Anti-graft drive a lesson for politicians: Hasina
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
LONDON, July 22 (UNB): Awami League (AL) President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now abroad on interim release for treatment, renewed her demand for holding general elections first ahead of Upazila elections as per Constitution.
She renewed her demand while addressing a UK Juba League-organised meeting at the Impression Hall in East London Monday evening.
The AL chief said it is the constitutional responsibility of the caretaker government to hold general elections. "Upazila elections are to be held after the national polls."
Hasina remarked that it is a good sign that the caretaker government started realising that there is no alternative to elections and transfer of power to an elected government.
The AL president appreciated the ongoing anti-graft drive against corrupt politicians, saying that corrupt politicians would learn a lesson from their follies.
However, she said some good and honest politicians have also become victim of the anti-corruption campaign.
Citing her own case, Hasina said she was kept in solitary confinement and, one after another, "false" cases were filed against her. But, she told her audience, the allegations could not be proved.
She said during her eleven-month confinement, she got time to think how to run the country in a better way.
On rising food prices, the former Prime Minister said not to speak of low-income group, even the mid-income people are perturbed at the spiralling prices of essentials.
She said during her rule, inflation was pegged to 1.59 per cent and now it shot up to 11-12 per cent.
Among others, AL's Acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, UK AL leaders Syed Farooq and Mustaque Qureshi and Juba League President Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury and General Secretary Tarif Ahmed spoke at the meeting.
She renewed her demand while addressing a UK Juba League-organised meeting at the Impression Hall in East London Monday evening.
The AL chief said it is the constitutional responsibility of the caretaker government to hold general elections. "Upazila elections are to be held after the national polls."
Hasina remarked that it is a good sign that the caretaker government started realising that there is no alternative to elections and transfer of power to an elected government.
The AL president appreciated the ongoing anti-graft drive against corrupt politicians, saying that corrupt politicians would learn a lesson from their follies.
However, she said some good and honest politicians have also become victim of the anti-corruption campaign.
Citing her own case, Hasina said she was kept in solitary confinement and, one after another, "false" cases were filed against her. But, she told her audience, the allegations could not be proved.
She said during her eleven-month confinement, she got time to think how to run the country in a better way.
On rising food prices, the former Prime Minister said not to speak of low-income group, even the mid-income people are perturbed at the spiralling prices of essentials.
She said during her rule, inflation was pegged to 1.59 per cent and now it shot up to 11-12 per cent.
Among others, AL's Acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, UK AL leaders Syed Farooq and Mustaque Qureshi and Juba League President Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury and General Secretary Tarif Ahmed spoke at the meeting.