Bangladesh lost the election of OIC Secretary General

[abhs]

Turkey's candidate won the election of OIC secretary General defeating Bangladesh and Malaysian candidates in direct election.

Source:
Breaking news of Bhorer Kagoj
and
BBC Bangla NEWS (Provati 16-06-2004)


[Edited on 16-6-2004 by abhs]

[mzia]

It’s an expected result. And very immature decision was taken by the Bangladesh to contest the election after failing the negotiation.

At least BD could save the defeat by withdrawing the candidature.

[rafiq]

The GOB nominated a war criminal and mobster, SAQA Chowdhury. A more appropriate choice for nominee would have been more prudent and perhaps Bangladesh would have gotten the SG post.

[Zobair]

rafiq bhai! can you tell me more about SAQA chowd's war crimes? Is there an online resource where I could learn more about Bangladeshi war criminals?

Originally posted by rafiq
The GOB nominated a war criminal and mobster, SAQA Chowdhury. A more appropriate choice for nominee would have been more prudent and perhaps Bangladesh would have gotten the SG post.

[Zunaid]

There is some information here

Read past the partisanship of this site and there is much to saka chow's misdeeds.

[rafiq]

Pompous,

Zunaid's link, partisan or not, has become a defacto standard intro to some of the war criminals listed. I cannot say whether each and every name on the list actually belongs there, eg some relatively minor players such as Major Afsaruddin who was a neighbor of ours when growing up and I don't recall hearing he had a record (doesn't prove or disprove anything).

However the list is accurate when it comes to certain major players. Note among them:

Nizami: prominent current Minister

Sayeedi: increasingly powerful Member of parliament and upto his usual agenda such as brewing current anti-Ahmadiya hysteria, and who knows what else.

Chowdhury Moinuddin: prominent in the Bangladeshi community in the UK

Ashrafuzzaman Khan: ICNA leader in Queens, NY

As for SAQA, currently MP and a cabinet-level Advisor to the PM, you can read more about him here, I think I posted this before:

Naeem's article on SAQA

also some overlap with Abdul Momen's article in a saudi publication earlier this year:

Abdul Momen article on SAQA

Finally, this is the Drishtipat War Crimes page which includes a Prothom Alo report on systematic destruction of war crimes evidence.


In Bangladesh, people have come to accept a lot of peculiarities in life, this is just another one I suppose. These people will never come to justice, but from time to time we should remind them, and ourselves, of who they really are.

[al Furqaan]

it doesnt matter what moron leads the OIC. the OIC will not, in the foreseeable future be any better than the Arab League.

muslims need to change their hearts...need to adopt true islam...then maybe we can live in peace and leave others in peace.

[billah]

Even a couple decades ago, the idea of these collaborators occupying gov't office would have been unthinkable. How soon we forget. This group is finding new strength and foohold in the mainstream again. Mistakes by all major political parties (by means of general pardons) let the murderers slip through the crack. Now some of them are holding office. In the least, there should have been some lifetime ban against them from entering politics.

[rafiq]

No doubt the war crimes issue is not a central issue to the political parties. But if you ask average people how they feel they a) are unaware of the extent to which war criminals are in positions of power and influence and b) feel that this is in some way "not right".

What can we do?

What billah proposes can be systematically incorporated via laws, and other countries have taken these measures. But good luck trying to get this passed through this parliament.

But public awareness and speaking up against this situation, regardless of the forum, is a crucial step if we are to ever rectify this situation. There was a huge amount of resistance by concerned Bangladeshis to the SAQA Chowdhury nomination. People who signed petitions and protested otherwise simply did not want such a war criminal to represent Bangladesh on a global forum, no matter his princely status back home.

There are institutions in and outside of Bangladesh that do not necessarily have a political or egocentric agenda, and which continue to look for ways to expose and stand up to these people. Lend them your support.

[mzia]

Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan has dismissed accusations by opposition parties and former diplomats that the nomination of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury as candidate for the post of secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) was the reason why Bangladesh lost the post to Turkey.

"Most representatives at the conference hailed our candidate as the best among the three after he made his speech,"

Q. Well then who cast the vote other than these representatives? How many numbers required making “Most”? Is the magic number 11? ( Ban got 12 votes including own….)

