Apparently elated by Ban Ki-Moon’s conversation with Sheikh Hasina, opposition leaders see the UN secretary-general’s telephone call to the prime minister as a reflection of global “diplomatic persuasion” of the ruling party.
They hoped that the telephone call may play a key role in staving off the eruptive political climate it is feared Bangladesh would face in the coming months over the restoration of the non-party caretaker administration.
Most of the senior leaders the Dhaka Tribune spoke with said the UN chief’s suggestion of credible polls coupled with peaceful transfer of power would motivate the two top leaders to seriously think about resolving their political differences for the sake of greater good.
With the national election just a couple of months away, both the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP are still sticking to their guns, creating uncertainty about the upcoming polls.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the UN secretary general that her government believed in solving problems through peaceful means while the leader of the opposition said her party was ready for dialogue but would not participate in any polls under the incumbent government.
Abdul Moyeen Khan, a standing committee member of BNP, said it was obvious that the political uncertainty, as well as the confrontational politics of Bangladesh, was not only bothering the people inside Bangladesh but was also drawing the attention of policymakers abroad.
“The recent phone call by the UN secretary general is nothing but a reflection of that concern,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Moyeen, also a former minister, said although Bangladesh was a country tiny in size, its population was huge and so was the geopolitical strategic importance of Bangladesh due to its unique location, connecting with south Asia in the west and South-East Asia and china not so far to the north.
“Added to this is the recently growing interest in the Bay of Bengal than no other than the United States. All this is adding up to the idea of a smooth transition of government through a free, fair, neutral and participatory general election due to take place within the next few months,” he said.
Khandakar Mosharaaf Hossain, another BNP standing committee member, said: “As a political crisis is going on in the country the UN secretary general expressed his concern. I think he said it out of his responsibility. Now everything depends upon the government.”
MK Anwar, also a standing committee member of the party, said like the people of Bangladesh the international community have also expressed concern over the prevailing political standoff.
“The international community also knows that there is no alternative to holding free and fair elections to protect democracy. So, Dialogue is essential to hold a free and credible election. The ruling party asked us to join the parliament to discuss the issue. We have joined the parliament and raised the issue but the government did not respond positively,” he said.
Anwar also said debates take place in parliament, not discussions.
“We hope that the government will take the initiative to resolve the deadlock, realising the concern of the people of the country and also the international community,” he said.
“It was not diplomatic pressure, rather it was diplomatic persuasion. After Moon’s call, I did not notice any change in the politics of the country. Now the ball is in the prime minister’s court. She has to play now,” Osman Faruk, adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Earlier, in May, Moon sent Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, assistant secretary general for political affairs of the UN, apparently to create grounds for political dialogue between the two arch rivals and to ensure a smooth transfer of power through a credible and participatory election.
Taranco met with the prime minister, leader of the opposition, speaker of the house, the chief election commissioner and selected members of civil society.
After the meetings he expressed his concern: “Time is running out to find a solution so that Bangladesh can hold free, fair, credible and non-violent elections.”
