- Is Washington casting a big shadow?
Washington’s ongoing campaign to discredit Bangladesh’s government continues to build in the corridors of power. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has approved a resolution calling for political reform in Bangladesh, and will hold a congressional hearing on this matter.
If the House of Representatives hearing on Bangladesh held this past November is an indicator, this will be another damning indictment on the Awami League government.
Simple Resolution 318 condemns Bangladesh’s political violence and urges the nation’s leaders to engage in substantive dialogue for free, fair, and credible elections. It supports the UN’s efforts to foster political dialogue.
Moreover, it asks the government to rein in the violence, ensure judicial independence, end human rights activists’ harassment, and restore Grameen Bank’s independence. It also asks of safe access for election observers, a moot point now that US has decided not to deploy election monitors due to a one-sided election. Now, who are the key players behind this resolution?
This was sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin from Illinois. The Democratic senator also serves as majority whip, the Senate’s second-highest position. Previously, the senator had written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing disappointment over the government removing Professor Yunus from Grameen Bank’s managing director position.
Senator Durbin is a longstanding supporter of Professor Yunus and sponsored the resolution that awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in US.
Senator Durbin has remarked on S.Res. 318: “My interest is in part due to the role of Nobel Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congressional Gold Medal winner Professor Mohammad Yunus, whom many may know from his pioneering work to help the world’s poor through microfinance programs. The United States’ relationship with Bangladesh is strong. Peaceful democratic elections and greater respect for the Grameen Bank will only further those ties.”
The resolution’s eight co-sponsors include Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey, Senator Barbara Boxer from California, and Senator John Boozman from Arkansas.
Senator Menendez is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and has issued a committee report on Bangladesh’s worker safety and labour rights back in November.
He has remarked: “No consumer will want to wear clothing if it’s stained by the blood of innocent workers. We should not rest until these individuals are given the rights they deserve and the tools they need to protect themselves.”
The senator has acknowledged the moral imperative to bring fundamental change to Bangladesh’s garments industry.
Senator Boxer is also among the high-profile American politicians concerned about the government takeover of Grameen Bank. Earlier, she commented: “I am deeply disappointed in the Bangladeshi government’s efforts to exert control over Grameen Bank. This move threatens the ability of millions of women to find a path out of poverty.”
She has led women senators to request Prime Minister Hasina for the independence of Grameen Bank.
Senator Boozman has previously written to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring necessary changes to the International Crimes Tribunal Act. He declared: “It is vital the act be updated to make the process compatible with international standards. Without the necessary updates, the Bangladesh Tribunal will continue to be politically volatile and controversial.”
He has also suggested that the tribunal is being utilised to sideline opposition Jamaat-e-Islami.
Given the senators’ leanings, it is not surprising to find Grameen Bank and the ICT tied to the resolution on “the critical need for political reform in Bangladesh.”
The resolution cites US interests in Bangladesh, such as counterterrorism, regional stability, and the over $6-billion annual trade, with American businesses having long-term investments in the nation. It also criticises the ICT for not adhering to global standards and elimination of the caretaker government. The ultimate line is probably this: “The success of the democratic process in Bangladesh is of great importance to the US.”
Although a simple resolution is a nonbinding position of the senate, designed to provide advice on foreign policy or administrative measures, Congress is the junior partner on US foreign policy.
It is the legislative branch that appropriates funds for foreign policy goals, including foreign aid. Congress also shapes the public agenda by educating its constituents on issues the general public is unaware of, such as how political developments in a specific South Asian nation are deteriorating, and what the US can do to make the place far better in the name of democracy.
As a responsive measure, Bangladesh Ambassador to the US Akramul Qader met up with Senator John McCain, who is in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to present AL in the best light. The ambassador apprised how the government attempted to bring in opposition BNP to the election, and how the prime minister tried for a consensus on the election-time government.
He also noted that the government wants to hold free and fair elections. These statements fall flat in a one-sided election scenario where 154 preselected parliamentary candidates are running unopposed, ensuring a landslide victory for the incumbent government, with the opposition boycotting the election and conducting arson, bombing, killing, and terrorism in the name of democracy.
Besides having a Bangladeshi adopted daughter, Senator McCain is not known for his ties to Bangladesh. As the hawkish senator is usually favourable to US intervention abroad, one doubts if he will vote against this resolution.
At the moment, it does not seem that the AL government has any solid allies in the senate. The resolution will most likely pass; it has bipartisan support as Bangladesh’s political reform is certainly not a controversial topic between party lines. The hearing will probably usher in pre-selected witness experts who will illustrate a detailed, negative portrayal of the political scenario, possibly placing the blame squarely on the government.
If held as per the senate legislative calendar, this hearing and subsequent resolution will be another black mark for the AL in the international political arena.
Source: Dhaka Tribune