CHAT WITH SELF PROCLAIMED COORDINATOR OF A NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001028

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2017
TAGS: KDEM PHUM PGOV PREL BG
SUBJECT: CHAT WITH SELF PROCLAIMED COORDINATOR OF A NEW
PARTY

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Geeta Pasi; Reason 1.4(d)


1. (C) Summary. POLOFF met with purported king's party leader
Dr. Ferdaus Quarishi. Quarishi referred to himself as the
coordinator for a movement that is filling a political vacuum
with honest and seasoned politicians. He plans to draft a
party constitution within three months and hold a party
convention by December 2007. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On June 2, media reported that former BNP Joint
Secretary General Dr. Ferdaus Ahmed Quarishi announced the

SIPDIS
formation of a new, as-of-yet unnamed political party. In a
two-hour kick-off meeting attended by members of the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),Awami League, and the
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),Quarishi said that "we have
started to float a new political party in keeping with the
spirit of January 11." Mainstream politicians and political
analysts knew little or nothing about Quarishi. However,
Quarishi was well known to the local VOA correspondent as
well as a number of reporters. On June 19, POLOFF met with
Quarishi and two other politicians, former MP Kazi Feroz
Rashid and Advocate Razlur Rahman at the newspaper offices of
"Daily Deshbangla" where Quarishi works.


3. (C) Quarishi downplayed the notion that he was the party's
leader, referring to himself as a coordinator whose main task
is to organize a national party convention. He dismissed any
ties to the army as unfounded "allegations" and said that his
movement is simply filling "a political vacuum" created by
the collapse of the two major political parties. As for
reports that DGFI's General Fazlul Bari was involved in the
formation of Quarishi's movement, Quarishi said that "General
Bari is a key figure in the government, so it is his duty to
advance politics and steer people towards a good election.
Naturally, he has to go out and meet politicians."


4. (C) Quarishi said that he and others are angry about the
"unbelievable reports of corruption." "People," he said,
"from all over Bangladesh have been calling to join this
movement. All of them believe and hope for a better
Bangladesh."


5. (C) Quarishi appeared amused by notions that he is new to
politics. He said that he had been in politics since 1965
when he was the President of the East Pakistan Student
League. As a supporter of Zia Rahman, he was Senior Joint
Secretary General of the BNP from 1980 to 1985. He left for

SIPDIS
London in 1985 where he received a doctorate in Systems
Science from City University. He returned to Bangladesh in
1990 and contested as a BNP candidate in the 1996
parliamentary elections but was defeated by "money and
muscle." He said he has been working in journalism since
then and is the leader of his own political party, the Green
party.


6. (C) Quarishi said he is the coordinator of a political
movement composed of people who have been "humiliated and
ignored" by the current political leadership. By the end of
the year, he hoped to find 300 candidates who are already
popular in their constituencies, have a good track record,
and clean financial records. "Currently, we have meetings
with 15 people at a time, and gradually want to expand our
numbers to 100 people per meeting once the ban on indoor
politics is lifted," he said. Within three months, he said,
we should have a constitution drafted in time for a December
convention with 30,000 people representing all 300
constituencies.


7. (C) Asked if the government supported him, Quarishi said,
"The government doesn't sponsor us but is friendly towards us
and hopes that we would do some good. We all know they need a
safe landing." As for financial support, he said that
politics has become expensive with parties hiring supporters
and demonstrators. "Real politics is not expensive. Our
people will have to pay their own way. Back when we were
students, we paid for our dreams ourselves."


8. (C) Quarishi said that his movement would take anyone, but
no senior members of the other parties have approached him,
nor have any sitting army officers. "General Moeen would
have to resign first were he to enter politics," he said.
Quarishi discounted any direct army involvement in his
movement. "The army is not going to get involved in politics.
They have other obligations."

DHAKA 00001028 002 OF 002


PASI