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Govt totally focused on pledge to hold Dec 18 election

Chief adviser tells UNGA session

UNB, New York
Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday assured the world leaders that his caretaker government is now focused on fulfilling the pledge to hold free and fair parliamentary polls on December 18.
He expressed the hope that all political parties would participate in the elections under new laws and regulations.
"Let me reiterate here that my government is completely and totally focused on fulfilling our pledge to hold free and fair parliamentary elections on December 18 as announced last week." the CA said in a statement at the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly.
The CA said an election is the first pillar of democratic governance and during the past 20 months, his government relentlessly worked to shore up democracy's other pillars as well.
In his about 20 minutes' speech, the head of the caretaker government said the judiciary was made fully independent, National Human Rights Commission established to protect fundamental rights of all citizens and Right to Information Law enacted to provide the transparency to a wellfunctioning democracy.
Besides, he said, the government in consultation with political parties amended and strengthened Representation of People Order (RPO) under which forthcoming elections will be held. This law and regulations, under which it will require registration of political parties for elections, ensure intraparty democracy and implement campaign finance reforms to limit the influence of corrupt money in the political system.
About the recently held municipal and mayoral elections, he said this marked a new beginning in the electoral process where, for the first time, voters were able to exercise their franchise without undue influence of money or political muscle. The elections were held without disruption and drew an unprecedented number of voters.
The government, he said, has completed the monumental task of electronically registering over 80 million voters with photographs and fingerprints. This was achieved in just 11 months with the support of the Bangladesh Army, which is unprecedented in the world, he added.
On his government's anti-graft drive, the CA said holding of a truly democratic and meaningful election was not an easy task, as decades of corruption had seriously undermined the country's democracy and economy.
"Corruption's ill effects corroded our vital public institutions, and the cost was ultimately borne by the ordinary citizens of Bangladesh, who could ill-afford it"
He said legal actions were initiated against corrupt individuals, but "we never compromised with due process and judicial independence."
The CA said the fight against corruption has been the first step in a long and difficult process, and hoped the work would continue under the independent AntiCorruption Commission.
He stressed the importance of food security, democracy and development, which are inextricably linked to one another, and are of fundamental importance to the welfare of the Bangladeshis as well asofotherLDCs.
He said extraordinary rise in food prices this year has undermined the food security of many LDCs. Calling for long-term solutions for a hunger-free world, he said food security for all citizens in this world must be acknowledged not just as a development imperative, but also as a moral imperative.
The CA said the recent global rise in food prices has been acutely felt in Bangladesh, even though imports account for a small percentage of the cereal consumption.
He said domestic rice prices spiked by nearly 60 percent during
the year through February 2008. This precipitated against the back-drop of two devastating floods and a tropical cyclone that largely destroyed one of the country's key harvests.
He said for a country like Bangladesh, where roughly 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line and where poor households spend as much as 70 percent of their income on food items, such a steep increase in food prices has had significant adverse effects on food security, poverty and human development.
He said food insecurity can disrupt the core of a democratic polity and derail its development priorities. Making food available for all, and at affordable prices, remains a cardinal responsibility of all governments.
The CA urged the UN secretary general to look into the possibility of creating a global food bank. He suggested that the food bank could allow countries facing a short-term shortfall in production to borrow foodgrains on preferential terms. Once they overcame the shortfall, these countries could return the quantum to the food bank.
On adverse impact of climate change on Bangladesh, the CA said a one-metre sea-level rise would submerge about one-third of the total area of Bangladesh. Given the country's population and its vulnerabilities, this would result in the greatest humanitarian crisis in history.
"Inaction is simply no longer an option," he said. “It is nothing less than a basic moral imperative that countries which have contributed little to this crisis, such as Bangladesh, not be left alone and unsupported to suffer most from its consequences."
He said adaptation is necessary, but may not be sufficient to cope with the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Countries like Bangladesh will face the worst consequences in the absence of a legally binding commitment on mitigation.
The CA said international efforts to minimise emission levels should not, however, disproportionately tax poorer nations.
He said LDCs must have guaranteed access to appropriate mitigation technologies and know-how at affordable terms. The post-Kyoto agreement should set up a technology transfer board to ensure that the LDCs have access to affordable, eco-friendly technologies.
Bangladesh, he said, will not be able to attain sustainable development without appropriate technological support