VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKA #0533 1360803
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 150803Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6762

UNCLAS DHAKA 000533 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR THE SECRETARY AND DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FORE 
ALSO FOR D, P, AND SCA 
FROM AMBASSADOR MORIARTY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: TRANSFORMING BANGLADESH'S DEMOCRACY 
 
REF: DHAKA 526 
 
¶1.  (U) Madam Secretary, when Bangladesh,s 80 million 
eligible voters go to the polls in December, they will be 
participating in a democratic exercise that will have a huge 
impact on U.S. interests.  I can not think of another 
election over the next year (outside of North America) that 
will prove more transformational.   At issue is whether the 
seventh most populous nation in the world - one with a large 
Muslim majority and a history of extreme poverty and 
occasional support for transnational terrorism restores 
democracy or flounders. I believe we need to do everything we 
can to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible 
and lead to a more stable, deep-rooted democracy. 
 
The Context 
 
¶2. (U) Since independence, Bangladesh has seen its democratic 
development stunted by periods of military rule, debilitating 
political polarization, ineffective institutions of 
governance, and rampant corruption.  Partisan deadlock led to 
the cancellation of the 2007 parliamentary election and the 
establishment of the present Caretaker Government, which 
continues to rule under a state of emergency.  Key components 
of the government's political reform and anti-corruption 
campaign will remain far from complete by the time elections 
are held in December.  Other reforms have been completed but 
may not be sustained depending on the results of the 
currently unpredictable national dialogue and the level of 
political parties' commitment to reform.  Sustaining the 
reform momentum and, at the same time, rehabilitating 
democratic institutions and processes will require support to 
political parties and an active dialogue on the 
pre-requisites for a transition to democracy. 
 
The Challenge in Bangladesh 
 
¶3.  We have been working closely with other international 
donors and with the Caretaker Government in Bangladesh to 
create the conditions necessary for credible elections and to 
help strengthen democracy after the polls.  That said, I find 
the resources the USG has reserved for this task woefully 
insufficient. Other donors have anted-up money for voter 
registration, ballot boxes, and the like.  We see gaps in key 
areas where we could be helpful:  exit polling, political 
party development, etc. - in ways that would help keep the 
process on track and contribute to its credibility.   We have 
capabilities that other donors can not match and will clearly 
be needed in the coming months. 
 
The Need 
 
¶4. (U) In order to help make Bangladesh,s experiment in 
democracy work, I strongly believe we need to have $6.0 
million of the cuts to our FY-08 Democracy and Governance 
programs restored immediately.  We will provide details 
septel regarding the specific programs that we envision 
funding.  In sum, we will seek to: 
 
--Promote the fairness and transparency of Bangladesh,s 
upcoming parliamentary and local elections; 
--Help create an enabling environment conducive to the 
national election and restoration of democracy; 
--Promote political party reform and women in politics; 
--Assess institutional needs of newly elected bodies of 
governance. 
 
A Last Word 
 
¶5.  Located in a region with a fast-rising India, an unstable 
but crucial Pakistan, and a war-torn Afghanistan, Bangladesh 
tends to get overlooked.  If it were located elsewhere, we 
would likely seize on developments in Bangladesh as having 
huge implications for the future of the war on terrorism.  If 
Bangladesh - given the many strikes against it - can make it 
to the ranks of stable, prosperous democracies, it will serve 
as a powerful symbol not just to the region but to all 
moderate Moslem countries.  If it sinks into chaos, it will 
only be a matter of time before those who look towards the 
United States with evil intent will find the ungoverned 
spaces here fertile ground. I am asking for a minor 
investment that could pay huge dividends in helping to ensure 
a more prosperous democratic future for Bangladesh and the 
region.  We don't want to look back in the coming years and 
realize that we had missed an opportunity to avert a 
disaster.  A small amount of funding would allow us to help 
Bangladesh hold free, fair and credible elections by the end 
of 2008 and pave the way for a more stable democracy in 2009. 
Moriarty