Marshall arrives early today to persuade Hasina
Govt ready to let leader of the opposition speak on the first or last day of the meet
Staff Correspondent
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Secretary General Denis Marshall arrives in Dhaka this morning ahead of schedule in a last-ditch bid to persuade Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina to attend the 49th conference of the grouping. Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui was due to receive him at Zia International Airport at 5:35am. Marshall was originally scheduled to arrive on October 3. AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday said the party had no talks with Marshall. "However, if he (Marshall) wants to talk to us, we will sit with him," he told The Daily Star last night. The AL is still unbending on its decision to boycott the CPA meet in protest at what it said was the government's arrogant attitude toward the opposition. Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar and the deputy speaker have said they are ready to break with convention and invite the leader of the opposition to address the launch or close of the CPA conference, if she joins the October 4-12 meet in Dhaka. According to the CPA convention, the leader of the opposition of the host country speaks at the opening session of the conference. But if the opposition leader wants, she can address the concluding ceremony of the conference, they said. The CPA conference president, Speaker Sircar, and its vice-president, Deputy Speaker Siddiqui, disclosed the government's latest offer to the AL at two separate press briefings on Monday and Tuesday. But sticking to its earlier decision, the AL termed it another political stunt. "The speaker and the deputy speaker have been serving the purpose of their party from the beginning. If they had the CPA convention in mind, they would have earlier included the leader of the opposition in the inaugural session's schedule," Jalil told The Daily Star yesterday. Jalil said two non-MPs were included on the steering committee in violation of convention. "We had protested their inclusion for two months, but the speaker did not care. But when the CPA secretary general wanted opposition participation in the conference, they climbed down from their position," Jalil said. The deputy speaker is still optimistic about the opposition's joining the conference. He hopes the situation would change after the arrival of Marshall. The delegates of the conference will start arriving in Dhaka from October 4. Siddiqui informed newsmen that 526 delegates are expected to attend the conference. They include 53 speakers, eight deputy speakers, 72 spouses, 134 observers, three special guests and other officials. The secretary general of the Commonwealth is also expected to attend the conference. The executive body of the CPA will meet on October 5 and 6.
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