Uzra discusses significance of free, fair polls with Hasina
Staff Reporter :
Prior to co-hosting a high-level side event on the Rohingya Crisis in New York, US Under Secretary Uzra Zeya had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during which they discussed various issues concerning Bangladesh.
During their meeting, Zeya emphasised the significance of a free and fair election in Bangladesh scheduled for January next year.
Both of them also talked about partnership between the two countries in the days to come and US also appreciated Bangladesh generosity for hosting the persecuted and forcibly displaced Rohingya population.
Following the meeting, Uzra Zeya conveyed these points in a tweet. The meeting was attended by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen, as well as US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu, among others.
“Honored to reconnect with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before co-hosting a High-Level Side Event on the Rohingya Crisis with Bangladesh, Canada, Gambia, Malaysia, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States on the margins of UNGA 78.
We discussed the importance of free and fair elections, US-Bangladesh partnership, and US appreciation for Bangladesh’s continued generous hosting of 960,000 Rohingya refugees,” the tweet said.
Whenever Zeya meets with representatives of the Bangladesh government, she consistently emphasises the importance of free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
On last Monday, she had a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on the margins of United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Then she reiterated her voice for holding a free and fair election and pushed for Bangladesh government’s commitment for freedom of expression so that the dissent opinions may flourish as part of vibrant democracy.
In addition to it, the US government has been urging the incumbent government to allow the opposition political parties to hold meetings and processions and the law enforcers including police should not take recourse to excessive actions to foil their freedom of assembly.
The opposition preferably Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been continuing its nationwide one-point movement for a caretaker government to oversee the upcoming polls, the dissolution of the parliament and resignation of the incumbent government.
BNP believes that a free and fair election is not possible under the current government in power as they had seen the last two elections -2014 and 2018 by- election engineering and vote rigging.
But this time BNP and other political parties do not want to allow the government to hold elections by using the state machinery.
The US government has always been talking with the government about the free and fair elections.
Even on Thursday, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas in an event in the capital said, “As Bangladesh approaches its national election in few months, we are ready to extend our support to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election to make sure the people can freely elect their leaders.”
Meanwhile, United States has announced $116 million in humanitarian assistance to people in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region.
The United States will provide more than $116 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable populations in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region, including more than $74 million to support Rohingya refugees and their host communities, US Secretary of Stated Antony J. Blinken announced.
With this new funding, the United States’ total assistance for those affected by the crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region totals more than $2.2 billion since August 2017, when over 740,000 Rohingya fled genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in Burma’s Rakhine State for safety in Bangladesh.
This funding provides life-sustaining support to nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, many of them survivors of a campaign of genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, and 540,000 members of Bangladeshi communities that generously host Rohingya refugees.
This assistance includes safe drinking water, healthcare, protection, education, shelter, and psychosocial support.
The United States recognises the generosity of the government and people of Bangladesh and other Rohingya-hosting countries in the region and urges other donors to contribute to the humanitarian response in Bangladesh, increase support to those driven from and affected by violence in Burma, and work towards lasting solutions to the refugee crisis.
