The USAID will reduce assistance to Bangladesh parliament and lawmakers as it will re-examine and refocus its democracy and governance programmes.
“In light of what happened in the election, we are refocusing our democracy and governance programme. We, among other things, expect that we will be reducing assistance to parliament that assists directly to the members of parliament,” new USAID Mission Director Janina Jaruzelski said on Monday.
Jaruzelski said like all programmes of the USAID, the democracy and governance programmes were constantly being re-examined and retooled and refocused to address local and current condition.
“We do recognise that there are issues of governance and we do have programmes in those areas. We expect to continue to have programmes in those areas but we are currently looking at how they would best be refined and refocused to be most effective in light of what happened in January,” she said at a meet-the-press programme at the American Centre.
US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena accompanied her at the event.
Jaruzelski, however, said the USAID does not intend to reduce the total level of aid for the democracy and governance programmes.
“The total level spent on the topic will not be reduced. What we do plan to do is realign and shift our programming mix within that amount so that it is appropriate and effective in the current political environment,” she explained.
The US aid agency had spent about $200 million last year for different programmes and the amount was expected to be the same this year, she said.
US Ambassador Mozena reconfirmed that America’s view on the January 5 election had not changed.
Asked if he proposed holding of an election by June, he said it was not for the US to set the timeline.
About his statement on holding election by June, he said: “That was a statement recognising that monsoon starts in June. But that statement was made some time back and I don’t know if it [holding the poll by June] would be possible that fast now.”
Mozena reiterated his call for immediate dialogue to find a way to hold the election as soon as possible.
About the survey of the US-based Democracy International, Jaruzelski said: “Statistically speaking, it is a dead heat between the two parties.”
The main message of the survey was not to resort to violence for political reasons, she said.
“People should not resort to violence to make their political point. I think that’s the real message of the survey,” she said.
The new USAID mission chief said her priority areas would be health, especially maternal and child health and nutrition, and food security and climate change.