The European Parliament (EP) urges political parties to find a better solution for next elections, but are not calling for new polls, said Jean Lambert, member of the EP and chairperson of the delegation for relations with South Asia.
Lambert, who spoke at a pre-departure press conference yesterday, also urged BNP again to sever ties with Jamaat-e-Islami.
“We are not calling for new elections. We need a political solution from the major political parties about how a future election will be conducted,” she said at the press conference held at the office of the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh. European Union (EU) Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon was also present at the conference, according to a report by UNB.
Lambert said the EP still has concerns regarding the Jan 5 polls, for which it had not sent in any observers because of its “lack of inclusiveness, transparency and credibility.”
Lambert, who was here since Saturday at the invitation of the BGMEA for an apparel summit, said it was the responsibility of the major political parties of the country to ensure that the next election will be inclusive and give the people a “full and fair” choice.
However, she did not seem optimistic about an immediate solution following her meeting with general-secretary level leaders of the ruling party and the BNP.
“I think it is fair to say that it still seems to me there is a long way to go,” she said in answer to a question.
Despite this lack of optimism regarding a solution for the political parties, she seemed hopeful about the people of Bangladesh and said they should not give up hope of trying to make it happen and should keep looking for available possibilities.
She said the EU had not sent observers for the January 5 polls, where more than majority of the seats went uncontested, because “it was not a fully contested election” and that they could only offer support and solutions that would be fit for Bangladesh, adding that an agreement was “essential” for our democracy.
Following the January 5 polls, the EP on January 16 had urged BNP to sever ties with Jamaat, a stance Lambert reiterated at the press-conference yesterday.
“That remains the position of the European Parliament,” she said answering another question.
She also reiterated concerns expressed by the EP in September on disappearances, extrajudicial killings and “in-depth” investigations regarding the human rights situation in the country, according to the report by UNB.
“We have concerns on a number of issues at the moment. In the legislative field, one is about proposed law on non-government organizations,” she said.
Regarding the garment industry, she said the Rana Plaza tragedy, which claimed lives of more than 1,100 garment workers in April last year, was a “wake-up call” and urged for positive change and a change in mindset.
Citing challenges that still remain, such as infrastructure improvement, improving workers safety, she said there remains huge potential for the garments industry. “There have been lot of progress but there are areas where you need further progress.”
During her time here, Lambert also met with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, and visited RMG factories in Savar with a team of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, according to UNB.
She stressed on the importance of free media and democratic practice, as well the space for opposing voices, saying that Bangladesh has an active civil society, which is very crucial in any society.