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POLITICS-BANGLADESH: Calls to Restore Democracy Grow

Farid Ahmed

DHAKA, Feb 21 2008 (IPS) - Pressure is mounting on Bangladesh&#39s military-backed interim government, both internally and internationally, to lift the state of emergency, imposed over a year ago, suspending political activity and fundamental rights.

The unelected interim government, headed by a former central bank chief Fakhruddin Ahmed, enjoyed massive popularity, as it took over amid deadly political violence over polls, but its reputation waned because of uncontrolled price hikes of staples.

President Iajuddin Ahmed proclaimed the state of emergency on Jan. 11, 2007, suspending the national parliamentary elections and the interim government took over on the following day with the strong support of army and donor countries.

The interim government pledged free, fair and credible elections, but only by December 2008, on the plea that it first needed to purge politics of rampant corruption.

As the year wore on under emergency rule the economy stagnated and the middle-class people with limited incomes were struggling to survive.

A former Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled said the present sluggish economy could see a turnaround only if the emergency laws were withdrawn.

"Emergency laws are very rigid whereas business is very flexible and these two just do not go together," Khaled said.

If the government withdraws the emergency laws, there may be some political disturbances but businesses will be able to run smoothly,’’ Khaled said. "The economy will rebound within six months if regular laws are restored and a government of people&#39s representatives is in place.’’

Senior rights activist and executive director of Ain-O-Shalish Kendra, one of the country&#39s oldest rights group, Sultana Kamal, told IPS: "We don&#39t see any necessity of prolonging the state of emergency for so long."

Kamal, also a former adviser to the immediate past caretaker government, said that they had spoken against the state of emergency from the beginning and its adverse impact on society. "Emergency can be a temporary measure and if it prolongs it must have an adverse impact on society and now we can see it," she told IPS.

Political parties repeatedly called for lifting the emergency, paving the way for the already overdue elections and restoration of democracy.

Donor countries and rights groups have now joined the call for withdrawal of the emergency.

Although the head of the donor-supported interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed promised gradual withdrawal of the emergency and initiation of a dialogue with the political parties, there is in no move in that direction.

On Feb. 15 the secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture expressed serious concern about continuing human rights violations in Bangladesh under the state of emergency.

The Geneva-based group in a statement urged the government to lift the emergency and said it is ‘’deeply concerned over serious human rights violations, in particular over reports of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment since proclamation of state of emergency".

The Election Commission (EC), reconstituted soon after the interim government&#39s taking over, has already announced an election roadmap, but is hamstrung with its work half done.

The English-language national daily ‘New Age’ reported last week that the EC had failed to complete even half of the tasks relating to the election roadmap that it announced seven months ago.

Early last month the EC urged the government to lift emergency well ahead of the national polls as it planned local body elections in April this year.

"I asked the chief adviser (head of the interim government) to bring about an election-friendly environment because we have to hold the polls to city corporations and municipalities in April," Chief Election Commissioner A.T.M. Shamsul Huda told journalists at a briefing early this month.

Cabinet member A.F. Hasan Ariff, who is in charge of the law ministry, last week said "emergency rules needs to be relaxed to facilitate the holding of elections".

"Although there is no direct bar on holding elections under the state of emergency, some activities related to polls such as campaigns, rallies and meetings are restricted,’’ Ariff, a former attorney-general, said.

British foreign minister David Miliband, principal deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department Donald Camp, and U.S. Ambassador-designate to Bangladesh James F Moriarty, are among those who have asked the government not to delay the state of emergency.

They made it sufficiently clear that they would like to see elections held by December at the latest.

Miliband arrived in Bangladesh on Feb. 8 on a 38-hour visit and talked to both the government and opposition figures, the army chief and NGO representatives. He discussed lifting the emergency and following due process and international standards in dealing with corruption cases.

Talking to reporters before leaving, Miliband said: "A full functioning democracy cannot operate under the state of emergency. We think, it is important to lift the state of emergency to all intent possible and the message is received as well."

Miliband said: "In our discussions with the caretaker government in the last 13 months, we have always been focussed not on how they came into power but how they can get out of power and how a clean, fair and effective democracy can be achieved in Bangladesh."

On his return to London, Miliband told Bangladesh-British journalists at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that the British government does not want to see a ‘Kenya model’ elections in Bangladesh.

Moriarty said Washington wants that the caretaker government to move as quickly as possible and take additional steps to restore civic freedoms and democracy. He made the remarks at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington on Feb. 6, during a confirmation hearing on his ambassadorial job.