The future of Bangladesh depends on the decisions of the people

The United States has said the future of Bangladesh should be determined by its own people and the recent incidents should be addressed by the local authorities. Tammy Bruice, spokesperson for the US state department, came up with the statement while responding to a query at a press briefing on Tuesday.

A journalist raised concerns about an alleged rise in Islamist extremism under the current interim government led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Referring to recent reports, the journalist said, “There are so many reports, like The New York Times also before two weeks reported the alarming rise of Islamist terrorists – Islamist extremism in Bangladesh under the Yunus-backed regime, including protesters openly displaying Osama bin Laden’s images, even Nazi symbols... and targeting American brands like KFC, Coca-Cola with antisemitic rhetoric allegedly incited by figures like advisers of the interim government of Bangladesh.”

Bruce responded promptly, “I’ve heard you and I know, and I appreciate your passion... Bangladesh is a country with certain issues. They are also a country that we’ve talked about often, certainly with the questions from the crew here. So for a specific dynamic, I’m going to have us take that away.”

She then moved to another issue, saying, “What I do have is something I want to mention regarding Bangladesh, which is that there’s been an arrest of a UK MP, Tulip Siddiq… This is from the Bangladeshi courts. All of this and what you’re discussing, even protests, etcetera – are a matter for the Bangladesh authorities to handle. And of course, talking with them matters a great deal as well.”

Bruce further said, “Ultimately, the future of Bangladesh is going to be decided by the Bangladeshi people. They’re facing what you’ve been describing... and others that, of course, we’ve seen the reports as well. Elections matter. I don’t want to sound trite here, but it’s true. Democracy matters, and actions by people matter to confront issues that might in fact, as we’ve seen over the last 20, 25 years, destroy their lives – it’s pretty clear what the choices are for many nations on this planet.”