Sajeeb Wazed Joy has come down hard on the American ambassador in Dhaka for her comments on recently held elections.
Published : 02 Jul 2018, 11:07 PM
The prime minister’s son and ICT affairs adviser said in a Facebook post on Monday that the US embassy in Dhaka “has become a mouthpiece for the BNP”.
“They are parroting BNP claims about the recent election in Gazipur and emphasising irregularities, while making absolutely no comment on the BNP's attempt to cause violence in that election,” Joy wrote.
In a meeting with diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka on Jun 28, Ambassador Marcia Bernicat linked free, fair and credible elections in Bangladesh with the stability of the Indo-Pacific region for which the new American administration has adopted a strategy.
She highlighted Bangladesh’s democratic process and elections in Khulna and Gazipur, and indicated that stability comes through holding free, fair and credible elections.
“While we commend the Khulna and Gazipur city corporation elections, the US remains concerned by reports of irregularities, including ballot box stuffing and intimidation of political players and polling agents both before and on the day of the vote,” Bernicat said.
In reaction to her comments, Joy said there were irregularities in nine polling centres out of 425, “which is just 2.1%”.
He said the Election Commission suspended polling in those centres and cancelled the vote, “which is exactly what they are supposed to do”.
Ruling Awami League candidate Zahangir Alam defeated the BNP’s Hasan Uddin Sarker by a margin of over 200,000 in the election to Gazipur City Corporation on June 26.
“All poll observers stated that the few irregularities could not have affected the outcome,” Joy wrote.
He also criticised Benicat for not mentioning in her speech at the programme that the BNP’s Central Executive Committee leader Mizanur Rahman Mizan was arrested on charges of plotting violence to make the Gazipur polls controversial.
Police arrested him after leaked audio clips of phone conversations purportedly between Mizan and others were published on the social media.
“The current US Government has a strict policy of not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, so this is just the local Embassy's opinion,” Joy wrote.
“As usual, the Embassy officials have been spending too much time with their BNP friends,” he added.
Earlier, the EC raised questions about the fairness of American election in reaction to Bernicat’s comments on Bangladesh’s elections.
Asked by reporters for reaction to the US ambassador’s comments, Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam advised the media to ask her whether the election was fair in the US, a country that “peddles democracy” around the world.
Islam said an investigation was under way in the US into alleged meddling by Russia in its presidential election won by President Donald Trump.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader also warned Bernicat against making comments that can draw negative reaction from the people.
He said the US ambassador should have questioned the BNP leader’s alleged plot to create violence during the Gazipur polls.