Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday came down heavily on some foreign missions in Dhaka for recruiting Bangladeshi nationals working in those missions as foreign observers, describing it as a flagitious act. “Many Bangladeshi nationals are working in foreign embassies and high commissions in Dhaka. But those missions have appointed them (Bangladeshis) as foreign observers of Dhaka city corporation polls….through this, they’ve done a flagitious work,” she said.
The prime minister made the remarks while talking to reporters after casting her vote in Dhaka South City Corporation elections at Dhaka City College centre yesterday morning. “How they (Bangladeshis) became foreign observers? They’re working there (in the missions). The missions cannot send them as foreign observers and they didn’t do right work,” she added.
The premier went on saying: “There are many ‘boiri’ (hostile) people working in those missions whom I know. Fathers of somebody were involved in the conspiracies of the August 15 carnage and some people were against the independence.” She continued: “Somebody carried out genocide and violated the mothers and sisters during the Liberation War and cooperated with the Pakistani collaborators.”
Sheikh Hasina said they are the successors of the anti-liberation elements, and the missions have included their name as the foreign observers. “I think by doing this, they didn’t do right work,” she said. In this connection, the prime minister also criticised the role of the Election Commission.
“It has been mentioned in the EC rules clearly that the foreign observers will be only foreigners. But I don’t know how the commission has allowed the Bangladeshi nationals as foreign observers. Accepting them as foreign observers, they (commission) also didn’t do right work,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the Election Commission should not allow those who are Bangladeshi citizens and working in foreign missions as foreign observers and to enter polling centres. “They can cast vote, but not as the observers,” she said. Replying to a question about the concern of the foreign diplomats on the Dhaka city cooperation polls, the prime minister said: “They can express their concerns as our past history is not so good.”
“Ducks and drakes were played with the voting rights of the people after the assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1975,” she said. Sheikh Hasina said in the name of polls, many dramas like Yes-No vote, the 15th February elections in 1996, the Magura and Dhaka-10 styled votes were staged in the past.
“But, we’ve been able to overcome the voting system from that situation,” she said. The prime minister went on saying: “There is nothing to be worried and we know the evidence how the elections are held in the countries of those people who voice concern.”
Answering a question on the Awami League’s allegations about gathering hooligans and terrorists by the BNP ahead of the city corporation electrons, Sheikh Hasina said when any party loses confidence and trust in the people, they follow different ways.
“It’s a character of the BNP as the party was born by capturing power illegally and it had initiated vote stealing and rigging. So, it’s natural they will bring hooligans and terrorists,” she said. The prime minister said the BNP cannot keep confidence and trust in the people in any way and it cannot also keep faith in the digital system.
Sheikh Hasina said in the digital system it is very tough to rig votes. “So, the BNP is out to unleash hooliganism and terrorist act as there is no scope of rigging vote in the digital system … they want to do same thing which they committed in the past,” she said.
In this connection, the prime minister advised BNP to discard this way and to be active in earning trust and confidence of the people. Mentioning that gaining confidence and trust of the people is the main strength of any political party, she said the Awami League have come to power for the three consecutive terms and four times in total by earning the people’s confidence and trust.
Sheikh Hasina said the people are now getting its benefits and their living standard has improved to a great extent. “We’ve brought down poverty rate to 20 percent and we’ll build a poverty-free Bangladesh Insha Allah,” she said. On the apprehension about the EVM by some quarters, the premier said it is a digital system through which all can cast vote freely. There is nothing to hide and seek here. So why this anxiety?
She went on saying: “But I think its reason is that there is no scope of ballot stuffing through hooligans and those, who have a long habit of vote rigging, couldn’t apply that method.”
