Respect visit to Bangladesh
December 9, 2009
George Galloway, Councillors Abjol Miah and Mamun Rashid and a delegation of 21 other Respect members and activists from Tower Hamlets and elsewhere completed a ten day whistle stop tour of Bangladesh last Thursday.
George Galloway and Councillor Abjol Miah met former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition Begum Khaleda Zia, former President Hussain Mohammed Ershad, leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, coalition partners in a previous government and a number of MPs and ministers from the ruling Awami League party, including very fruitful discussions with Awami League Praesidium member and MP Sheikh Fazlul Karim Salim.
Discussions ranged over the problems of poveryy and climate change, the forthcoming Olympics of which Tower Hamlets is a host borough, the Tipaimukh Dam project which many fear threatens Sylhet, student college places, the cost of Hajj and the integrity of Hajj travel agents and the First Solution debacle.
In addition to meeting political leaders, the delegation toured Syjlhet extensively and both George Galloway and Councillor Abjol Miah spoke at public meetings across Sylhet, including Golopgonj, Balagonj, Beanibazar, Sunamgonj, Chattock and Moulvibazar. they also visited the Indian border where the River Barak divides into the River Surma and River Kusheira, to see the effects of the Tipaimukh project.
George Galloway returned briefly this week to Bangladesh to complete the tour, meeting more political leaders and continuing discussions on a number of important topics.
Galloway commented: “This has been an exhausting trip but extremely worthwhile for us to get a better understanding of the situation in a country where so many Tower Hamlets residents originate from. We have had a very fruitful exchange of ideas and we hope to continue this dialogue over the next few months and years.”
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What about the people, some 60% of the borough population, who are not from Bangladesh? Where do we fit in?
I think James misses the point. The Bengali community is a large and important section of local society. I am glad I live in an area where people from all over the world have settled for centuries. In the past the East End has been home to hundreds of thousands of Irish refugees, Jewish refugees and Protestant refugees fleeing Catholic France. This doesn’t mean that I feel left out. For a long time it was impossible for ordinary working people like myself, white, black or Asian to make our voices heard in Tower Hamlets. That is beginning to change I think. By cooperating with each other, we can change the leadership of the council and elect people who will actually deliver real results for everyone – like housing, schools and education.
I think the trip to Bangladesh was great and I hope there will be more on this site about it.
Thanks Respect Party!