"The candidate as an individual is a secondary issue, there were no discussions about this at the ICFM," he added.

Q. Was there any discussion that Turkey is pro-Israel? If not how it has determined by SQ Chow?

Morshed said, "We have lost the election for the post but there's a victory in the loss as it showed the OIC is a democratic and a more transparent body than even the UN."

Q. Was the election for establishment for the transparency and democracy or it was for the post Secretary General?

"We have also to remember we fought against Malaysia which currently holds the OIC chairmanship, and Turkey, the host country," the foreign minister said.

Q. Why remembrance after defeating? It was known but who were confident? Who forgot to remember?

"Representatives from all countries attending the conference lauded our efforts to ensure that for the first time the OIC secretary general was elected, rather than selected under the influence of pressure groups behind the scenes," said Morshed.

Q. What about Malaysia? Were not they in election? So why is it only for Bangladesh?

SQ Chowdhury described his defeat as a victory for Israeli-American interests. "The country that won is the only OIC member to have diplomatic relations with Israel when Palestinians are being killed like flies. It is a member of Nato but is yet to sign the charter of the OIC," he added.

Q. Does any member of OIC shouldn’t maintain diplomatic relation with Israel? If no, why not addressed before? If yes, what is wrong now?

Q.Is Nato membership is disqualification to be a member of OIC? If yes why not addressed before? If no, what is wrong now?

Q. Is signing of charter of OIC mandatory before election? If yes why not addressed before? If no, what is wrong now?

Chowdhury said although Bangladesh received only 12 votes, the countries with the biggest Muslim population voted for it.

Q. Well voting result should be now on SQ_Morshed method, i.e. casting vote# X Population, but before implementing this SQ_Morshed method present result should digest.



In Bangladesh we are used to hear from any person about anything about any matter lavishly uttered, no accountability is there.

Now our big mouth has opened globally, interesting to watch what Globe say?

Report without Questions

[Edited on 20-6-2004 by mzia]

[abhs]

Would you please add the URL of the source, Report without Questions?

Possibly you forgot to add the URL.

[mzia]

Originally posted by abhs
Would you please add the URL of the source, Report without Questions?

Possibly you forgot to add the URL.

Report without Questions

I dont know how it was not posted.

Thank you man.

Now it is turning like any thing.

Today M. Morshed Khan said in a press conference, what SQ said that is his personal views, nothing official.

And he also said SQ is no more candidate of Ban, his candidature has been siezed immediate after the election!! TV news.

[reverse_swing]

his candidature has been siezed immediate after the election!! TV news.

eita bujlam na

[mzia]

Originally posted by reverse_swing

eita bujlam na

In reply of the journalist’s question, basically accusation, Morshed Khan given the understanding that SQ is not a spokesman of the Govt, he was Ban candidate but now he is not, as the election is over. Basically it does not make any sense.

[reverse_swing]

But far too outrageous to withhold comment


What Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, our contestant for the OIC secretary-generalship uttered about opposition leader Sheikh Hasina and AL MP Suranjit Sengupta in a press conference on Friday was unprintable. The Star report of the press conference the following day omitted these profanities. However, to let go of it without a comment would be a failure of responsibility and outright derelection of duty to our readers.
We are still withholding the exact words he used out of ethical sensibilities but we feel constrained to share our outrage at the most crude and obscene comments spewed out by Salauddin Quader Chowdhury against two Awami League leaders. About Suranjit the obscenity was in the implication of an insinuation against a religion; and on the opposition leader the lewd trash was in the words themselves. This is thoroughly reprehensible.


The remarks were in such low taste that they create instant revulsion, and for a public person to have uttered them in the full press glare was abjectly contemptible. It was repugnant to our culture and uncivil even by the worst standards of human behaviour.


That Salauddin Quader Chowdhury could say such things speaks volumes about the quality of his candidacy for the top slot of the OIC secretary-generalship, and the reservations his nomination had generated in the first place would seem justified by hindsight.

