Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08DHAKA1344
2008-12-24 09:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dhaka
Cable title:  

CHITTAGONG GODFATHER FACES TOUGH RE-ELECTION

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM BG 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4441
OO RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHKA #1344/01 3590938
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 240938Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8015
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1909
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON PRIORITY 2713
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 1617
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001344 

SIPDIS

PASS TO PEACE CORPS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/24/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM BG
SUBJECT: CHITTAGONG GODFATHER FACES TOUGH RE-ELECTION
BATTLE; ARMY DEPLOYS TO PREVENT HANKY-PANKY IN HIS
CONSTITUENCY

DHAKA 00001344 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Geeta Pasi. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and
(d)

------
SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 001344

SIPDIS

PASS TO PEACE CORPS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/24/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM BG
SUBJECT: CHITTAGONG GODFATHER FACES TOUGH RE-ELECTION
BATTLE; ARMY DEPLOYS TO PREVENT HANKY-PANKY IN HIS
CONSTITUENCY

DHAKA 00001344 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Geeta Pasi. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and
(d)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) One of the earliest and biggest targets of the
Caretaker Government's drive to clean up government is back
on the campaign travel in a tough fight to hold onto his
Parliament seat in Chittagong District. Salauddin Quader (SQ)
Chowdhury, the parliamentary affairs adviser to former Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP),is facing what many observers believe will be a close
battle with a first-time candidate from the Awami League.
Chowdhury acknowledged he was not a shoo-in to recapture the
seat he first won in 1991. He alleged a strong military
presence in the constituency in the final days of the
campaign was designed to subvert his candidacy, and he
indicated he would not sit quietly should he lose. His claims
were consistent with those of other BNP leaders who appear to
be laying the groundwork to blame a nationwide loss on the
Caretaker Government and its military supporters.

--------------
THE GODFATHER OF CHITTAGONG
--------------


2. (C) Chittagong 6 is a rural constituency a pleasant
45-minute drive from Chittagong city along a two-lane road
flanked by rice fields and gently rolling forested hills.
Chowdhury, a shipping magnate, was first elected to
Parliament from the region in 1991 and was reelected in 1996
and 2001; he was one of Khaleda Zia's closest advisers when
she was Prime Minister from 2001-2006. Yet he is reputed to
have been involved in crimes such as gunrunning and extortion
since Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971,
according to the influential English-language newspaper The
Daily Star. In an article in 2007, the newspaper said "from
farmers to businessmen, all suffered greatly at the hands of
(Chowdhury's) hoodlums. Members of the minority communities
were the worst affected." Chowdhury was one of the most
prominent politicians sent to jail by the Caretaker
Government in the anti-corruption drive it launched soon
after coming to power in January 2007. Chowdhury was accused

of cattle theft and extortion, but was released on bail along
with many other high-profile politicians in the months
leading to the December 29 Parliamentary elections.


3. (SBU) In a 12/23 interview with PolOff on the veranda of
his home built on a hillock just off his constituency's main
road, Chowdhury acknowledged the race against first-time
candidate Dr. Hasan Mahmud, the special personal aide to
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, was an "uphill task;"
he said he would not be a "shoo-in" as in the past. (Note: In
2001, Chowdhury received about 65,000 votes, some 10,000 more
than his Awami League challenger. End Note.) Wearing a white
punjabi and chain smoking from a stubby cigarette holder,
Chowdhury said he had just turned his attention to the race
with Dr. Hasan after spending most of his time on his other
race in Chittagong 2 (Note: Candidates can compete for up to
three seats; should a candidate win more than one race,
by-elections will determine the other seats. End note.)


4. (C) Among the challenges Chowdhury said he faces were a
large number of young, first-time voters he said were not
following voting patterns of their elders. He also cited poor
service by some of his local representatives in responding to
requests from his constituents when he was in Dhaka.
Interviews with some local voters provide anecdotal evidence
supporting Chowdhury's concerns. At the Arfat Teahouse in
Chandraghona town, a 19-year-old first-time voter said he
favored the Awami League candidate because he was born in the
constituency and was highly educated. (Note: Dr. Hasan earned
a doctorate in environmental chemistry in Belgium. End note).
And Mohammad Shamsul Haque, an elementary school teacher,
said he had voted for Chowdhury several times before but
would not this year, citing the poor response of Chowdhury's
local representatives to the needs of the people. Still,
Chowdhury said he fully expected to ultimately prevail.

--------------
HASAN PROVING A FORMIDABLE CHALLENGER
--------------


DHAKA 00001344 002.2 OF 002



5. (C) Dr. Hasan is proving to be a tireless campaigner,
traveling from village to village in a Toyota Prado topped by
a miniature boat -- the Awami League symbol -- made of orange
marigolds and red roses. PolOff caught up with Dr. Hasan
while he gave a stump speech in Kodala town, standing on a
make-shift dias on a field wedged between the lazy Karnafuli
River and a rutted dirt road lined with small shops. About
300 men gathered round as Dr. Hasan urged villagers to reject
"godfather" politics. He said the Awami League would roll
back prices to the lower levels enjoyed when it was last in
power, from 1996-2001. He also stressed he native roots. In a
short interview with PolOff after the speech, Dr. Hasan said
he worried Chowdhury would use his substantial wealth to buy
voters, would use a legion of goons to intimidate Awami
League voters to stay home on election day, and would
instigate clashes between the two camps to create a chaotic
situation he could exploit.

--------------
THE ARMY TAKES UP POSITION
--------------


6. (C) Chowdhury said he was not a godfather in the mafia
sense, but instead described himself as a local leader whose
assistance was often sought to settle family disputes and to
win justice for the mistreated poor. Echoing other BNP
leaders, he raised concerns that the election would instead
be a "selection" of candidates approved by the
military-supported Caretaker Government. He noted the
presence of soldiers patrolling his constituency in machine
gun-mounted jeeps and said they were asking the whereabouts
of his prominent supporters. "This is intimidating," he said.


7. (C) Indeed, the military presence was striking; EmbOff saw
two patrol jeeps soon after entering the constituency and
visited a newly established army bivouac at Rangonia College
a few minutes from Chowdhury's residence. Captain Mohammad
Abdul Kader said about 80 soldiers set up temporary quarters
at the college December 19 in support of the local civilian
administration. Other military "elements" were stationed
elsewhere in the constituency, he added, but refused to give
details. Captain Kader said the gun-mounted patrols were
designed "to show the terrorists we mean business" and to
deter political thuggery. Although it was not immediately
clear whether other constituencies had a similar military
presence, EmbOff said he had not seen similar patrols in
previous elections. Local citizens interviewed by PolOff all
said they welcomed the military show of force.

--------------
COMMENT: EXPECT SORE LOSERS
--------------


8. (C) Several Chittagong-based journalists and some local
officials said they expected a hard-fought contest for
Chowdhury's seat. Although public polling published on 12/24
in The Daily Star showed the Awami League maintains a
double-digit lead nationwide, a flurry of accusations from
Chowdhury and other BNP leaders indicated they would claim
any loss the result of a stolen election. Chowdhury did so by
questioning the motives of the army presence in his
constituency, and he recently told a longterm foreign
election observer he would not take any loss quietly. The
party, meanwhile, took aim at the timing of the
Anti-Corruption Commission's accusation that Khaleda Zia's
youngest soon took bribes from international corporate giant
Siemens. If the polls are correct and the Awami League wins
comfortably, BNP cries of foul may yet stymie a smooth return
to democracy after two years of Caretaker Government rule.
MORIARTY