Sheikh Hasina has accused the military-backed caretaker govt of 'betrayal' and 'deliberate delay' of parliamentary polls, a news report has said.
DHAKA: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the military-backed caretaker government of "betrayal" and "deliberate delay" of parliamentary polls, a news report has said.
"I am literally seeing the betrayal unfold in front of my very eyes," Hasina said, expressing her concerns at attempts by the interim government to "deliberately delay" the parliamentary polls.
The Awami League president, who is expected to arrive in Dhaka on Monday after the government lifted the ban on her return, said, "The biggest betrayal was that they would not let me return to the country".
"But what we see now is that not only have they not done anything substantive to hold the elections in the near future, but they are also actively trying to delay the elections for as long as possible," Hasina told the New Age daily at her London residence.
The 18-month timeframe that the government is working on to prepare the grounds for the next elections is unjustified, Hasina said, adding "From where have they arbitrarily come up with that figure?"
Hasina was fearful that if the interim government loses the confidence of the people, or if the people lose patience in the government, those in power may resort to mala fide means to legitimise their actions.
The former premier said she was "shocked" when the government moved to bar her from entering the country, especially given the fact that she had pledged to ratify the government's actions if voted to power.
Hasina also questioned the motives behind the current anti-corruption drive, claiming that the dubious way the government has gone about the operation shows that the drive is less about corruption and more about victimising politicians. She called the anti-corruption drive "selective" as it had turned a blind eye to some obvious targets.
Despite the "betrayal", former premier Hasina was still willing to talk to the government "to get a sense of their plans and justifications for their timeframe.... my party will cooperate as long as we are convinced that the goal is restoration of democracy and elections at the earliest possible time".
"But if the electorate and the people lose patience, if they interpret the governments actions as suspicious, then my party will have to reconsider on the basis of the peoples will," she said.
Hasina ruled out any imminent collaboration or liaison with Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
"Why should I collaborate with those who have the stink of corruption all over them? As it is we are being bracketed with these corrupt, power-hungry people. Their misdeeds and machinations have brought on this crisis for our democracy," said Hasina, who was the premier between 1996 and 2001.
The country has been ruled by a military-backed interim government since January when the president declared a state of emergency and cancelled elections planned for January 22 after massive protests by Hasina's Awami League party demanding electoral reforms for a free and fair elections.
The caretaker government has launched a nationwide crackdown on corruption, arresting more than 50 top politicians of the two major parties.
It has embarked on a electoral reform process that it says would delay the polls till late 2008.
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