Tuesday, 6 January 2009

To Bangladesh’s Awami League leader, Sheik Hasina:

Our sincere congratulations goes to you, your party and your alliance partners - the AL Parliamentary Party, as the clear majority of parliamentary seats gained in this important election brought you unanimously into the position of Prime Minister of Bangladesh and your Party to the fore.

We are pleased that your Party envisions: “A democratic system where people choose their government freely and get services from it without hassle, [will] enjoy freedom from fear and intolerance, live with dignity and be sure of social justice…” Further, that reforms to the Election Commission and the election system will be continued, following the precedence of Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed’s caretaker government, leading to comprehensive participation.

We are also delighted to note that your manifesto promised to increase the number of reserved seats for women in parliament to 100 from the current 45 and direct election of those, even though this will require amending the constitution.

The landslide win means your party can easily proceed with its electoral pledges.

We applaud the decentralisation of powers manifesto pledge: "Total change will be in effect in the local government system by giving it primacy and the controlling authority in development work. With this end in view, district and upazila level local government will be made self-reliant and self-administered.”

The plan to make Bangladesh self-sufficient in food provisioning we see as vitally important to tackle the price hike problems of essentials that have been seen worldwide so recently, and also as a way to provide employment away from industrial centres, in rural areas, where local culture can be re-invigorated by buoyant local economies less reliant on
the bigger towns.

This move will also make your Party’s poverty alleviation and mass primary education programmes tenable and at last do something about the arsenic contamination problem of water supplies and spark into life the backburner-placed initiatives to formulate a comprehensive regional water policy with India, Nepal and Bhutan for regional water security.

Indeed, given the all-important co-operation of those political groups that are now placed in the position of opposition, with their constructive monitoring and feedback by way of participation in affairs, the 2021 Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s birth as an independent democratic nation will be celebrated by each and every citizen of your country, rich and poor, with great happiness.

This is our wish.

Peace, Force and Joy
Sudhir Gandotra,
Asia-Pacific Spokesperson, Humanist Movement
sudhirgandotra@gmail.com
http://sudhirgandotra.org/