Election-time govt: Khaleda asks govt to open talks

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Saturday urged the government to take steps for initiating a dialogue to settle the issue of an election-time government through understanding.
Khaleda, the leader of the opposition in parliament, made the call while delivering her statement on the proposed national budget for fiscal 2013-14 in the house.
“I hope the next general elections would be held under a non-party neutral government. The government will be compelled to hold the polls under a non-party neutral government,’ she told parliament amid thumping of desks by the opposition lawmakers.
She reiterated that the BNP would not participate in the elections under a partisan government.
Khaleda said in the Bangladesh situation, the party in power could not ensure a level-playing field during the elections.
She said her party thought that a solution of the issue of an election-time government could be found through ‘understanding, not confrontation.’
‘I am making a clarion call for necessary initiatives for formation of an election-time non-party neutral government,’ she said.
The opposition leader said the government would have to settle the issue as, she said, the ruling party had brute majority to amend the constitution.
Khaleda said the problem would not be solved by issuing illogical statements like holding elections under the party in power with the incumbent prime minister at the helm.
She said the reasons for which the Awami League did not accept national elections under a partisan government in 1996 still remained; rather, she said, the situation had turned worse.
In the politics of Bangladesh, Khaleda said, the main problem was lack of trust which still existed and as long as distrust would be in place, elections under a partisan government would not be acceptable.
During about two hours’ speech, she touched on various issues, including corruption, misrule, repression, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, politicisation of the administration, judiciary, bad shape of economy, weaknesses of the proposed budget and badmouthing by lawmakers.
The treasury bench members remained silent during Khaleda’s criticism of the government.
She rejected the allegation that she had written to the US government for cancelling GSP facility to Bangladeshi products.
‘It is out of question for me to write such a letter,’ Khaleda told the house.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina amid thumping of desks instantly showed a writing of Khaleda Zia published in the Washington Times a few months ago to prove that the latter had urged the US government to stop GSP facility.
In response, Khaleda said it was not her letter and she could produce evidence in support of her claim.
Khaeda said she did not send any writing signed by her to any foreign newspaper.  Rather, she said, during her meetings with US leaders she had requested them to continue the GSP facility and import Bangladesh garment under the facility.
Khaleda urged the US administration to review the GSP suspension and called for duty-free access of all Bangladesh exports, including apparel, to the US market.
She also urged the European Union, Japan, Canada and other friendly countries not to follow the decision of the US for the interest of the Bangladesh workers.
Khaleda censured the government for the May 5 operation to flush out Hefajat-e-Islam activists from Shapla Square in the capital.
She said the motive for the whole incident, its nature and casualties still remained ‘shrouded in mystery’. What the government has said so far has deepened the doubt, she said.
On foreign relations, Khaleda said good relations were definitely necessary with India but that should be based on mutual interests.
She wanted to know about an ‘arrangement’ to carry 10,000 metric tonnes of rice to Tripura by India using Bangladesh as a corridor.
On the Padma Bridge project, Khaleda said the government was in a hurry to start construction of the bridge before the national elections.
She referred to the World Bank’s allegation of ‘corruption conspiracy’ over the Padma Bridge project saying that although the government was denying the charge, the trial in Canada had let the cat out of the bag.
She said reports of bribe at the high level of the government and their ‘close relatives’ had been published in different domestic and international media.
On the proposed budget, she apprehended that there would be a deficit of about Tk 10,000 to 13,000 crore by the end of the year.