DHAKA, 12 December 2006 — Four important members of Bangladesh’s interim government quit yesterday in protest at the president’s decision to deploy the army to restore order ahead of January’s elections.
Adviser on Finance Dr. Akbar Ali Khan, former army chief and Adviser on Energy Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, Adviser on Agriculture C.M. Shafi Sami and Adviser on Industries Sultana Kamal sent their resignations to the president in the morning.
Ten advisers of the caretaker government enjoy the rank and status of ministers while the chief adviser enjoys the rank of prime minister.
“I have resigned since I could not make any contribution to creating a congenial atmosphere for free and fair elections,” Sami told newsmen.
He said the steps needed to create an atmosphere conducive to credible elections were not taken since the caretaker government took over on Oct. 29. “Our recommendations were not implemented,” he said.
The resignations came despite assurances from President Iajuddin Ahmed that calling in the military would not harm the democratic process in the country, paralyzed for weeks by opposition protests and bloody clashes.
“We have sent our resignation letters to the president, because we think that no situation has been created in the country that warranted an army deployment,” Sultana Kamal said.
The president ordered the deployment late on Saturday in a bid to restore order and counter opposition threats to conduct non-stop protests to force electoral reforms.
The opposition, led by the Awami League, has alleged the Jan. 23 polls will be rigged in favor of the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
At least 34 people have also died in pre-election violence in the impoverished and politically polarized South Asian nation.
Sultana said all the president’s 10 advisers, or Cabinet members, had opposed the president’s move to deploy the armed forces.
“But he did not care,” she said. “The deployment of the army is against the democratic process. It can provoke the political parties and create obstacles to holding a free and fair election.” The four Cabinet members who quit included a former army chief, a former senior bureaucrat, a former foreign secretary and a human rights lawyer.
“The resignation of four advisers proves that a free and neutral election is impossible under President Iajuddin Ahmed,” said senior Awami League official Tofail Ahmed.
“The president has been serving the outgoing BNP. I think unless he is removed as the head of the caretaker government, we cannot expect free and fair elections.”
The opposition, meanwhile, vowed its protests would continue, even as thousands of troops fanned out across the capital and the country.
“We will hold protest rallies to press our demand for creating a level-playing field for the upcoming elections,” opposition spokesman Abdul Jalil said. “We will continue our movement until the caretaker government implements all our demands.”
Awami League leader Hasina Wajed said Sunday that the situation in the country did not warrant the army’s deployment.
Hasina cautiously reacted to the deployment of the armed forces, saying they should “crack down on crime and criminals instead of taking on political rivals of the past government.”
But in a televised speech to the nation late Sunday, the president sought to justify his move by saying the armed forces had been deployed by previous governments. He also said he merely wanted to “ensure security and to create a congenial and peaceful atmosphere.”
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her party welcomed the deployment as the “right step” and urged the army to restore peace ahead of the elections.
Soldiers have been deployed in Dhaka — particularly around the presidential palace — as well as in all districts and towns and the nation’s ports.
“So far we have deployed nearly 16,000 army troops, 1,000 navy and 500 air force personnel,” armed forces spokesman, Col. Anisur Rahman, told AFP. “If the situation demands, the troops will move to sub-district towns,” he said. British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury said the resignations would create uncertainty in the present political situation ahead of next month’s general election, according to the private UNB news agency. “The resignation was unexpected. This is not a good development,” he told reporters. “Whether the election will be held on time is a question now,” he said.
Analyst Ataur Rahman, a professor of political science in Dhaka University, said the walkout was a “major blow” to the interim government. “It opens up a serious crack in the country’s caretaker government system. It deepens the country’s political crisis and now raises questions about the democratic process,” he said.
Hasina and Khaleda, who have not spoken for a decade or more, have both said they want a free and impartial election to continue constitutional rule in Bangladesh.
The South Asian country of 140 million was ruled by army generals for 15 years until the two women leaders struck a rare deal in 1990 to force Gen. Hossain Mohammad Ershad from power through a people’s revolt. They fell out after Ershad’s ouster and have since alternated as the country’s prime ministers.
Women’s Group Gets UN Award
A Bangladeshi women’s group was awarded a cash prize of $20,000 yesterday for its work in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said.
The “Durjoy Nari Shongo” (indomitable women’s council) shared the UNDP’s “Red Ribbon” 2006 award with four other groups in Ukraine, Thailand, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The Bangladeshi group distributes condoms, gives information about AIDS to sex workers and provides for the education of their children.
