PM's Geneva tour
The news item in Bangladesh media regarding Prime Minister Hasina's visit to Geneva has drawn my attention. She was in Switzerland with a 44-member Bangladesh delegation to attend a conference on climate. Very nice, but why she needs to have such a huge delegation for such a conference is a question Bangladesh people need to ask. And who were the members of this delegation? What are their credentials as climate experts?
Needless to mention that this visit of the prime minister is nothing but a pleasure trip with her cronies at the cost of the poor Bangladeshi taxpayers. Most unfortunate, I strongly feel, is the fact that Bangladeshi media does not find any fault with this reckless wastage of public funds and never write strongly condemning such activities by the politicians or top public servants at large. What differences it would have made for Bangladesh if the prime minister did not even bother to be in Geneva to attend this conference? Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative in the UN Office would have done the job brilliantly.
Let me point out another scenario of this conference. As the news report said, the following persons were present at the airport to see off the prime minister:
“Deputy Leader in Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister GM Qader, State Minister for Home Shamsul Huq Tuku, Chiefs of Navy and Air Force and Quarter Master General of the Army, diplomats and high civil and military officials were present at the Zia International Airport.”
Spending public funds for this pleasure trip was not enough, top ranking civil servants, ministers and the military officers were also given “off time” for a joy ride to the airport on this august occasion. How long must it continue? The prime minister may not be blamed for it but should not Bangladesh's leadership do something about such matters?
The prime minister's work schedule needs to be scrutinised. Attending a reception given by the Bangladesh community in Switzerland was one of the events. Who are these Bangladeshi people? Our media needs to scrutinise that.
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