Bangladesh government never bows down to foreign pressure: Hasina

She says her government will never back away from doing whatever is necessary for the people’s interests

The Awami League government would never back down from doing whatever is necessary to improve the lives of the people, no matter how much pressure foreign powers apply, Sheikh Hasina has said in a robust rebuttal to allegations of harassment of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Hasina was speaking about an open letter from 40 influential people from around the world, including politicians, activists and business leaders, on alleged harassment of Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, the founder of microfinance pioneer Grameen Bank.

“So, it doesn’t matter to us if someone creates pressure. We will do whatever is needed for the people’s welfare,” she said.

Hasina was speaking about an open letter from 40 influential people from around the world, including politicians, activists and business leaders, on alleged harassment of Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, the founder of microfinance pioneer Grameen Bank.

The Washington Post published the letter as an advertisement. The signatories included former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, former US vice-president Al Gore and secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Virgin Group’s founder Sir Richard Branson, former Mexican president Vicente Fox, Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, and lawyer-politician Ted Kennedy Jr.

Addressing Hasina, the letter accused her government of harassing Yunus through investigations into his organisations.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen refuted the allegations as imaginary and unsubstantiated.

As Hasina took questions on different issues, besides her Qatar visit, a journalist asked her if she feels any pressure due to the letter, with the next general election less than a year away.

The prime minister laughed and made the remarks about her government’s position on foreign pressure.

She said her government had tackled such pressure on many occasions, including the initiation of the Padma Bridge Project. The World Bank withdrew from the project, alleging corruption. Hasina later decided to construct the bridge with Bangladesh’s funds.

Awami League leaders accused Yunus of using his connections to stop the funding by the World Bank after he was stripped of his position as the managing director of the Grameen Bank for flouting age rules.

Hasina said many officials of a certain country, including its foreign minister and ambassador, made phone calls to different other countries to voice their support for Yunus when he was removed from the Grameen Bank over a decade ago.

“Sheikh Hasina tackled that pressure and showed them that such pressure doesn’t matter to us by building the Padma Bridge with our funds,” she remarked.

The prime minister claimed she, as the head of government, has nothing to do with investigations into Yunus’s organisations, including a case on charges of violation of the labour law at Grameen Communications.

“The law takes its course here in Bangladesh. Our judiciary is independent.”

She questioned the spending of money to publish the open letter, adding there was “no doubt” that the signatories to the letter had some “ambition” ahead of the election.

Many local and international organisations are also out to call into question the fairness of the election while her government has taken preparations for free and fair polls.

The ruling Awami League president once again ruled out talks with the BNP over the next general election as the opposition party launched a movement to oust her government before the polls. The BNP has threatened a boycott of the polls without a caretaker government.

Hasina recalled how the BNP “insulted” her by denying her entry to the home of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia when the prime minister went to visit her after the death of Khaleda’s son Arafat Rahman Coco in 2015.

“How can I hold a dialogue with them after such an insult?”