Friends of Bangladesh concerned over political situation: UK

The visiting top civil servant of the UKaid Mark Lowcock says the political situation in Bangladesh is “very distressing” for its friends.

He said the UK wants to continue its support to Bangladesh to  “fulfill its dream to become a prosperous middle-income country”.

But he said at this moment they were “concerned” about the political standoff.

Lowcock, Permanent Secretary of DFID, was talking to journalists while visiting Dhaka’s Korail slum on Monday.

He came to Dhaka on Sunday for a two-day visit to see projects funded by the British government.

The UK is the largest donor in Bangladesh and its funds goes to projects on poverty alleviation and development.

But his visit came when BNP-led alliance that boycotted the parliament poll on Jan 5 last year was enforcing violent transport blockades and general strikes, jeopardizing normal life.

SSC exams, one of the biggest public exams, are being held only on weekly holidays.

“We think political parties need to work hard to get things back to normal,” Lowcock said, citing that “political standoff means children can’t take the schools exams”.

“All have the responsibilities to sort out the problem so that things get back to normal,” he said.

Korail slum dwellers have explained their difficulties in living in this largest and most crowded slum.

The Permanent Secretary said they were “vulnerable” to the rich and powerful who have control over the land.

The DFID pumped little more than $100 million in grants for this slum’s infrastructure development and to ensure economic empowerment for its dwellers in the last eight years.