Entries from September 2007 ↓

Absence of Khaleda, Hasina won’t harm democracy
BBC Sanglap told
Unb, Dhaka

Absence of Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in politics will not harm the country’s democracy, speakers at the BBC Bangladesh Sanglap said yesterday.

The speakers also warned about serious consequences of any move to exclude Hasina and Khaleda Zia from politics forcefully.

They said if Hasina and Khaleda are found guilty in corruption cases, they must be brought to justice. But people will not allow any illegal path to banish them from politics.

“Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the most popular leader of Bangladesh. But did AL stop its politics after the death of Mujibur Rahman? So no one is indispensable for democracy, as it is the people who run the democracy. But the trial of the two leaders will have to be done in a transparent way as per the existing laws,” said ASM Hannan Shah, adviser to the BNP chairperson, at the dialogue held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain, AL Organising Secretary Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Professor Mahbub Ullah of Dhaka University were the panelists.

Mahmudur Rahman Manna said democracy will remain alive without any particular person or group. “But why we will exclude Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia from politics forcefully?”

Dr Kamal Hossain said democracy will of course remain unharmed without Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia. “Country’s 14 crore people are owners of the democracy and power. Why we will have to wait for Hasina and Khaleda. Is there no qualified person in Bangladesh without them?”

Replying to a question on joint movement by AL and BNP, Hannan Shah said the country’s political parties should start inter-party dialogue immediately to find out ways to get rid of the present “political crisis”.

“In the past, we defeated autocrat Ershad through joint movement. So if needed we can launch a joint movement to save the country’s democracy,” Hannan Shah said.

Mahmudur Rahman Manna said right now, there is no possibility from AL side to launch a joint movement with BNP on any issue.

Responding another question from the moderator, whether AL and BNP want to start a joint movement to free Hasina and Khaleda in the name of democracy, Hannan Shah said, “Why we will go for movement for release of Hasina and Khaleda as now they are undergoing trial. But we can move jointly for democracy.”

Manna said AL has no desire to go for a movement for freeing Khaleda Zia. “We can work for Sheikh Hasina’s release as she is our leader.”

Replying to audiences whether the caretaker government would be able to hold a free and fair election by 2008 as per the commitment of the chief adviser and the roadmap of the Election Commission, the speakers hoped that the caretaker government will be able to keep its words as people want an elected government in power.

Dr Kamal Hossain said accident may take place in the way of holding the election within the timeframe. “But we are hopeful about the government’s success. Now we will have to work unitedly so that no accident can foil the roadmap.”

“We have accepted the roadmap and the timeframe for holding the election. Now it’s the government’s duty to keep its words,” Hannan Shah said.

Discussion also took place on the recent demonstrations following the printing of a cartoon in the daily Prothom Alo’s weekly supplement “Aalpin”.

Replying to a question from the audience that why a group of people are still agitating for closure of daily Prothom Alo even after its editor apologised, Mahmudur Rahman Manna said, “People who don’t want to see Bangladesh as a progressive country are doing these.”

Prof Mahbub Ullah said a vested quarter is active to brand Bangladesh as a fanatic country in the world.

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AL for common stance with 14-party allies
Staff Correspondent

The party presidium, the highest policy-making body, at a meeting also endorsed different political parties’ calls for not allowing Jamaat-e-Islami to register with the EC and bringing them to book for the crimes they had committed during the Liberation War.

It also stressed the need for keeping intact the alliance unity. Chaired by acting AL president Zillur Rahman, the meeting authorised Tofail Ahmed to make contact with the alliance leaders to agree on a strategy for the talks on the electoral reforms proposed by the commission.

“We want to have an integrated approach,” Tofail told reporters after the meet held at Zillur’s Gulshan residence.

Ways to secure release of the detained party chief Sheikh Hasina came up for discussion at the meeting.

Besides, the presidium talked about a possible timetable for the next AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting and the incident where four senior leaders including AL acting general secretary Mukul Bose were jostled and subjected to verbal abuse by a group of agitating activists before and after the ALCWC meet on September 12.

Referring to several names published in different newspapers, Zillur asked Mukul to explain the issue, said insiders.

Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, who heads the one-member body formed to probe the matter, told Mukul that he did not include names of the culprits in the statement he had submitted to her.

