Forty-one Australian senators and members of parliament in a letter to Bangladesh interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus have called for an urgent announcement of a clear and specific electoral roadmap.
They said that Bangladesh鈥檚 path to stability and democratic legitimacy hinges on a transparent and credible electoral process as the past three elections in Bangladesh did not have the legitimacy needed for a stable and democratic government.
鈥楾o restore electoral integrity and ensure a peaceful democratic transition, we urge your government to announce a clear election roadmap for free, fair, and internationally monitored elections as聽soon as practically possible,鈥� said the letter sent to Professor Yunus, also Nobel laureate, recently by mail.
They said that delays or ambiguity at this stage would only deepen public distrust and jeopardise the country鈥檚 democratic future.
鈥楾he people of Bangladesh and the international community are watching closely. We call on your leadership to act decisively. We are prepared to engage constructively to support this essential step toward restoring democratic legitimacy,鈥� the letter mentioned
They also urged to use all available legislative and executive levers to produce a level playing field for all political parties, preventing undue influence or suppression, according to the letter dated May 21.
鈥榃e, the undersigned Australian Senators and Members of Parliament, write to express our shared desire as elected members to support Bangladesh鈥檚 democratic transition by providing specific electoral roadmap, to urge you to provide justice for victims of the Monsoon Revolution, and to support justice for the victims of the Rapid Action Battalion,鈥� the letter read.
It also said that they recognised the bravery and courage shown by the people of Bangladesh in the Monsoon Revolution. 鈥楾his has given your administration a historic opportunity to restore democracy, uphold human rights, and rebuild public trust in governance,鈥� they said in the letter.
Asked whether the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office had received the latter emailed by the Australian MPs, the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing said that they were not yet aware of it.
Sources in the diplomatic circle in Dhaka, however, confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
Reports from Human Rights Watch, Reuters, and the United Nations indicate that over one thousand people were killed and tens of thousands injured. This followed years of brutal repression from the former government, the latter mentioned.
鈥榃e have received multiple representations from the Australian Bangladesh community requesting that we urge your government to hold accountable those responsible for past political crimes of violence through independent and transparent investigations and prosecutions,鈥� the Australian Senators and MPs said, referring to a report of the Human Rights Watch that over 2,699 people had been unlawfully killed by RAB since 2009, and the force has operated with complete impunity, silencing dissent and targeting political opponents.
In the conclusion the Australian lawmakers urged the Bangladesh administration to immediately and publicly announce a specific, time-bound electoral roadmap, saying, 鈥楾his is an urgent and non-negotiable step toward ensuring credible, transparent, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh.鈥�
The signatories included senator Larissa Waters, senator David Shoebridge, senator Jordon Steele-John, senator Fatima Payman, senator Lidia Thorpe, senator Penny Allman-Payne, senator Mehreen Faruqi and 聽Elizabeth Watson-Brown MP, Tim Read MP, Ellen Sandell MP, Michael Berkman MP, Gabrielle de Vietri MP, Rosalie Woodruff MP, Tabatha Badger MP and Cecily Rosol MP, according to a copy of the document.