The way he has looked at his defeat in the OIC race goes down as a diplomatic blunder featured by fretful rancour that is totally disrespectful of the electoral process resorted to for the first time, otherwise hypocritically dubbed by him as a triumph of democracy. He has termed his defeat a victory of the pro-Israeli plank in the OIC. By one fell stroke of irresponsible remarks, he has staked the country's image negatively, no less perhaps than what his defeat has done. By ascribing his defeat to 'pro-Israeli lobbying' he has not certainly enhanced our goodwill with Turkey, the countries supporting Istanbul's choice, and the OIC as a whole that embraced the process of election. The government will be well-advised to expressly distance itself from Salauddin Quader's remarks about Turkey's victory.

Given his post-poll undiplomatic utterances and the level of vulgarity unleashed on personages at home, one wonders where lies the critical threshold for our Prime Minister's tolerance with such behaviour to get it rectified. It is time she took note of it and acted in an affirmative fashion.

-Dailystar

[billah]

This guy is quite something. I mean he completely lost all composure. It seems he did not even try to remain sane even in front of the media. I suppose he really wanted the position. These guys are politicians in the worst sense of the term, they are not statesmen. Using extreme profanity deliberately in a press conference. OIC has just saved a lot of blushes.

[Rubu]

having problem displaying the pic. its the frontpage pic of prothom-alo.

[Edited on 23-6-2004 by AgentSmith : zippy image sucks. does not show pic]

[oracle]

Sorry, I am late coming into this issue. A lot of questions?
First of all, Why did the government choose him in the first place, with his controversial background ?

Why did they field a candidate against Malaysia, a close country and a vital friend in future. I don't think it was a wise move.
Just reflects the lack of sophistication in our foreign policy and immaturity, that is, irrespective of which party in power.

[Edited on 20-6-2004 by oracle]

[rafiq]

SAQA Chowdhury has a cabinet level position in the government and has been appointed as an Advisor to the PM for a while now. So you may ask why the govt and its leadership cares so little to appoint these people in the first place. This is a well known family in Bangladesh - and no they werent' educated at Oxford.

[cricketfan]

History is always written by persons in power. Some of the people who were involved in war crimes 32 years ago are in power. In a few years from now, history may get modified to project them as the real war heroes and the real war heroes as the war criminals.

[AsifTheManRahman]

SAQA's comments are completely outrageous and off topic. Plane theke neme oi lok jei kothagula bolse oiguli oi shomoy bolar moto kono situationo chilo na r dorkaro chilo na...

you guys must read the last page of "Alpin", a weekly magazine published by prothom alo...it's in today's edition.

[mzia]

"For once we all Bangladeshis can rejoice and revel in a defeat and we must thank SQ Chowdhury for that. He is not like our cricket team which often brings shame to BD. The great SQ Chowdhury has raised our heads high! Thank you for that".

Ahmad Kamal Abu Dhabi, UAE

I coul'd not understand what did he want to say regarding BD cricket team?

Report

[Navarene]

Originally posted by mzia
"For once we all Bangladeshis can rejoice and revel in a defeat and we must thank SQ Chowdhury for that. He is not like our cricket team which often brings shame to BD. The great SQ Chowdhury has raised our heads high! Thank you for that".

Ahmad Kamal Abu Dhabi, UAE

A sad retarted soul...a worm in gutter...a shadow descendant of notorious FOKA and SAKA Chou

[mzia]

As per SQC

OIC is a communal, Muslim Organization and the Hindus do not have any right to speak about it. Why is he (Suranjit) worried about a Muslim organization? I do not speak on elections in Hindu organizations,"

He is in parliament for 26 years and during this time not a single word of his has been expunged.

But he could not reply on Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan's comment that if he (Chowdhury) had made the statements on Suranjit and Hasina, they surely would have been expunged in parliament.

"I am not a product of political consensus, but I am a product of the rule of the majority coming from all sections of society," added Chowdhury, when asked if he was representing only the Muslim majority of the country.

And he wants to remain controversial all in his life.

I think it’s a matter of taste to care about it, but when we are getting all these from a person who is Parliamentary Advisor of Prime Minister, equivalent to a cabinet member, then some thing should be taken care by some.

Report

[cricketfan]

SAQA Chow is incharge of parliamentary affairs.... and unparliamentary affairs too. A country normally tries to keep such people away from international limelight. His conduct in full media glare has been shameful.