Voicing their previous stance to detach Jamaat from BNP, the visiting European Parliament (EP) delegation have said they wanted to see the continuation of democracy in Bangladesh.
The EP delegation have said at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Jatiya Sangsad office on Tuesday.
PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil briefed reporters after the meeting.
He said the visiting EP delegation, led by Jean Lambert, said they want to see the democratic process in the country continuing in the days to come.
Lambert reiterated their January 16 resolution on Bangladesh where they said the political parties which are associated with ‘terrorist acts’ in Bangladesh must be banned.
“…parties which turn to terrorist acts should be banned,” said the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in its resolution adopted on Bangladesh at its debate chamber in Strasbourg, France on January 16.
It also urged BNP to ‘unequivocally’ distance itself from Jamaat-e-Islami and Hafezat-e-Islam in the interest of Bangladesh’s future. They pointed their finger at Jamaat for its destructive activities in recent times.
Jamaat was squarely blamed by the government for pre- and post-election terrorist acts, arson attacks, and indiscriminate violence against civilians, including women, children and minorities.
Describing her government’s various steps for strengthening democracy and election system in the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the EP to help Bangladesh introduce a flawless electronic voting system (EVM) that will make the election procedure more transparent and acceptable.
The EP delegation assured the Prime Minister of extending its support in this connection.
The Prime Minister said once there was a culture of vote rigging in the country. “Now the country has managed to get out from that culture,” she said.
In this connection, Hasina said once the Election Commission used to be formed by the government. But, the last time the President, in consultation with all the stakeholders, formed a search committee to form the EC, which was the first in the country.
Hasina also thanked the EP delegation for its strong support during the 1/11 episode when she was not allowed to come out of her homeland.
Talking about the garment sector, the Prime Minister said during her tenure she raised the minimum wages of garment workers from Tk 1,600 to Tk 5,300 in two phases in just five years’ time.
She said her government has also taken steps to accommodate garment workers in dormitories and provide them a better working atmosphere.
Hasina said the government has taken a project to set up a ‘Garment Village’ where all the garment factories will ensure the compliance.
The EP delegation praised the government steps taken for the garment workers and said the steps, including raising the minimum wages, were acclaimed worldwide.
The Prime Minister said when there is an incident in the garment sector her government extends all-out support to them. “We also help them from PM’s Relief Fund,” she said.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PM’s Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi and former foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni were, among others, present during the meeting.
Head of the Delegation of European Union (EU) to Bangladesh Ambassador William Hanna was also present.
The delegation arrived here on Sunday night to discuss post-election scenario in Bangladesh and see the progress made in the readymade garment industry after the RanaPlaza building collapse, just ahead of the first anniversary of the catastrophic building collapse, which cost over a thousand lives of garment workers.
Source: UNBConnect