[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8635-H8637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SUPPORTING DEMOCRACY IN BANGLADESH

  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1402) supporting a transition to democracy 
through free, fair, credible, peaceful, and transparent elections in 
Bangladesh.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1402

       Whereas the independent, sovereign republic of Bangladesh 
     was first proclaimed on March 26, 1971, and the Constitution 
     of Bangladesh, ratified in 1972 following a war of 
     independence, established a democracy ruled by and for the 
     people;
       Whereas Bangladesh has a population of 154,000,000 people 
     and is the world's third most populated Muslim country, and 
     has been known to be a stable, moderate, democratic Muslim 
     Nation;
       Whereas Bangladesh has held what the international 
     community has viewed as three free and fair elections in 
     1991, 1996, and 2001;
       Whereas in October 2006, as set up by the constitution, 
     power was handed over to a caretaker government before the 
     January 22, 2007, scheduled election;
       Whereas the caretaker Government of Bangladesh imposed a 
     national state of emergency on January 11, 2007, that 
     suspended fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution 
     and detained a large number of politicians and others on 
     suspicion of involvement in corruption and other crimes;
       Whereas the state of emergency has restricted media 
     reporting and it has been reported that journalists have been 
     harassed, detained, or threatened by the authorities;

[[Page H8636]]

       Whereas the anti-corruption campaign is creating 
     institutions to fight rampant corruption throughout the 
     government, including in the police and ports, but also has 
     resulted in the reporting of human rights abuses;
       Whereas the caretaker Government of Bangladesh reportedly 
     arrested 18,000 persons with questionable records since May 
     28, 2008, and subsequently released most of them;
       Whereas the Chief Adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, announced that 
     elections will be held by the third week of December 2008;
       Whereas the current political situation has been 
     exacerbated by food prices that have doubled within the past 
     year, compounding economic challenges for the people;
       Whereas Bangladesh has established an estimated 6 percent 
     real growth rate in the last 4 years, and a 6.5 percent 
     growth rate in 2007;
       Whereas the Grameen Bank, through microfinancing in 
     Bangladesh, has been able to provide lending to 7,300,000 
     stakeholders and has empowered women to control 97 percent of 
     the Bank, alongside other agencies in rural Bangladesh 
     creating a new climate of economic growth and increasing 
     social capital;
       Whereas the economic support extended by the United States 
     has helped to create an opportunity for employment and growth 
     in Bangladesh, with particular impact on the empowerment of 
     women and strengthening the process of social moderation and 
     modernization in Bangladesh; and
       Whereas Bangladesh's long-term political stability and 
     economic progress are critical to the security of the South 
     Asian region: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses its strong support to the restoration of 
     democracy in Bangladesh so it will be able to address 
     economic and political challenges, and urges all stakeholders 
     to play a constructive and forward looking role to strengthen 
     such a process;
       (2) appreciates the decision of the caretaker Government of 
     Bangladesh to hold free, fair, credible, peaceful, and 
     transparent elections by the third week of December 2008;
       (3) welcomes the decision of the Government of Bangladesh 
     to hold dialogue with all political parties and other civil 
     society organizations to create a congenial atmosphere for 
     holding elections and to ensure participation of all 
     political parties in that process;
       (4) urges all political parties to participate in the 
     elections so that democratic governance can be maintained, 
     which could continue fight against corruption and 
     institutional and policy reforms;
       (5) calls on the Government of Bangladesh to lift the state 
     of emergency and remove other restrictions on political 
     activity to allow free and fair elections to occur;
       (6) urges the caretaker Government of Bangladesh to 
     complete a transparent voter registration process that will 
     facilitate the enrollment of the maximum number of eligible 
     voters to protect the voting rights of all eligible voters 
     regardless of religious affiliations or ethnic background, to 
     use all practical technical means of ensuring the security of 
     the ballot, to prevent violence before and after elections, 
     and to permit and facilitate international and domestic 
     nongovernmental monitoring of the entire electoral process;
       (7) urges the caretaker Government of Bangladesh to invite 
     foreign nationals to observe and monitor the December 2008 
     elections;
       (8) urges the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the due 
     process and equal treatment under the rule of law for all 
     suspects, witnesses, and detainees;
       (9) notes the initiatives of the caretaker Government of 
     Bangladesh to eradicate corruption from all levels of 
     government and society through institutional and policy 
     reforms;
       (10) expresses concern at the reported abuse of human 
     rights and urges the Government of Bangladesh to ensure human 
     rights, freedom of speech, assembly, and association;
       (11) urges the caretaker Government of Bangladesh to 
     protect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, 
     particularly Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Ahmadis, and non-
     Muslim tribal peoples;
       (12) urges the President to work toward the return of 
     democracy to Bangladesh as a high priority of United States 
     foreign policy and affirm the willingness of the United 
     States to provide assistance;
       (13) urges the President to use the voice and vote of the 
     United States in multilateral organizations to strengthen the 
     rule of law and democracy in Bangladesh; and
       (14) urges the President to consider, upon completion of an 
     internationally-accepted free and fair election, extending 
     generous economic support to Bangladesh as an incentive.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume
  Bangladesh is going through an important time in its history as she 
attempts to move back to a representational government. Since October 
2006, Bangladesh has been under the control of two different caretaker 
governments. After the January 2007 elections were postponed, a second 
caretaker government, backed by the military, came into power, and 
since then has been attempting to deal with what has become rampant 
corruption, violence and political instability.
  Once in power, the caretaker government instituted a state of 
emergency that suspended fundamental rights guaranteed by the 
Bangladeshi constitution. They subsequently detained a large number of 
politicians and others on suspicion of involvement in corruption and 
other crimes.
  While I continue to remain concerned about the arrests of so many 
under the emergency powers rule, I must commend the caretaker 
government for establishing institutions to fight corruption and bring 
about national reconciliation between the political parties. But these 
gains have been marred by serious reports of human rights violations of 
those held in custody. Bangladesh must respect all the rights of her 
people and prosecute cases before her to the letter of the law.
  The next step is getting people back the power in Bangladesh. Nearly 
2 years after the postponement of elections and the state of emergency 
was declared, the caretaker government is following through with a 
roadmap towards elections that they have presented.
  Just this past weekend, the chief adviser of the caretaker government 
announced that parliamentary elections will be held on December 18, 
2008. This is an important step, but an election held under a state of 
emergency is a questionable approach to establishing democratic 
governance in Bangladesh.
  The bill before us calls on the caretaker government to relax or 
suspend the state of emergency to ensure that public gatherings during 
the campaign are allowed to take place. This election is about bringing 
true democracy back to Bangladesh, and it must be held with all the 
freedoms their constitution grants her people.
  Bangladesh has been a strong friend and ally of the United States and 
is a moderate Muslim nation, and we should do what we can to foster 
continued growth of democracy, not only in the nation of Bangladesh, 
but throughout that region. We must work to ensure that the elections 
held in Bangladesh are free, fair, credible, peaceful and transparent.
  I introduced this legislation in July to set out what we, the United 
States Congress, expect of Bangladesh and we the people of the United 
States expect of Bangladesh. I urge all my colleagues to support this 
legislation. It has the backing of the Bangladesh Caucus, which I chair 
here in the House of Representatives.
  I believe that with fair, free, transparent and open elections, 
Bangladesh will move towards a more Democratic society.
  Madam Speaker, I retain the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I also rise in strong support of House Resolution 
1402, a measure that underscores congressional support for democracy, 
development and respect for fundamental human rights in Bangladesh. I 
would like to congratulate my good friend from New York, Congressman 
Crowley, for his leadership on this resolution, and for his long-
standing interest in Bangladesh and indeed all of South Asia.
  Madam Speaker, the United States and Bangladesh have been strong 
allies since the founding of that country in 1971. Despite many 
handicaps, including a unique vulnerability to natural disasters, 
Bangladesh has made impressive strides in key areas of development 
during the 1990s. However, political polarization, endemic corruption