In response, Mukul said he never mentioned any names regarding who might have instigated the manhandling of the leaders. He said if necessary he would clarify his position again to the press.

At one point, Tofail said some quarters of the press sought to blow the incident out of proportion.

Later, talking to the reporters, Mukul said, “If I were given a chance to look at, I think I would be able to pick the culprits out of a line-up.”

The meeting decided that the ALCWC would meet once the party receives the invitation for the EC’s talks that began on September 12.

Earlier, Mukul and Motia Chowdhury had a difference of opinion on when should the ALCWC sit. Contrary to Motia’s view, the acting general secretary said they should not fix a date so early. He added that someone from the EC had told him that the party would be invited at least 15 days before the scheduled date for the dialogue.

ZILLUR’S BRIEFING
At a press briefing after the meet, Zillur said the ALCWC would decide whether to join the EC’s dialogue only after receipt of the invitation.

Who would represent the party in the event of joining the talks and what would be their strategy–all would be decided at the ALCWC meeting, he added.

About the 14-party coalition, he said the alliance could not meet due to the ban on indoor politics, but it still remains strong, observed Zillur adding that Tofail has been tasked with keeping in contact with the allies.

He said the party would mark the 61st birth anniversary of Hasina, also a former premier, on September 28.

“As our leader continues to languish in detention, we will not hold formal or elaborate programmes; instead we will organise a milad mahfil and offer special prayers at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum, seeking her release and wishing a long life,” said the veteran AL leader urging the rank and file across the country to observe the day in similar fashion.

Renewing his call for release of Hasina, he said, “All our leaders and workers are united in their demand for her release.”

Of the 12 presidium members, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, Motia Chowdhury and Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser were present at the meeting while Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak and Suranjit Sengupta remain abroad. Syeda Johra Tajuddin could not attend due to illness.

Alongside the party chief and its General Secretary Abdul Jalil, three presidium members–Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Kazi Zafrullah–are behind bars.

Graft case against Hasina
to be brought under EPR
Moneruzzaman Mission

The graft case against detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for taking a bribe to award the contract for the Khulna barge-mounted power plant will be brought under the apparently unassailable Emergency Powers Rules 2007.
The Anti-Corruption Commission on Wednesday approved the proposal to bring the case under the emergency rules, which bar any accused person from seeking bail from any court during the case’s investigation, trial and appeal.
‘The decision was made at a meeting headed by the ACC’s chairman, Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, in response to an appeal made by Morshed Alam, a deputy director of the ACC, also the investigation officer of the corruption case,’ sources present in the meeting told New Age.
The investigation officer will today submit the copy of the ACC’s decision to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court for its final approval, the sources added.
After the lower court’s approval, the detained former prime minister will not be able to appeal to any court or tribunal for bail, which will help the investigator to prove that the accusation is true, claimed the investigation officer.
On July 17 the home ministry decided to apply the emergency rules in the two extortion cases against Hasina — one filed with the Tejgaon thana by an Awami League leader, Noor Ali, on June 9, and another filed with Gulshan thana by businessman Azam J Chowdhury on June 13.
Hasina, now in a special jail since her arrest on July 16, challenged the legality of bringing the two extortion cases under the emergency rules, but the petitions are still waiting for disposal.
A court of the chief metropolitan magistrate on Wednesday deferred till October 4 the hearing of the acceptability of the charge-sheet of the extortion case filed on June 13 in response to a time plea from Hasina’s counsels, saying the case is now pending with the High Court.
On September 2 the deputy director of the ACC, Shabbir Hasan, lodged the graft case against Hasina and six others, accusing them of taking a bribe of Tk 3 crore from owners of the Summit Group and the United Group of Companies in exchange for giving them permission to set up a barge-mounted power plant in Khulna.
Hasina was shown arrested in the case after investigation officer Morshed Alam appealed to the CMM’s court in this regard.
According to the rules, the investigation of such a case needs to be concluded within 45 working days from the date of appointment of the investigation officer.
The rules empower the ACC to extend the time of investigation by 15 more working days if there are valid reasons for failure in concluding the investigation in the stipulated time.
According to the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the cases need to be tried by the Special Judge’s Courts within 45 days after they are taken into cognisance.
The court will have the scope to extend the time by 15 more days after recording the reasons for failure in concluding the trial.

http://www.onlinebdnews.com/