DHAKA, 5 October 2003 — Commonwealth lawmakers began a weeklong conference on parliamentary democracy yesterday in Bangladesh, whose main opposition party refused to attend in its latest protest against the government.
Some 500 lawmakers from 48 of the Commonwealth’s 54 countries, which are mostly former British colonies, began talks to set the agenda for the meeting, which aims to boost cooperation among elected officials under the theme “partnership for global peace and prosperity.”
It is the 49th annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and its first to be held in Bangladesh, where parliamentary democracy was restored in 1991. But the main opposition Awami League, which has a fierce rivalry with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is boycotting the conference, citing the government’s “arrogant attitude.”
It was believed to be the first time that the main opposition party of the host country has stayed away from the annual conference, a CPA official said. Bangladesh’s Parliament Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Awami League to end the embarrassing boycott.
“There can be problems within ourselves, but it should not be reflected in an international conference as it tarnishes the country’s image,” Sircar told reporters. He said a slot was still available at the opening ceremony Tuesday for Awami League chief Hasina Wajed, who was prime minister from 1996 to 2001 and has a bitter, personal rivalry with Khaleda.
Khaleda will formally inaugurate the conference Tuesday. CPA leaders have also met informally with the main opposition party to ask it to end its boycott and a meeting source said Hasina, who is suffering from viral fever, has agreed to see the guests.
“We are disappointed as the Awami League has decided not to join the conference,” Bob Speller, a Canadian MP and the CPA’s executive committee chairman, told reporters late Friday after talks with senior opposition party leaders.
But he said CPA delegates would not try to mediate to end the long-standing feud between Khaleda and Hasina. “We don’t care to involve (ourselves) in your local politics,” Speller said.
Awami League Secretary-General Abdul Jalil said party chiefs spelled out their reasons for the boycott during talks with Commonwealth leaders. “They (the government) did not involve us in the preparatory steps and now how can we take responsibility for the meet?” he told reporters.
Both Khaleda and Hasina while in opposition has attempted to scuttle the government’s agenda, particularly through walkouts in parliament and strikes. Analysts point to the rivalry as a serious impediment to bringing progress to Bangladesh, one of the world’s poorest countries.
