United News of Bangladesh

Expressing satisfaction over the steps taken so far as part of election-centric preparations, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday said the next one week would be very crucial as the twin elections – national election and referendum – are scheduled to take place on February 12. “We are satisfied. We are very happy,” Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters quoting the Chief Adviser as saying at a high-profile meeting on the election preparation held at the State Guest House Jamuna. At the beginning of the meeting, Prof Yunus said the main challenge is to make the voting ‘perfect’ and described the next week as very crucial. The Chief Adviser expressed satisfaction over the election campaign across the country that is taking place in an ‘enthusiastic, peaceful and cordial’ atmosphere. He sees such a smooth campaign as a positive sign for the country’s political culture and hopes that the election will be festive and safe where people, including women will join with the whole family. “Candidates are not using abusive language against one another, nor is there any unruly behavior, which is a very positive change for our political history and culture," Press Secretary Alam quoted the Chief Adviser as saying. The meeting, chaired by the Chief Adviser, reviewed overall preparations, security deployment and the challenges ahead.  The Chief Adviser hoped that the election festival will be in full swing and women will vote happily - the whole family will join the voting festival together. “I hope that this election will be memorable in history.” The Press Secretary said there are about 43,000 polling stations all over Bangladesh, out of which 25,700 are being given body-on cameras, and a demonstration of how these body-worn cameras work was given in the meeting first. During the demonstration, the Chief Adviser spoke to those who were carrying body-on cameras at random five places. Responding to a question, the Press Secretary said there is no risk to the safety of journalists. PASHA Not Getting Cards The Election Commission (EC) has postponed its decision to issue more than 10,000 election observer cards to the so-called non-governmental organisation People’s Association for Social Advancement (PASHA) for the national election. Briefing reporters after a high-level meeting at the state guesthouse Jamuna on Saturday night, Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said an NGO named PASHA had applied to appoint 10,000 election observers. “The Election Commission conducted an inquiry into the organisation. After the inquiry, the EC was not convinced of PASHA’s capacity. As a result, the distribution of election observation cards to the organisation has been postponed,” Azad said, quoting EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. Azad made the remarks at a press conference held in front of the state guesthouse Jamuna after the meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam also briefed reporters on the overall outcomes of the meeting, which focused on election preparations. Azad said no political involvement has been identified in PASHA’s case so far, but investigations are still ongoing. Prof Yunus happy over polls preparations, says next ‘week very crucial’ At the beginning of the meeting, Chief Adviser Prof Yunus said the main challenge is to ensure a “perfect” voting process and described the coming week as very crucial. An investigative report titled ‘One-person-based PASHA giving 10,000 election observers’ was published in Prothom Alo on Friday. The report revealed that the organisation is run by a single individual who has converted a room in his house into PASHA’s office.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to holding ‘free, fair, and peaceful’ elections, adding that full preparations are underway to ensure the success of both the parliamentary elections and the referendum. “We are fully prepared,” Prof Yunus said, adding that any attempts to disrupt peace ahead of the elections would be dealt with firmly. The Chief Adviser made the remarks when Chargé d’Affaires of the United States to Bangladesh Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson on Monday paid a farewell call on him at the State Guest House Jamuna. During the meeting, they discussed the upcoming February parliamentary elections and referendum, as well as trade, civil aviation, labour reforms initiated by the Interim Government, and overall bilateral relations between the two countries. Prof Yunus welcomes growing Bangladesh-Pakistan engagement Jacobson, who is returning home after an eventful year in Bangladesh, appreciated the leadership of the Chief Adviser over the past 17 months and reiterated the support of the United States government for the February elections, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing on Monday. The US Chargé d’Affaires lauded the reforms undertaken by the Interim Government and, in particular, praised the ‘truly remarkable and extraordinary’ labour laws, saying they would help attract greater foreign direct investment to Bangladesh. She also commended the Interim Government for withdrawing 45 of the 46 cases that had been filed against the country’s labour leaders under previous governments. In response, the Chief Adviser described the new labour ordinance as an ‘excellent piece of legislation’, adding that leading Bangladeshi labour activists have publicly welcomed the reforms and the ratification of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions by the Interim Government. Election to be held on time, Prof Yunus tells US Special Envoy They also discussed funding for Rohingya humanitarian assistance. The Chief Adviser thanked the United States for continued support for the Rohingyas. "The United States remains the single largest donor to life-saving humanitarian aid for more than one million forcibly displaced Rohingya living in camps in southeastern Bangladesh," said Prof Yunus, expressing the hope that such support will continue in the future.   The Chief Adviser thanked the US Chargé d’Affaires for her “critical work” during her year-long tenure and for being a ‘friend to Bangladesh’ and extended an invitation to her to visit in future. National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman and SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed were also present at the meeting.