United News of Bangladesh

European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Chief Observer Ivars Ijabs on Sunday explained what exactly they mean by ‘inclusive and participatory’, stressing the inclusion of all social groups in the elections. "And as for the inclusive participatory, this is an important issue. I think the inclusive means, from our perspective first of all, the inclusion of all social groups of Bangladesh citizens - groups like women, groups like ethnic, religious, minorities, and also the regional groups to participate," he said. During a crowded media briefing, a journalist drew attention to the sudden shift in the meaning of the terms inclusive and participatory. In response, Chief Observer Ijabs said participation was precisely what they were seeking - a credible voter turnout in the elections. He also said such participation would signal that Bangladeshi citizens are actively engaging in the democratic process to decide their own future.  

Participatory election, overall election process and Chittagong Hill Tracts issues were briefly discussed at a meeting over lunch with US Assistant Secretary of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu held at Foreign Service Academy on Sunday. Awami League International Affairs Secretary Dr. Shammi Ahmed, Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed, Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, Dr. Delwar Hossain and Chief Executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) Syeda Rizwana Hasan, among others, were present. “They (US side) said, we don’t speak on behalf of any political party; we talk about certain processes and the rights of the people,” said Syeda Rizwana while talking to the reporters after the meeting. She said only participation of the BNP and other parties and the election process were discussed and there was no further discussion on any other aspects of the election scenario in Bangladesh. Also Read: Rab made ‘tremendous progress’ in ‘respecting rights’ while performing duties: Donald Lu observes She mentioned that no BNP leader was present at the meeting. According to a meeting source, two of the participants expressed optimism about the BNP’s participation in the next election.  “There was no conclusive discussion about human rights issues, but the Chittagong Hill Tracts issue was discussed during the meeting,” said Syeda Rizwana in response to another question. The US senior official is visiting Bangladesh to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relationships, expand economic engagement, and go over the labor and human rights situation. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen hosted the lunch in honour of Donald Lu and his delegation members.