Democracy only option for Bangladesh: Mozena

Bangladesh cannot but be a democracy , says US ambassdor Dan Mozena .

The US wants, for its own sake, a "a peaceful and prosperous Bangladesh' he said.
“…Democracy is rooted in Bangladesh, it is a very Bengali thing. And when this country has had non-democratic governance, those were not happy days,” he said while commenting on Bangladesh’s current political situation and the future of US aid.
Speaking at a press conference organised for the visiting USAID deputy administrator Donald Steinberg on Thursday he said, he was ‘fully confident’ that democracy in Bangladesh would ‘continue to grow and strengthen’.


Mozena's comment comes amidst the political impasse over how the next general elections will be conducted. The main opposition BNP insists on the restoration of the non-partisan caretaker system to conduct the polls but ruling Awami League-led alliance insists on getting the Election Commission to supervise the polls after scrapping the caretaker system through the 15th amendment.

Khaleda Zia at a rally in a northern district Bogra recently hinted at possible military intervention if the deadlock continued when she said that the army 'would not sit idle during times of instability’.

Bangladesh witnessed fifteen years of military rule after 1975 when the country’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated.

In Jan 2007, a military backed caretaker administration took over power following political violence over holding the general elections. But instead of holding the polls immediately, it continued to govern for nearly two years , saying it would first trying 'cleansing' Bangladesh's politics.

Mozena said said the US was aware of the current situation.

" What is needed is for the major political parties to talk to each other, engage in constructive dialogue and find a way forward for free, fair and credible elections,” he said.

Replying a question he, however, said all the activities of the USAID would continue as usual.

Doubling its aid in the last four years to $200 million in 2012 from $100 million in 2008 and staff in the mission, the visiting USAID deputy administrator said they laid much importance for the development of Bangladesh for the mutual benefit of both the countries.

“I can assure you that US recognises its interest in a strong, stable, prosperous Bangladesh,” he said.

Bangladesh, he said, was important because of its population, the moderate and secular Muslim state in the country, the unique new development initiatives and the contribution to global peacekeeping by its armed forces.

Supporting Bangladesh was vital for the US for its future security and economic interests.

“A peaceful and prosperous Bangladesh will not be into trafficking people, drugs and weapons, it will not harbor terrorists or pirates. It will not send refuges across borders, across oceans. It will not transmit pandemic diseases and it will continue to support global peace through the peacekeeping efforts," Steinberg said.

“So it’s our mutual interest to see peace and prosperity in Bangladesh continues.”

In economic aspect he said, most of the US export markets become ‘stagnant’ and Bangladesh can be a market for US products in future.

He said as the world’s seventh largest country in terms of population, Bangladesh has shown the world how an Islamic state can succeed within ‘a secular democratic structure.’

During his presence, USAID and Bangladesh signed a $33 million 5-year project to protect nature and wild of the 25 protected areas out of 35 by generating alternative livelihoods of the people.

He extolled Bangladesh’s progress in cutting maternal and child deaths over the decades and said he came here to see ‘the magic’.

He said as a government, “we are increasingly changing how we do business in development field. We no longer have policies and programmes made in Washington DC that we apply in field.

“We are in a period where we recognise that the Bangladesh government, civil society and business community must be the drivers of development in Bangladesh.”

Steinberg will leave Dhaka Thursday.