US envoy links rule of law, rights to foreign investments

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FE Report
US Charge d'Affaires Geeta Pasi has called for building a corruption-free Bangladesh with establishment of rule of law and individual rights protected for attracting foreign investments.
"A Bangladesh free from corruption, that respects the rule of law, and protects individual rights, is a country where entrepreneurial energy can, and will flourish, and where international investment will grow," she said at the luncheon meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) in a city hotel Tuesday.
Speaking as the guest of honour at the AmCham's July luncheon meeting, the US envoy said: "Corruption is an insidious disease that saps a nation of its vitality and promise, and it has no place in democracy."
Extending the US government support to the incumbent government's anti-corruption efforts, Pasi said to make a real break with the past and to earn the Bangladeshi people's confidence, the government needs to ensure that corruption cases are handled fairly, transparently and without selectivity or political motivation.
"It is crucial that all those accused are accorded the full range of their legal and constitutional rights," she said.
Supporting the process of electoral reforms and welcoming the government commitment to hold free, fair and credible elections by 2008, Pasi said: " We are committed to doing all that we can to help Bangladesh meet the markers along its stated course of election."
The announcement of an election timeline is an important milestone for this government, and helps explain the steps leading up to the election.
The US Charge d'Affaires pleaded for lifting the ban on politics, saying arbitrary application of the ban has been a concern both domestically and internationally.
She, however, said lifting the ban does not mean bringing back the culture of violent, partisan and street politics.
"Dialogue is part and parcel of an effective reform process," she said adding, "As such, lifting the ban on politics is absolutely critical for giving a kick-start to positive change in Bangladesh."
Speaking on the occasion, the US envoy made a flashback on the pre-emergency political landscape and the obstinate stance by two major parties over the abortive January elections and said: "The state of emergency that followed has presented Bangladeshis with an opportunity to rewrite their political future - addressing the issue of crippling corruption and strengthening institutions critical to a democracy with checks and balances."
"This is a time of great opportunity in Bangladesh's history--the political, social and economic investments you make today are the venture capital of a new future for Bangladesh that must include a clear and unwavering focus on democratic values," she told the businessmen.