Dear Members of European Union Delegation to Bangladesh,
Bangladesh’s largest circulated Bengali language national daily Prothom Alo carried a report yesterday (Nov 26) under this headline:
“Bangladesh will be able to hold national election properly: European Union”
Referring to the EU, this report said:
” ‘After speaking to the political leaders of Bangladesh I am confident that the upcoming national election in Bangladesh will be free and fair,’ he (Rupert Matthews) said. ‘EU Parliament will not send any election observer because it believes Bangladesh is well-prepared to handle the election on its own.’
It’s not true that for budget-related crunch EU is keeping the observers away from Bangladesh election, he said.
‘If EU Parliament decided to send the observers for the election it would have indeed released a budget for this. EU Parliament believes, Bangladesh government has the ability to conduct the election in a free-and-fair manner using its own machineries. So, we consider it unnecessary to send any observer during the upcoming national election in Bangladesh,’ Mr Matthews said. “
The Prothom Alo report, was in fact moved by a government-run news agency.
The statement, that EU believes that the current Bangladesh government can be trusted to hold a free, fair and all-inclusive election- as reported in the Bangladeshi newspaper- has come as a shock to many political observers in Bangladesh. The politically conscious observers are dumbfounded to know of this statement from a EU member.
The current government has been widely accused of human rights violations, and it has been observed by the international human rights organisations and reported across the global media. The security agencies, which have been accused of being involved in human rights abuses in the country, will be massively deployed for security during the upcoming election. There is a history of mass rigging in elections in Bangladesh. Under the circumstances, we cannot believe that this government will hold free, fair and all-inclusive election and so, we have been demanding the installation of a neutral caretaker government during the election.
As a citizen of Bangladesh, I think I have the right to know the fact if EU really believes that the current government of Bangladesh has the intention and ability to hold free, fair and all-inclusive election or, Mr Matthews actually issued the related statement the way the news agency reported and the Prothom Alo carried.
I hope, you will not disappoint me and let me know the view of the EU in this issue.
I know, the EU fights for the rights and freedom of expression of the people. I really want to know if what the newspaper carried as the comment from Mr Matthews is true.
Thankfully yours,
Pinaki Bhattacharya,
Human Rights Defender and Online Activist,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NB. Here’s the link to the Prothom Alo report
