UK envoy stresses confidence-building before future polls

British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Gibson on Thursday said all political parties in Bangladesh must work together to strengthen democratic accountability, and laid emphasis on taking ‘confidence-building measures’ before going for a future election. ‘The imperative now is for all parties to work together…try and break the 5-year cycle of electoral violence and instability,’ he said during his interactions with diplomatic correspondents at National Press Club in the city. Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (Dcab) arranged the event – Dcab Talk – with its President Mainul Alam in the chair. Dcab General Secretary Angur Nahar Monty was also present. The British diplomat encouraged all to start confidence-building measures before the new election takes place so that most people in Bangladesh have a chance to exercise their democratic rights. Asked about UK’s relations with the present government, he said, ‘The relation between UK and Bangladesh remains very close…we’ve to look ahead.’ Sought his comment on human rights situation, he said when human rights is abused it is essential for government to quickly and transparently investigate those cases to make sure that such abuses do not happen again. The British diplomat expressed satisfaction over the progress made in readymade garment industry. ‘We’ve worked together and try to ensure that the RMG sector continues to flourish,’ according to a news agency.