Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Monday said that Bangladesh’s ambassadors to other countries have been instructed to speak up against false allegations made against Bangladesh themselves and not wait for an official response from Dhaka.
On Sunday, the foreign minister presided over an interministerial meeting, where law minister Anisul Huq, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and senior officials of law enforcement agencies were present.
In the meeting, it was decided that a committee will be formed which will work to curb anti-Bangladesh propaganda.
That same night, the foreign minister had a virtual meeting with a number of Bangladeshi diplomats who are currently representing Bangladesh in different countries.
Momen said, “On the occasion of the New Year, I had a virtual meeting with Bangladeshi diplomats stationed at other countries. There, we told the diplomats to take immediate steps when someone spreads false propaganda and fake information against Bangladesh. They have been given this responsibility, they have to take the necessary steps. They can’t sit back and wait for Dhaka’s response.”
When asked about the newly formed committee, the foreign minister said, “A committee has been formed under the leadership of the foreign ministry to curb the spread of false information and propaganda. This committee will work on this issue. They will bring out the actual information and bring the real incident to the fore.”
The foreign minister was also asked about ruling party Awami League’s discussions with foreign diplomats about the forthcoming general elections.
Momen in reply said, “That’s not our headache, it’s yours (journalists). There is no need to assure foreigners about the election. We just want to perform our duties. If the people are behind us, foreigners and others don’t matter.”
The minister also said that in other countries the talks about election begin two months before the polls. In Bangladesh, it has already started even though the election is still a year away. He labelled this behaviour as “silly”.
“The government is not worried about the election. The election will be held as per the rules, it will be fair and held at the correct time. The government is committed to hold a free, fair and neutral election. We have faith in the people. The people will vote for whoever they want to vote,” Momen said.
“You all are aware that in the past fraudulent votes would get cast. Once, 12.3 million fake votes were cast. Now it doesn’t happen anymore. No one can commit frauds like that anymore. A free election commission has been formed to facilitate proper elections. So, if every party takes part in the elections, great, those who don’t want to, don’t have to.”
Momen also opined that not all parties should be allowed to take part in the elections. Using the US as example, he said, “In the US every political party isn’t allowed to take part in the polls. The parties that don’t have enough followers aren’t allowed to take part. In our country, whoever wants to take part is allowed to.”
When asked about the killings of Bangladeshi citizens at the India-Bangladesh border, Momen said, “The top brass of the Indian government has instructed to stop killings at the border. This is not our failure. You also need to find out why that person died. Please, investigate yourself.”