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PM's Big Entourage

Usefulness questionable

Rezaul Karim
The 185-member entourage now accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the US is probably the largest ever Bangladeshi delegation going abroad with a premier since the country's independence.
Hasina's delegation comprises six ministers, two advisers to the PM, one state minister, three members of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign ministry, 18 eminent personalities, 15 officials from the Prime Minister's Office, eight officials from the foreign ministry, 11 from other ministries, 20 security personnel, 10 media
personalities, 13 of the PM's media team, 75 businessmen, the Bangladesh ambassador to US and the permanent representative to the UN.
All expenses for the entourage except for the businesspersons will be paid from the taxpayers' money.
Officials said most of the 18 eminent personalities are drawn from the district units of the Awami League, some from the AL allies, and the others are pro-AL professionals. All these people and a number of officials have no work connected with the PM's agenda attheUN.
Officials said the delegation members could be well over 200 if the advance security team is included in the entourage list published by the foreign ministry. Besides, several other government officials, including from the foreign ministry, flew to the US to join the delegation as they got their visas late.
Highly placed sources said the official entourage list did not mention the names of Hasina's close family members.
The size of the delegation to the UN was much smaller in the past few years - 81 in 2009, 102 in 2010, 87 in 2011, 89 in 2012 and 135 in 2013, official sources said.
In contrast, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for New York with an unusually small team to attend the 69th UNGA.
The exact figure was not available, but diplomatic sources said it would not be more than 70, that too including a team of businessmen. This year’s delegation is much smaller compared with Modi's predecessor Manmohan Singh's delegation.
Eighty-five Indian journalists are also attending the UNGA to cover the event, but at their own cost.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is accompanied by a 14-member delegation and a few security person-
nel. Even so, he came under criticism of Pakistani media, as the cost of the prime minister's visit is estimated by the foreign office to be $400,000, reports Pakistan daily Business Recorder.
The Pakistan Tribune says the delegation comprises 18 members.
Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala is leading a 15-member delegation at the event, according to Nepalese newspaper myRepublica.
Those familiar with the UNGA activities said a vast majority of Hasina's delegation members would have no work at the UN session.
Sources at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York said they booked 80 luxurious rooms at the expensive Hotel Grand Hyatt on Park Avenue in New York for the entourage, excluding the business delegation.
Most entourage members will stay in single rooms while the media and some security personnel will stay on twin share basis, according to the programme book published by the foreign ministry.
Sources said the cost for each member would be between Tk 3 lakh and Tk 6 lakh, including air travel, hotel room rent, daily allowance, local transportation and other costs.
Normally, hotel cost is very high in New York, where prices are further raised during the UNGA. The hotels booked for Hasina's entourage are located near the UN area, which is very expensive.
However, the businesspersons usually travel at their own expenses.
In the past six years since she took office in 2009, Hasina paid over 50 visits overseas taking with her large entourage of officials, personal staff and party supporters.
All her six visits to the US were to attend the UNGA. There is yet to be a visit to the country for a bilateral meeting.