AL-govt dialogue ends without any decision
Friday, 24 October 2008
The second-phase formal dialogue between the caretaker government and Bangladesh Awami League Thursday ended without any specific decision on the party's demand for unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of the state of emergency ahead of the polls, reports UNB.
An 8-member delegation of Awami League led by its acting president Zillur Rahman attended the three-hour-long dialogue with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and four other advisers at the CA office at 2:30 pm, while another former ruling party, BNP, stayed in waiting to sit in the evening for the crucial pre-election consultation.
Awami League put forward a nine-point charter of demands at the dialogue with the release of party chief and ex-premier Sheikh Hasina on top of the agenda.
"We have demanded immediate unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of the emergency before the polls. Besides some other demands, we also asked the government to defer the upazila polls," acting AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters at a post-dialogue joint briefing.
Ashraful Islam said there were open talks between them, and the AL hoped the caretaker government would meet all of their demands before the polls.
"At today's dialogue decisions have come on some issues and some other issues remained still undecided. But we hope that the undecided decisions will be taken within an expected time before the polls," he said.
But Syed Islam wouldn't say what the government told them about its decision on the demanded permanent unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina, now in the United States on health grounds after her temporary release from jail by executive order.
However, the AL spokesperson anticipated that Sheikh Hasina would get release before the December 18 general election as the party wants to go to the polls under her direct leadership.
The nine demands of the Awami League also included -- arranging highest security measure for party-chief Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of all cases against her, deferment of the upazila polls for a "logical time" lag, ensuring neutrality of the administration, formulating specific policy for ensuring objective role of the media during the general election and the upazila polls, repealing the provision of canceling one's candidature even after his selection for violating electoral rules from the RPO 2008.
AL also told the government that the provision that bill defaulters will not be eligible for the coming polls should be done away with.
Later, Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur said the government side is convinced after talking to the Awami League leaders. He said--in figurative terms--that through the second-phase dialogue Awami League and government entered the highway of elections.
"So long we had been going through a byway of the elections, but from now boarded the highway of the general election," the commerce adviser told the newsmen about the latest journey's course.
He said although still there are distances with the Awami League on some issues, but the distances are very short.
"There might have a short distance between the Awami League and the government on some issues. But such problems are very much solvable," said the government spokesman.
He said in line with the political parties' demand, the government already has decided that Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia would be provided with the highest security.
But what type of security the two key leaders would get would be decided at a cabinet meeting, he said.
Hossain Zillur parried journalists' question regarding the release of Sheikh Hasina and her participation in the coming polls.
He said Sheikh Hasina's leadership in the Awami League has been established beyond doubt and she is "very much important in the perspective of Bangladesh".
But he stopped short of giving government view about Hasina's release and her participation in the coming polls.
"Sheikh Hasina's release is a legal process," said the adviser of the caretaker government whose clean-up drive in the interim period threw the two former premiers and political heavyweights of their parties behind bars on corruption charges.
About the Awami League's demand for withdrawing the emergency law, he said there is no scope for taking rigid stand on the issue of emergency, which was declared in the country amid a crisis over election issues in January last year.
However, he said government will take care so that political parties' leaders and activists can conduct their electoral activities in the run-up to the polls.
"But the matter of law-and-order situation during the polls should also be taken into account," he said.
About the upazila polls, the adviser reaffirmed government stance that the upazila elections would be held on the declared dates as government is confident that without any complexities the upazila polls could be held in a free and fair manner.
An 8-member delegation of Awami League led by its acting president Zillur Rahman attended the three-hour-long dialogue with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and four other advisers at the CA office at 2:30 pm, while another former ruling party, BNP, stayed in waiting to sit in the evening for the crucial pre-election consultation.
Awami League put forward a nine-point charter of demands at the dialogue with the release of party chief and ex-premier Sheikh Hasina on top of the agenda.
"We have demanded immediate unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of the emergency before the polls. Besides some other demands, we also asked the government to defer the upazila polls," acting AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters at a post-dialogue joint briefing.
Ashraful Islam said there were open talks between them, and the AL hoped the caretaker government would meet all of their demands before the polls.
"At today's dialogue decisions have come on some issues and some other issues remained still undecided. But we hope that the undecided decisions will be taken within an expected time before the polls," he said.
But Syed Islam wouldn't say what the government told them about its decision on the demanded permanent unconditional release of Sheikh Hasina, now in the United States on health grounds after her temporary release from jail by executive order.
However, the AL spokesperson anticipated that Sheikh Hasina would get release before the December 18 general election as the party wants to go to the polls under her direct leadership.
The nine demands of the Awami League also included -- arranging highest security measure for party-chief Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of all cases against her, deferment of the upazila polls for a "logical time" lag, ensuring neutrality of the administration, formulating specific policy for ensuring objective role of the media during the general election and the upazila polls, repealing the provision of canceling one's candidature even after his selection for violating electoral rules from the RPO 2008.
AL also told the government that the provision that bill defaulters will not be eligible for the coming polls should be done away with.
Later, Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur said the government side is convinced after talking to the Awami League leaders. He said--in figurative terms--that through the second-phase dialogue Awami League and government entered the highway of elections.
"So long we had been going through a byway of the elections, but from now boarded the highway of the general election," the commerce adviser told the newsmen about the latest journey's course.
He said although still there are distances with the Awami League on some issues, but the distances are very short.
"There might have a short distance between the Awami League and the government on some issues. But such problems are very much solvable," said the government spokesman.
He said in line with the political parties' demand, the government already has decided that Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia would be provided with the highest security.
But what type of security the two key leaders would get would be decided at a cabinet meeting, he said.
Hossain Zillur parried journalists' question regarding the release of Sheikh Hasina and her participation in the coming polls.
He said Sheikh Hasina's leadership in the Awami League has been established beyond doubt and she is "very much important in the perspective of Bangladesh".
But he stopped short of giving government view about Hasina's release and her participation in the coming polls.
"Sheikh Hasina's release is a legal process," said the adviser of the caretaker government whose clean-up drive in the interim period threw the two former premiers and political heavyweights of their parties behind bars on corruption charges.
About the Awami League's demand for withdrawing the emergency law, he said there is no scope for taking rigid stand on the issue of emergency, which was declared in the country amid a crisis over election issues in January last year.
However, he said government will take care so that political parties' leaders and activists can conduct their electoral activities in the run-up to the polls.
"But the matter of law-and-order situation during the polls should also be taken into account," he said.
About the upazila polls, the adviser reaffirmed government stance that the upazila elections would be held on the declared dates as government is confident that without any complexities the upazila polls could be held in a free and fair manner.