The Awami League has expressed deep concern over the recent actions of United Nations Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis on elections and reforms, observing that she appears to be advancing the political agenda of specific individuals or groups within Bangladesh.
After a recent meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on June 3, she said that the upcoming elections will be inclusive without the Awami Leagueโs participation. “The UN reaffirms solidarity with Bangladesh’s reforms, and the renewed commitment to sustainable development and prosperity,” she tweeted.
Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the former ICT adviser to the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, reacted sharply. In a tweet, he said: “This is the plan to keep foreign agents in power in Bangladesh by having a rigged election, leaving out half the voters.”
Her remarks are deeply disheartening. โWe firmly believe that her statement reflects her personal views, not the official stance of the United Nations,โ the party said in a statement on Wednesday. โThe UN, as an institution, does not endorse such biased commentary regarding a countryโs internal affairs.โ
The statement added that this is not the first time Gwyn Lewis has made such remarks.
โShe has long been perceived as working toward establishing foreign dominance within Bangladesh. Her continued bias threatens to derail the countryโs democratic progress. The Bangladesh Awami League strongly condemns and protests her prejudiced statement.โ
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Gwyn Lewisโ position is flawed, the Awami League said. โA significant portion of the Bangladeshi population supports the Awami League. Without their participation, how can an election be considered inclusive? If Awami League leaders, activists, supporters, and voters do not engage in the election, can public participation still be deemed proper?โ
The statement said that representatives of an international organisation may advise or offer guidelines to strengthen democratic institutions in any country. However, the unfortunate truth is that Gwyn Lewisโ recent comment risks creating political unrest in Bangladesh, potentially hindering the peopleโs movement to restore democracy.
โWe call upon the United Nations and all international bodies that wish to support Bangladeshโs democratic journey to uphold neutrality and respect the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people in all their statements and actions.โ
Arafat questions UN’s intention
Former information state minister Mohammad A Arafat asked the UN office in Bangladesh about the interim government’s key reforms conducted in the last 10 months.
He mentioned that in the last 10 months under the Yunus administration, at least 22 Awami League activists died in police custody, and in all cases, vivid signs of torture were found, indicating clear signs of extrajudicial killings.
At least 213 opposition (Awami League) activists have been the victims of political and revenge killings, including many of their family members. None of the family members could even file a case. The killers have been enjoying complete impunity and sometimes support from the Yunus regime.
He added that 296 journalists have been charged in false murder cases, and 18 journalists have been sent to jail. Over 1,000 journalists have been fired or forced to resign, and 168 press accreditations and 83 press club memberships have been cancelled.
Moreover, a record of over 359,000 people from the opposition were arrested in the last 10 months.
“The country has been facing the shocking reality of fake cases! Many cases have been found that the person Sheikh Hasina allegedly โmurderedโโฆ is alive and well in his place! Living people have been shown ‘murdered’ on paper.”
Arafat said the Awami League is one of the largest parties but has been banned and excluded from the electoral process. The Jatiya Party (JaPa), the third-largest party, is unofficially outlawed. Numerous smaller anti-Islamist liberal parties in the 14-party alliance have been subjected to mob violence and state-sponsored repression. All these parties account for about 55% of the voter population.
He asked: “Given the situation explained above, does this truly reflect @UNinBangladesh’s support for reforms or your disgraceful collaboration with the totalitarian regime that did everything in its power to crush the rule of law, violate every human rights standard, and push media freedom to its utmost?”
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