Editorial
Rationale of PM's UK tour
An avoidable question-mark
Ever since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assumed power she made certain official visits to countries of great import to Bangladesh. Admittedly, such visits overseas have helped inject a new dynamism to Bangladesh's foreign policy.
That said, we are constrained to comment on her trip to UK, given its nature, the size of the delegation and its agenda or the lack of it as revealed to the press.
For all we know, she will join a council session of the UK chapter of Awami League, attend a programme at the House of Commons and a discussion on World Peace organized by the Oxford Union. As if to underline the lack of specific and pre-scheduled agenda for the trip it has been given out that she will give interviews to BBC, The Telegraph and some local Bangla media.
A PM's visit without fixed appointment with her counterpart or protocol-wise acceptable equivalent does not help the dignity of her office. Of course, courtesy calls may be paid to her by top British functionaries but that again is not sufficient ground for embarking on a 5-day trip.
Furthermore, it appears that one of the highlights of the visit is going to be her attending Awami League council session in London. This does not sit in with the political reform agenda which emphasized the disincentivising of overseas associations of major political parties, which cause embarrassment to country's image. They ended up transporting confrontational politics of the country abroad.
We do realise that even the most prominent of heads of government may need holidays from busy schedules. In fact, many top leaders around the world go on short vacations to return with renewed vigor and newer ideas to their post. Our Prime Minister can certainly look for such breathers occasionally to go on a private visit rather than have made a visit whose justification may be tenuous at best.
On available information, therefore, the trip looks to have been ill-conceived, ill-advised and avoidable.
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