[[Page H8637]]

and the rise of violent extremists all pose serious challenges to 
Bangladesh society.
  In January of 2007, faced with an opposition boycott of national 
elections and widespread political violence, Bangladesh's president 
declared a state of emergency. In accordance with the constitution of 
Bangladesh, the president appointed a caretaker government, which has 
in turn embarked on an ambitious agenda of reform and renewal for the 
people of Bangladesh and its institutions.
  Since that time, the United States has consistently urged 
Bangladesh's caretaker government to lift the restrictions on basic 
rights, meet international standards for due process in pursuing 
corruption cases and follow through on its commitment to hold free, 
fair and transparent elections by December 2008.

                              {time}  1615

  In recent weeks, there have been positive indications that the 
electoral roadmap remains on track. The government's progress on 
updating their voter list and on fighting corruption are encouraging 
signs, as is its effort to move forward on dialogue with political 
parties.
  Despite these positive developments, however, it remains the strong 
view of the Congress and the executive branch that the caretaker 
government must immediately lift the state of emergency or otherwise 
remove restrictions on freedoms of assembly and freedom of the press.
  The political parties of Bangladesh must be able to participate fully 
in a democratic process. This resolution reaffirms the importance of a 
U.S. national interest in helping to work with the people of Bangladesh 
in building a peaceful, prosperous, democracy that will continue to be 
a strong partner for the United States.
  I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I just wanted to add a couple of more 
points for the record.
  In order to ensure the transparency of these elections, I believe 
it's imperative that the Government of Bangladesh, the present 
caretaker government, invite foreign governments and nongovernment 
organizations to observe and monitor the elections of December 18, 
2008.
  The restoration of democracy, though, in Bangladesh, is not the only 
challenge that Bangladesh is facing. Just last year, Cyclone Sidr 
caused massive devastation in Bangladesh and destroyed the annual rice 
harvest in parts of the country. The global rise in fuel prices has 
also had a major effect on the livelihoods of all the people of 
Bangladesh over the last year.
  The Congress, therefore, strongly supports the continuation of a 
robust economic support and humanitarian program for the people of 
Bangladesh, particularly in helping the nation get back on its feet 
after the cyclone. But free, fair, and transparent and open elections, 
together with the continuation of American assistance to Bangladesh, 
will serve to further strengthen the relationship between our two 
countries. With the restoration of democracy, the political, economic 
and strategic ties between the United States and Bangladesh will become 
even stronger.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, thanks to Representative Crowley for his 
excellent work on this resolution.
  I rise today in support of this important resolution and in support 
of free and fair elections.
  Bangladesh, the world's third most populated Muslim country, must 
return to the fold of democracy and uphold the most basic human 
rights--the right to vote.
  Over the past 2 years, the people of Bangladesh have lived under a 
state of emergency. As the resolution outlines, the rights of the press 
have been curtailed and corruption is running rampant.
  We all know that a nation can only succeed when it heeds the will of 
the people. Security--both economic and political--cannot be 
established while citizens are being ignored and repressed.
  Bangladesh must hold free, fair, credible, peaceful, and transparent 
elections. I urge support of House Resolution 1402.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1402.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________