Respect will of voters

The US Congress in a unanimous resolution has urged political leaders and judicial authorities in Bangladesh to respect the will of voters and ensure that all Bangladeshis will be able to participate freely in the December 30 election, and that the polls will be impartial and inclusive.

The resolution, which agreed without any objection on Wednesday, also reaffirmed the commitment of the US to promote a free, fair, transparent and credible election in Bangladesh.

The Congress called on the Bangladesh government to respect freedom of speech and of the press and to heed the Bangladesh Election Commission's request to ensure security for minorities and maintain communal harmony for a peaceful election.

The resolution noted that Bangladesh's democratic system in recent years has faced challenges, including political violence, environmental strain, Islamist militancy, a refugee crisis, and challenges to freedom of speech and of the press.

Meanwhile, at a programme on Thursday, US lawmakers, civil society and intelligentsia have said the country stands with the Bangladeshi people seeking a free, fair, inclusive and peaceful election but warned that extremist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami poses an immediate threat to country's stability, democracy and progress.

Laying importance on the general election, the US Congress said democratic stability, regional security, and economic prosperity in Bangladesh and South Asia are vital also to the national security interests of the US.

It suggested that the US should more actively engage with the Bangladesh government with respect to their shared interests in safeguarding human rights, religious freedom, and secular democracy in Bangladesh, while preventing the growth of religious extremism and militancy; and repeated attacks on religious minorities.

Expanding religious intolerance and growing destabilisation caused by radical groups undermine the US economic and strategic interests in Bangladesh, the resolution observed.

The unanimous resolution has commended the government and people of Bangladesh for their generosity in hosting Rohingya refugees despite the hardships associated with responding to this man-made humanitarian disaster created by the Myanmar military and security force's crimes against humanity and genocide against the Rohingyas in Northern Rakhine State.

On December 6, Democrat Congressman William Richard Keating introduced the bipartisan bill in the House of Representatives.

In another development, Congressman Jim Banks at a function on Thursday said, “Bangladesh is a young democracy that struggles with radical groups attempting to subvert Bangladesh's progress and prosperity all while seeking political power for themselves.”

He was speaking at a discussion on “Stability, Democracy, and Islamism in Bangladesh” at Hudson Institute in Washington DC. The Institute convened a panel to discuss politics in Bangladesh and the country's upcoming election.