NEW RUMORS OF NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT PERCOLATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001279 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BG SUBJECT: NEW RUMORS OF NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT PERCOLATE AROUND DHAKA Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Geeta Pasi, reason 1.4(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Rumors of a "government of national unity" are making the rounds in Dhaka again. Several "reformists" from both main parties have raised this issue with us, arguing that a government without political elements lacks credibility and will fail. These pro-reform elements also argue it would be difficult for them to implement a reform agenda unless they are given a share of the power. END SUMMARY. A NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT =========================== ¶2. (C) Over the past six months, we have been told several times by various political interlocutors that a "government of national unity" is imminent. In June, former parliamentarian Zahir Uddin Swapon, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),told POLOFF of a plan to expand the council of advisors to include reformists from the BNP and Awami League and members of the new Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) of Ferdous Ahmed Qureshi. This coalition would run in the next parliamentary elections as a bloc. COUNTRY IN NEED OF "PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS" ============================================= ¶3. (C) Recently, BNP and Awami League reformists -- who oppose the continued party leadership of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, respectively -- have raised this issue with us again. On August 1, the head of the anti-Zia faction of the BNP, Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, told POLOFF the caretaker government was overstretched and losing popularity. He argued the country was "on the edge" and the only solution was the creation of a national unity government which would include "professional politicians" from the BNP and Awami League. "They know how to handle the country," he said. "This caretaker government is all technocrats. They do not understand the people." ¶4. (C) Swapon, who was also present in the meeting with Bhuiyan, later told us it would be difficult if not impossible to carry out Bhuiyan's party reform agenda unless they are given a share of power in the government. "Why should our party activists desert (BNP leader) Khaleda Zia and rally around us unless they know we are in a position to do them favors?" he asked. ¶5. (C) Awami League Presidium Member Amir Hossain Amu, a vocal opponent of Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, recently expressed to us his impatience over the "delay" in forming a national unity government. Amu said he said he and several other anti-Hasina Awami League leaders would not even mind a declaration of martial law if that was what was necessary. ROLE OF THE MILITARY? ===================== ¶6. (C) Giusuddin Quader Chowdhury (please protect),a former BNP member of parliament who is allied with Bhuiyan's faction but also maintains ties with Khaleda Zia, recently told us he learned senior army generals including Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U. Ahmed had met on August 5 and agreed in principle on the formation of a national unity government. According to the formulation they discussed, the current Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed could remain in place, with an expanded government to include the reformist wings of the BNP and Awami League plus members of the PDP. ¶7. (C) An Anti-Corruption Commission attorney who works closely with the military also told us about the August 5 meeting. According to him, the military officers present discussed the idea of a national unity government, and ultimately agreed it could be implemented without the imposition of martial law. ¶8. (C) Amu and Bhuiyan have both told us they could not agree to participate in a government headed by Chief Advisor Ahmed since he never rose above the level of secretary (deputy minister) in the civil service. Since both had served as ministers, they would not submit to working for someone they considered an "underling." DHAKA 00001279 002 OF 002 COMMENT: PARTY REFORMISTS IN NEED OF A BOOST ============================================ ¶9. (C) COMMENT. The strongest proponents of a national unity government appear to be the so-called "reformist" wings of the two political parties -- those opposed to continued leadership of the two ladies. They seem desperate for a way to legitimize themselves as the rightful leaders of the two parties, and believe serving in the government will provide just such a boost. Given how messy the efforts to remove Hasina and Zia from the political stage have been, the reformists are starting to worry they may have miscalculated in trying to oust the two ladies, and fear they may return. END COMMENT. PASI