Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at a press conference at Gonobhaban on Friday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday accused United States of trying to stop the January 5 elections and said that Bangladesh would not face difficulties if a particular country does not stand by the people. “If Bangladesh could have achieved independence in the face of strong opposition byUnited States of America, it would survive by its own if that country does not stand by us now,” she told reporters at a briefing at her official residence Ganabhaban. At the press conference the Prime Minister warned that action would be taken as per the law against the public servants who reportedly held secret meeting with BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday night. The press conference was organised to brief the press about the outcome of her recent Malaysia visit and SAARC summit, held in Nepal. She said her visit to Malaysia was fruitful and it would help boost manpower export to that country. Dealing with Bangladesh the premier thought that difference of opinion would not hamper the bilateral relationships with the country. “I do not think that we will be finished if a particular country would not stand by us. The United States of America was against us during the war of independence but Bangladesh won the war,” she said. A reporter drew the attention of the premier over a media report that Bangladesh-USA relation would be hampered over the remarks of ruling party’s general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, who had undermined US assistant secretary of state Nisha Deshai Biswal The premier said the World Bank cancelled the proposed loan for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge without any consultation of its chairman and it was heard that the WB cancelled the fund at the directive of the US foreign affairs ministry. The premier also accused the USA for its role to stop the January 5 parliamentary polls, boycotted by the BNP-led alliance and marred by violence. “They tried best to stop the polls but they were not successful,” she said. Responding to a question whether her government would take any step against a section of government officials for holding a secret meeting with BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, the premier said law would take its own course. A section of in-service and former bureaucrats met BNP chief at her Gulshan office on Thursday night. “I would ask her (Khaleda) why she holds meetings at night?” the premier said, asking her counterpart to hold meeting in day light. Raising a question over such meeting at the dead of the night, Hasina said, “If the officials are found guilty of violating the law, they will face the music.” The premier also referred to ‘Uttara conspiracy meeting,’ which was held at night at the residence of former energy adviser of the BNP-led four-party alliance Mahamudur Rahman in 2006. The officials had planned to support the BNP to retain in power. Posing a question over the motive of such meeting at night, the premier said her government increased salary of the government employees up to 62 percent while the BNP did not do anything for them. Responding to a question over a report of Transparency International of Bangladesh report, the premier said the TIB does not find out the massive corruption. “They should put explanation in which sectors corruption has been taken place,” she said. The premier said former military dictator Ziaur Rahman sowed the seed of corruption in the country. “The Transparency International of Bangladesh keeps mum against those who have involved with massive corruption,” she said, referring to the corruption of Khaleda Zia, her two sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman. Responding to another question, whether Bangladesh would snap its ties with Pakistan as the country is yet to seek apology for its 1971 role, not to pay compensation and not to take back its stranded citizens, the premier said Bangladesh has nothing to get from Pakistan. “We have defeated them in 1971. They are now a defeated force. Yet, it is not a healthy gesture to snap the bilateral ties with Pakistan,” she said, adding that there may have some problems but discussions could be held. UNB adds: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday warned that the government would take action as per the law of the land against the public servants who reportedly sat with BNP chief Khaleda Zia on Thursday night.“The law will take its own course,“ she said. On November 24, 2006 during the caretaker government, 13 government officers secretly met at the house of former energy adviser Mahmudur Rahman in Uttara. Of the officials, three are joint secretaries, four deputy secretaries and six senior assistant secretaries. She also said the BNP chief does not want peace for people. “She doesn’t want the proper political process, she always wants unrest, she wants to oust the government with a sudden push.” When her attention was drawn to some of the recent incidents of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Hasina said her Awami League is the lone government which has been taking steps in case of such incidents instantly. In this connection, she referred to the Narayanganj seven-murder incident adding that her government did not leave any scope for raising question as prompt steps were taken in this regard without considering the family relations. Terming her just concluded Kula Lumpur tour very successful, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said it will cast a positive impact on boosting manpower export from Bangladesh to Malaysia. “In overall consideration this tour (Malaysia) was very successful and effective. I firmly believe the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia would continue to enhance further in the coming days, trade-commerce and investment would get a boost, leaving a positive impact on increasing manpower export,” she said. Hasina also hoped that the four deals including one agreement, two MoUs and one protocol signed between Bangladesh and Malaysia during her tour would take the existing good relations of the two countries to a new height. Hasina toured Malaysia on Dec 2-4 at the invitation of her Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak. She said then main objective of her Malaysia tour was to make more dynamic the existing friendly relations of the two countries as well as boost investment and trade and commerce. About the outcome of the bilateral meeting between the two countries, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh and Malaysia agreed to boost bilateral trade and commerce, especially to reduce the trade gap, while Kula Lumpur assured Dhaka of starting negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Malaysia also assured Bangladesh of extending support to it to become Asean’s dialogue partner and hosting the next Joint Commission meeting between the two countries in 2015. The last Bangladesh-Malaysia Joint Commission meeting was held in Dhaka in 2005. Hasina said the Malaysian Prime Minister in his opening remarks assured of taking this Bangladesh-Malaysia relationship in to a greater and newer height. Under the protocol signed between the two countries on amending the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the employment of workers, the Prime Minister said against the demand of some 60,000 workers at Sarawak state of malaysia, initially some 12000 Bangladeshi workers would work there after proper training and selection process from the database. About the Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia, Razak said there are some 2,99,000 legal Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia mainly in the services, plantation, and construction sectors and the number could be raised. For wooing investment, Sheikh Hasina said she had proposed forming a Bangladesh-Malaysia Investment Forum which is expected to be discussed in details during the next Joint Commission meeting to be held in Malaysia next year.
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