FAREWELL CALL ON JAMAAT ISLAMI CHIEF

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000977 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2012 TAGS: PGOV KISL BG SUBJECT: FAREWELL CALL ON JAMAAT ISLAMI CHIEF Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Butenis, reason para 1.4 d. ¶1. (C) Summary. Jamaat Islami amir Nizami stayed rigidly on point in assuring the Ambassador that his party remains committed to democracy, dialogue, and moderation. JI members, he said, have not been approached about joining a so-called king's party, but quipped he wishes the party well so the country can move forward to elections. His linking the concept of such a party to the discredited Ayub Khan and General Ershad indicates he does not see a king's party as a substitute for his busted relationship with the BNP. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On June 12, the Ambassador paid her farewell call on Jamaat Islami (JI) amir Matiur Rahman Nizami in a function room at the Sonargaon Hotel. Also present were Jamaat Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mujahid, Assistant Secretaries SIPDIS General Muhammad Kamarruzzaman and Abadur Razzaq, two other party officials, and poloff (notetaker). ¶3. (SBU) Nizami apologized for being several minutes late, saying he had come from his home where he is recuperating from recent gall bladder and prostate surgery at the JI-affiliated Ibn Sinha Hospital. He stated there was no question of cancer but appeared to have lost some weight. ¶4. (SBU) Nizami thanked the Ambassador for her "friendly" service in Bangladesh and hoped she would leave the country with fond memories. He affirmed his party's commitment to dialogue to resolve any international or national disputes. "America is one of our great development partners and we try to maintain good relations with the Embassy," he added. "As an Islamic party, we seek better relations with the Western world." The Ambassador thanked Nizami for the good access she and her Embassy colleagues have had to JI leaders. ¶5. (C) Asked to comment on the current political situation, Nizami said there was little JI could say or do until it is called to meet with the Election Commission, the ban on political activity is lifted, and an election schedule is announced. He asserted a wait-and-see approach with the government and the fate of his former alliance partner, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). JI, he said, feels "surprised" and "embarrassed" by the corruption allegations against BNP but reserved judgment until due process has played out in the courts. ¶6. (C) Nizami endorsed the Ambassador's observation that Bangladeshis want political reform, saying "small" parties like his would benefit from an end to thuggery and illicit campaign financing. He had no response when the Ambassador noted that JI's student wing was well known for violence, but noted JI does not practice dynastic politics and already has a relatively high degree of internal democracy. ¶7. (C) Nizami stated that his party has no "first hand knowledge" of reputed military efforts to organize a so-called king's party. SYG Mujahid interjected that his party members are too honest to be interested in such a party. "A new party with corrupt leaders is no threat to us," he declared. Nizami added that Bangladesh has experience with two prior military-created parties from the dictatorships of Ayub Khan and General Ershad. "We wish success to this third party or else elections will be delayed," he quipped. ¶8. (C) Asked what a JI-ruled Bangladesh would look like, Nizami replied, "We are practical. We know that in the near future we won't form the government, so now we work for democracy and development in the country. If people develop trust in what we do, then we can see what happens next." He then affirmed JI stands for democracy, dialogue, moderation, honesty, non-violence, human rights, and accommodation. ¶9. (C) Comment: Nizami stuck to JI's well-rehearsed message of democracy, dialogue, and moderation. His linking the concept of a king's party to the discredited Ayub Khan and General Ershad indicates he does not see it as a substitute for his busted relationship with the BNP. His quip that JI must wish a new party well for the sake of elections reflects the local viewpoint that such a party would need and likely get extra time from the government to try to develop a competitive footing. BUTENIS