Japanese ambassador’s comment on election ‘absolutely true’: Fakhrul

BNP on Thursday said the recent statement of Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki about “ballot box stuffing at night” during Bangladesh’s last general election was “absolutely true”.

“What the Japanese ambassador said (about the election) was absolutely true,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, he also said the government is now talking about the Vienna Convention that bars envoys from commenting on any country’s domestic affairs.

“Where does it (Vienna Convention) stand when you (government) kill people, make them disappear, hold the day’s voting at night and declare yourself the government without voting?” — Fakhrul asked.

Earlier on Monday, the Japanese Ambassador said he had heard about the example of “ballot box stuffing” and that “some policemen stuffed the ballot boxes the previous night” — something he did not hear of in any other country.

Stating that “ballot box stuffing” should never be repeated, the envoy said Japan expects that the next national election in Bangladesh will be held in a “free and fair” manner with participation of all major political parties.

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said the international community has opened its eyes to see what is happening in Bangladesh.

“Bangladesh is not an isolated island… In this day and age, no one can do anything whimsically without facing any question,” he said.

The BNP leader also said Bangladesh is not a “closed” country like Myanmar or North Korea that no one can raise questions about the government’s actions.

“It (Bangladesh) is pretty much an open country. Those who are our (development) partners and those who invest here and provide the country with financial assistance can speak about it (polls),” he said.

About the government’s allegation that BNP is persuading the international community to raise various issues concerning Bangladesh, Fakhrul said it means “BNP has come a long way together with the country’s people that the international community is being forced to pay attention to it.”