Political parties must show commitment to reform in peaceful manner

At a time when democracy is witnessing decline across the world, Bangladesh is taking steps toward democratic transition. As part of this process, reform initiatives have been launched. So, the country’s political parties must demonstrate their commitment to reform through peaceful means to move forward on this democratic path.

This observation was made in the report of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, which visited Bangladesh earlier this month. The report was presented at the European Parliament office in Strasbourg, France yesterday, Wednesday. Munir Satori, the head of the delegation that visited Bangladesh, chaired the meeting to present the report.

Munir Satori said, “Our mission had a twofold objective. Firstly, to support the reform agenda currently being put in place by the interim government, and also to promote a central role for human rights issues in the development of relations between Bangladesh and the European Union in a context of democratic transition.

In addition, we were keen to take advantage of our stay in the country to focus on the too-often-forgotten situation of the Rohingya refugees, who, persecuted by the Myanmar junta, had to flee in their hundreds of thousands from their country to seek refuge in Bangladesh more than eight years ago now. So, we went to Cox's Bazaar, in the south of the country, where the largest refugee camp in the world is located.”

“Whilst we welcome the work that's been done to uphold human rights by the interim government, we do recognise that there are still challenges in a certain number of areas, and we've expressed our support for the work that's been done by Bangladeshi civil society,” he added.

Delegation member Isabel Wiseler-Santos Lima said, “In a world where democracy is being pushed back in quite a dramatic way, this country (Bangladesh) nevertheless demonstrates that it is possible to go in a different direction — to choose another path. They're really trying to overhaul their democracy and undergo a transition towards democracy. We really need to hope that these elections will be held. They will take place as they should, and as they're seeking to ensure that they are carried out. That's what we've seen with the interim government. They've indicated that that's what they really are striving for.”

Regarding Rohingya issues, she said, “The largest refugee camp in the world and all of the challenges that that entails… Other conflicts such as Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, the critical situation that we see in Gaza — all of that means that the Rohingya are often forgotten. And that's not acceptable. Just because we have other conflicts appearing around the world, that doesn't mean that we should forget about their cause — those who continue to live in the situation they're in, where you can't actually see the end of the tunnel.

They're living in these camps without any prospect of finding a solution, because Myanmar doesn't accept its responsibilities. And you're dealing with a very poor country (Bangladesh), as they say themselves, and they can't take them in. But, on another very positive note, the country is undertaking huge efforts to transition towards democracy.”

Another delegation member, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, said, “And I wanted to draw your attention to one more thing: the Rohingya population. The Muslim world, but also India, has turned its backs on their future, and I was very struck by the fact that the largest aid donor in those camps was European states — the European Union. It was the US before, and there's very little commitment from Muslim states, and that is quite surprising, frankly.

It's just not acceptable to have a humanitarian catastrophe of this extent in that part of the world, and you have the situation where the Muslim world is turning its back on that situation, and it falls to the member states of the European Union to deal with it. We are far away from the Muslim world. So, I think that the Muslim states should be the major stakeholders in their region, and they do need to tackle this issue. And perhaps we need to tackle it in our dialogue with India too, because we're negotiating an agreement with India at the moment.”

Regarding the political development in Bangladesh, Catarina Vieira said, “It is clear that Bangladesh is in a pivotal moment in its history, and it's really an opportunity for meaningful progress. We see that elections might be approaching very soon, and we heard from across the board widespread calls for transparent, inclusive, and credible democratic processes. And these demands came not only from the political actors but also from the students, from the youth movements, and from the civil society that we spoke with. I was very encouraged to see that, after the uprising, dialogue was very much possible and that this happened both with institutions of the interim government but also at the grassroots level. And there was active engagement from all parts, including the youth, which is a really positive sign.”

“However, regrettably, it must be said that minorities — LGBTQI groups, religious minorities, indigenous communities, but also not a minority, women — were sometimes not as present in the process as they should have been. So, that's definitely an improvement point for the future of shaping the Bangladeshi society, of course,” she added.

She further said, “I believe that the European Union can play a constructive role by supporting democratic structures, encouraging reforms, and standing in solidarity with those who are working for a better future for Bangladesh. And our first half of the visit, summarized, would be: in a world of democratic backlash, there's really reason for hope. A lot more needs to happen, and with the support of the international community, we think Bangladesh can take significant steps forward. So, it's now up to the interim government, but especially for the political parties, to show their commitment and implementation of the reforms and move forward in a peaceful manner.”

“Then secondly, as the colleagues also mentioned, is the situation in Cox's Bazaar, in the refugee camps. I was deeply alarmed as well by the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya community. The reality is really grim. We saw firsthand the consequences of cuts in humanitarian aid, what food rations would look like if they're reduced, as they are in danger of being. We saw cuts in the access to education for children, in the access to cultural activities or safe spaces for women, community building — things that are important in themselves but also provide a sense of security, hope, and a life to live for people who have been stagnating there for eight years. To see that all endangered was extremely painful, and the European Union must step up and take the lead: continue to play the donor role, but also take political leadership, political coordination, and advocacy for these issues,” she added.

Catarina Vieira went on to say, “I hope to work with colleagues here in the European Parliament, with the TWA secretariat, and with the European Commission in follow-up on all of these issues, because I think we came back with a suitcase full of projects and things to work on, and lots of engagement we can have towards Bangladesh, towards humanitarian aid, towards Myanmar. So, lots of things ahead, and I hope that we can all follow up on it together and support democratic reforms, protect human rights defenders, and address the humanitarian crisis.”

From 16 to 18 September, a five-member delegation of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights visited Bangladesh. During this time, they held meetings with representatives of the interim government, political parties, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, labor representatives, and representatives of multilateral agencies working at the field level.

In addition, the delegation also visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.