DHAKA, 17 May 2006 — Bangladesh’s main opposition Awami League party has threatened to boycott Parliament elections next January, citing a fraudulent voters’ list released by the election commission earlier this month.
The election commission released a list of more than 91 million voters, including 21 million new voters, but the Awami League said many of the names were fictitious to ensure a victory for the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
“There can be no question of participating in an election using a fraudulent voters list. Also, we will do everything possible to resist the election,” Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil said in a statement late on Monday. He didn’t elaborate, but political analysts said the opposition would likely step up a street campaign for wider electoral reforms including changes in the election commission — which it says is partisan — and to the country’s system of a pre-poll caretaker administration.
Leaders of the 14-party opposition alliance have planned to visit various parts of the country on May 20-22 while AL leaders would hold meetings in each district on May 23 and 24 to garner public support for the Dhaka siege program.
The Jamaat-e-Islami, a coalition partner of the ruling party, rejected the opposition’s boycott threat and said any attempt to disrupt the polls would not be tolerated. “Bangladeshi people are generally in favor of timely and peaceful elections. And no party has enough strength to foil the vote,” said Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami. Bangladesh has faced months of street protests, some over lack of electoral reforms and others over a shortage of electricity.
Biman to Suspend Unprofitable Long-Haul Flights to Europe
Bangladesh’s national carrier Biman will suspend unprofitable long-haul flights to Europe, America and Asia to reduce losses, a minister said yesterday. Biman would temporarily discontinue services to New York, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt and Bangkok-Singapore as they are not profitable, Junior Civil Aviation Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
“We are suffering a loss of 5.5 million taka ($80,000) on each flight to New York because of operating with old DC-10 aircraft,” the minister said.
State-run Biman racked up a loss of around 41 million dollars last year as fuel costs soared and two accidents resulted in a DC-10 and Fokker F-28 being written off. Officials said the company was set to incur huge losses in the current financial year because of increasing jet fuel prices and a jump in the cost of fleet maintenance.
Currently Biman travels to 27 international destinations with five DC-10 aircraft that are at least 20 years old, four Airbus 310s bought in the early 1990s and three Fokker F-28 aircraft.
The minister said officials were trying to improve the airline’s fortunes by seeking a “strategic partner” and that talks had already been held with Thai Airlines, Emirates and Gulf Air. Under any deal, a strategic partner would manage Biman and supply aircraft in exchange for access to the national flag carrier’s guaranteed destinations. Last October, Biman’s board approved a sale of a 61 percent stake in the company to private investors in an effort to raise money to buy new aircraft for its ageing fleet.
