecting his constituents in Manor Park.

Labour's Ayub Ali is adamant that he has not left local voters high and dry.

He told the Recorder that prior to visits to the country of his birth he carries out surgeries for his fellow ward councillors to accrue time for trips abroad.

Mr Ali said he also stepped down as the lead member for the Manor Park Community Forum.

Asked if he plans to stand as an MP in Bangladesh, Mr Ali told the Recorder: "If there's an opportunity, I probably will. But at the moment all I'm doing is campaigning for corrupt-free governance."

He said political parties have yet to select their candidates for a December election, and he is still assessing the situation.

The 47-year-old is affiliated to the Awami League, which he described as being ideologically similar to the Labour Party in this country.

Mr Ali, who lives in Forest Gate, said he went to Bangladesh in March for about two weeks, and then visited again on July 24 and returned on September 12.

He planned to return to the country on Sunday to work towards being nominated as a prospective MP and, if successful, remain there to contest the election.

He has taken six months unpaid leave from his job as a manager in Tower Hamlets Council's education department, and arranged for three months leave with the Labour Party in Newham.

Mr Ali also told the Recorder he went to Bangladesh twice last year, and said he plans all of his trips to coincide with holiday periods here.

"I haven't missed any full council meetings since I was elected," said the councillor, who was part of the 2006 intake.

Speaking about his responsibility to Newham, he said: "Well, I think I'm performing adequately - I'm not neglecting it."

Mr Ali, who receives the basic allowance for councillors but stopped receiving a special responsibility allowance as he is no longer the lead member for Manor Park, said his interest in Bangladesh is common knowledge and not a secret.

In last week's Recorder the Labour Party issued a statement which said: "Bangladesh is recovering from one of the country's worst natural disasters in Hurricane Sidr, and is recovering from a man-made disaster in the suspension of democracy.

"Ayub feels that whilst some have the expertise to rebuild the country's infrastructure, the contribution he can make to a part of the world he feels very strongly about is to support the efforts to re-establish democracy in Bangladesh."

Political opponents have called for him to vacate his seat and trigger a by-election.

Neil Pearce, chairman of East Ham Conservative Association, said Mr Ali "needs to decide where his loyalties lie".