Bangladesh, first ever Catholic elected to lead opposition
Albert P Costa is the new president of Jumbo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. In the past he led the largest organization for cooperation in the country.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - For the first time ever in Bangladesh a Catholic was elected to fill one of the highest offices of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the largest opposition party. Albert P Costa is a member of the Bhadun Gazipur parish, near the capital. He was elected yesterday as president of Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the party that plays a decisive role in political activism. His appointment represents quite an exceptional circumstance in Bangladesh, where Catholics represent just 0.4% of the population out of a total of about 160 million inhabitants.
Immediately after his election, Albert P Costa told AsiaNews: "I got this job at a time of extreme difficulty for the BNP. Thousands of our activists are subjected to legal proceedings by the Bangladeshi ruling party Awami League. I will take this responsibility seriously. I will reorganize the party from the groud up".
The Catholic has replaced Moazzem Hossain Alal, who was elected Deputy Secretary-General for political education. Albert has been the president of the Metropolitan Christian Co-operative Housing Society Ltd for some time. It is the leading organization for cooperation in Bangladesh, managed by Christians.Bangladesh
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