NEW YORK, Sept 24, 2013 – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has firmly said the next election in Bangladesh will make its democratic process and constitutional rule sustainable.
“We will have to uphold the constitution and begin the practice of transferring power under democratic process from a certain stage,” she said in a meeting with Commonwealth Secretary Kamalesh Sarma here on Monday.
The meeting was held at Hotel Grand Hyatt in New York. Sheikh Hasina arrived here yesterday morning to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Briefing reporters after the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said the Commonwealth Secretary General renewed his invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the next Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, Sri Lanka in November next. Kamalesh told Sheikh Hasina that her presence is important in the next CHOGM as the Meeting will discuss the issue of climate financing for member countries, particularly LDCs, Azad said.
Besides, the next CHOGM will give special focus on poverty alleviation and the issue of inclusive development of the member states, Kamalesh told the Prime Minister. In this regard, he
recalled the role of Sheikh Hasina that she played in the previous CHOGMs.
PM’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, PM’s Media Advisor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Dr AK Abdul Momen, Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Akramul Kader, PM’s Principal Secretary Sheikh M Wahid Uz Zaman and Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque were present, among others, during the meeting.
Shiekh Hasina hoped that the Commonwealth would play a more effective role in strengthening democracy in its member countries. She also hoped that the Commonwealth will play a role in protecting the interests of the developing countries in the post-2015 Development Agenda.
The Prime Minister said that nearly 6,000 elections at different levels were held during the tenure of the present government with the election of around 64,000 representatives including many from opposition front defeating the ruling party candidates. None could raise question about the neutrality of those polls as the government played a very fair role in those elections.
The next parliamentary election would also be held in a free, fair and completely neutral manner, she asserted.
BSS
