Govt forms body to scrutinise GDI bid

The government has set up a committee to scrutinise the Chinese proposal for joining the Global Development Initiative (GDI), State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event, organised by a local daily in the city, the state minister also pointed out that the final decision regarding joining the GDI would be taken after assessing pros and cons of the Chinese proposal. The foreign ministry is yet to get details of the proposal.

“During his visit to Bangladesh last year, the former Chinese foreign minister raised the GDI issue, and we’re yet to reach a stage to disclose anything about it.”

He also informed that Bangladesh earlier joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China along with many other countries, and so far no problem has arisen from (joining) it.

Mr Alam made it clear that Bangladesh is under no pressure from any quarter for joining or not joining the China-sponsored development programme.

In this regard, he reminded the audience of the country’s foreign policy - ‘friendship to all and malice to none’.

It seems simple, but it is not easy to maintain the policy in the changing geopolitical situation. So far, the government has been able to pursue this policy successfully, he noted.

The state minister also said Bangladesh’s ties with the US has deepened and broadened to the length that allows the countries to frankly debate on their differences.

He, however, pointed out that the US failure to repatriate Rashed Chowdhury, a self-confessed, convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is ‘a source of deep regret and a source of irritation’.

Asked about a reported letter by six congressmen to US President Joe Biden, the state minister said he did know whether the report was right or not.

He hoped that the US would take note of the threats being passed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders to obstruct elections as per the constitution.

“There are, of course, speeches, comments and commentaries - passed on by our friends in BNP, threatening that the police officers, administration, and electoral officials - whoever will participate in the election - will be dealt with. That’s a serious threat. I hope the US is taking good note of that.”

He opined that holding free and fair election requires equal political commitments from all parties, and hoped that all the parties would take part in the election demonstrating their commitment.

Mr Alam said there is no reason to see any new sanction, and the government is absolutely not under any pressure from anywhere.

Responding to a question, the state minister said some of the points, raised in the report of UN rapporteur for poverty alleviation Oliver Schutter, were flawed.

Those issues would be contested by the government in due course, he said, mentioning that Mr Schutter’s recommendations for providing right to work to the Rohingya refugees in the country is unrealistic.

In this connection, he stated that the international organisations made wrong observations on many occasions, as they did while opposing the government’s move to shift the Rohingyas to Bhasanchar Island. 

The organisations termed it a floating island and said it was highly vulnerable. But their observations proved incorrect, as during the recent super cyclone the island was not affected at all, he added.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com