Abdul Mannan:

Bad is the luck for those who have initiated a war and multidimensional conspiracy against Bangladesh, keeping the 2023 general election in sight. On Monday last, influential US Congressman and Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Gregory W Meeks, speaking at a fundraising luncheon at a restaurant in Queens, New York, said they do not want to impose any sanctions on Bangladesh as there is an excellent relationship between the two countries. He also said that there were demands from quite a few individuals and organisations to impose a sanction on Bangladesh.

Those who expect hell to break loose on Bangladesh because of perceived sanctions, forget that in today’s globalised world no such thing will happen. China – an arch ‘enemy’ of the US – has more than six billion dollar trade with the US being always heavily tilted towards China. Though everyday, war of words are exchanging between the US and Russia, trade between them never stopped. According to the US Census Bureau, the US trade deficit increased to US$ 80.23 billion in November of 2021, from an upwardly revised US$ 67.2 billion gap in October and close to record high of US$ 81.4 billion in September.

Those who predict that the US may withdraw all trade benefits to Bangladesh, forget or are ignorant that the US does not give any benefit worth mentioning to Bangladesh exports to the US. In 2013, BNP Chairperson wrote a column in Washington Times saying that the US should stop all sorts of assistance to Bangladesh including the tax rebate (GSP) facilities to imported Bangladeshi goods. Though the GSP facilities given to Bangladesh were absolutely negligible, it announced that it would stop GSP facilities.

Currently Bangladesh buys around US$ 1 billion worth of machinery and steel from the US. Sometimes Biman Bangladesh purchases Boeing aircrafts from the US.

Imports from the US are bare minimum. The US was not very happy over Bangladesh turning down their request to join forces to fight in countries like Afghanistan or Syria. Bangladesh said it would only consider such a request, if it comes from the UN. Today, Bangladesh is the largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping forces. Besides, in spite of not getting any GSP facilities from the US in the RMG export, it now ranks third in RMG exports to the US, fetching US $5.7 billion in 2021 (till October), up by 27 per cent earned at the same period in 2020. It outperformed China and Vietnam during the Covid-19 pandemic in apparel export to the US. Bangladesh is currently the world’s second largest garments exporter and its core competence is its competitiveness, not necessarily GSP or any other facilities. Interestingly, Vietnam enjoys GSP facilities in exporting to the US.

Coming back to Begum Zia’s column, published in the Washington Times in 2013 for stopping all assistance to Bangladesh, in the words of her party leaders, to ‘save democracy’ in Bangladesh. Recently, a BNP pundit said in a TV talk show, she did not write it as she does not have that much competence to write for Washington Times. Maybe this pundit did not hear of ‘ghost writers’ and is not aware of the fact that her former law minister informed the parliament that the column was written by her. On her behalf it was written by a lobbyist firm based in the UK about which this writer mentioned last week. Initially, though BNP leaders denied hiring any lobbyist in the US to lobby against the current government and the country, now they have acknowledged they actually hired eight lobbyist firms to lobby with the well-wishers of Bangladesh.

They admitted to asking the US to intervene in Bangladesh, as according to them ‘democracy in Bangladesh is to be protected.’ They also requested that all assistance to Bangladesh be stopped. They, perhaps, vie for a democracy where they can hurl grenades to kill the leader of the opposition or even sponsor militants who kill people like Kibria or Ahsanullah Master or attempt to kill a British High Commissioner. They would like to have a democracy where they can smuggle truck loads of weapons through Bangladesh to destabilise an area of a neighbouring country. The BNP dream of a democracy is about a country where militants like JMB, IS, Harkat ul Jihad, JMJB, Allahar Dal, Hizbut Tahrir can thrive and operate in Bangladesh making the lives of the people, local or foreigners, unsafe.

As for the government, it should be careful about the persons who are posted in different key positions, the policy they formulate and the corruption they involve themselves in. Unfortunately for Sheikh Hasina, currently it seems she has become hostage to a bunch of self-seekers, bureaucrats and sycophants. She should take stock of the situation of the company around her. Whatever has happened recently may be seen as just the beginning of a bigger conspiracy targeting the ensuing general election scheduled for the end of 2023.

On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry announced a decision to fight the sanction case against the seven RAB personnel, legally in the US court, if necessary. This is a step in the right direction. As for the US, it cannot afford the luxury of alienating countries in Asia, including Bangladesh, when the influence of China and Russia in the area is on a continuous rise.

The writer is an analyst and a commentator