Foreign Minister Dipu Moni on Sunday said the government is looking forward to holding the next general election in a free, fair and credible manner under an interim government comprising elected representatives.“…we would also be able to deliver free, fair and credible elections (national election) with the support of an interim government comprising elected representatives,” she said.
The Foreign Minister came up with the remarks while briefing foreign diplomats at her ministry in the evening.
This was the third such briefing as similar briefings were held on April 10 and March 7 at a city hotel and Foreign Ministry respectively.
She said the government is confident about a fair and credible national election as the Election Commission held 5,636 elections at different tiers in the last four years without a single incident of controversy or mismanagement around them.
“It’s high time for the sound health and sustainability of Bangladesh’s democratic culture that we take the next critical step towards holding national elections under a political dispensation managed by elected people, as is the norm of established parliamentary democracies around the world,” Dipu Moni said.
Referring to the tentative framework of the interim government, as suggested by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Dipu said this interim government could comprise elected representatives from major political parties to ensure an impartial and inclusive character.
“Despite such overtures, we haven’t yet heard anything specific from the opposition in response to the offer of dialogue. The opposition has rather imposed the condition of reinstating the caretaker government provision into the Constitution for the dialogue to take place,” she added.
The Foreign Minister pointed out that the government will welcome any support from the international community for ensuring the credibility of the entire election process.
“As in previous elections, particularly the one in 2008, we would like to invite and accept international and independent observers to monitor the elections,” she said.
About the rumour of ‘genocide’ at Shapla Chattar, she said there was a political motive behind the rumour of high casualties and some quarters are trying to establish genocide claims against the government as a counterpoint to the well-documented genocide committed during the War of Liberation of 1971.
“We thank the international community, including human rights watchdogs, for remaining sensitised to such malafide campaigns and registering the truth as borne by eyewitness accounts and evidence.”
Dipu Moni said the government has already initiated some legal actions against the actual masterminds behind the violence capitalising on the Hefajat’s programme.
“The highest leader of the Hefajat Allama Shafi has gone back to his headquarters in Chittagong, and as he was not present on the scene on May 5, no charge has been pressed against him by the police.”
She mentioned that the government would like to bring about a qualitative change in political culture. “I would like to reiterate in this forum that there is no alternative to dialogue and the sooner the opposition accepts the offer for dialogue that remains on the table; the better it would be for the nation to get it out of the spiral of violence that we’ve been witnessing over the past few months.”
Dipu Moni said she will have an opportunity to meet the UN Secretary General in New York tomorrow where she would also brief him once again about the series of measures of the government has already taken to further enhance the independence, effectiveness and credibility of the Election Commission.
On the ongoing trials of war crimes suspects, Dipu Moni said, “We hope the ICT-BD would be able to proceed with the trials in an unencumbered manner and deliver the long-awaited justice to the victims of crimes against humanity and protracted impunity.”
She said the government would remain open to constructive dialogue with its foreign friends in the international community in the spirit of ensuring due process and fair trial in keeping with international standards.
He thanked all for their support to Bangladesh during UPR and mentioned that most of the foreign friends have commended Bangladesh’s achievements in promoting and protection human rights in the last four years, which would continue to inspire us to forge ahead with our efforts to implement their recommendations. UNB
