Remarks

Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Judith A. Chammas

Human Rights Day

Dhaka, December 10, 2005

Mr. Blood, distinguished guests, Welcome, asalam alaikum, and thank you for coming.

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This was the first time that a document with universal value detailed human rights and fundamental freedoms.  Despite cultural, religious and social differences, the drafters agreed to include in the document principles of non-discrimination, civil and political rights.

We are also honored to have with us this evening Mr. Peter Blood, the son of Archer Blood, who was the American Consul General in Dhaka during the Liberation War in 1971.   As many of you know, at the height of the violence during that difficult time, Archer Blood and many of his American colleagues at the Consulate General made a formal protest to Washington of American Foreign policy at that time, launching what we in the State Department now call the dissent channel – a mechanism that ensures that a diplomat in the field can convey an opinion on a vital matter to the most senior State Department officials, even if his or her superior, say a Charge, violently disagrees with that opinion. 

At the core of Archer Blood’s dissent was his forceful characterization of the “genocide,” as he called it, that he saw being committed against pro-independence persons in Bangladesh, and his insistence that, for that reason, the U.S. Government end its tacit support for Pakistan.  Doing “the right thing” put both his career and his safety on the line; in fact, his career was frankly never the same afterwards.  His honesty and courage will never be forgotten by the people of Bangladesh or, for that matter, American diplomats.

Peter, who is now a Congressional Relations Specialist at the American Library of Congress in Washington, has come back to Dhaka, along with his mother and sister, to preside over a ceremony at the American Center in a few days that will rename our library in honor of his father, Consul General Archer Blood.  Thank you, Peter, for being with us tonight and providing a living memory for all of us that even under the most harrowing of circumstances, good people can still do the right thing, that nobility can make a difference that is remembered for generations to come.

Today, the United States is as committed to promoting human rights around the world as it was when we signed the Universal Declaration.  Since our nation’s beginning, promoting human dignity and freedom have been fundamental American values that we strive to remain loyal to at home and abroad.  Defending democracy and human rights are two of the central pillars of Secretary Rice’ s transformational diplomacy that gives shape to U.S. foreign policies around the world, including South Asia and Bangladesh.

 

Here in Dhaka, we work throughout the year with Bangladeshis to promote education and health care; to improve food security; to eliminate trafficking in persons; and to support basic freedoms like respect for minority rights, tolerance, and the freedom of religion. 

Tonight, I would like to pay special tribute to those people who are engaged, either as direct participants or as facilitators, of the electoral process.   While it is possible to have elections without democracy, it is not possible to have democracy without free and fair elections. 

We believe that the next election will be critical for the future of Bangladesh and for virtually every aspect of our bilateral relationship, from trade to counter-terrorism.  The history of elections in Bangladesh suggests that they are often violent and turbulent.  Like everyone in this room, we hope for a successful election, and by successful I mean an election whose process is broadly viewed as free and fair and whose outcome is broadly accepted by Bangladeshis as legitimate.   

The US, the UN, and Bangladesh have a history of working together, both in Bangladesh – such as during Operation Sea Angel after the devastating cyclone in 1991 or in international peacekeeping operations in some of the world’s hottest hot spots.   We look forward to another successful collaboration, this time on the election.

I would like to acknowledge now the presence tonight of the local members of two American organizations, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.  They are spearheading the efforts of the U.S. Government to enhance democratic concepts and practices among the political parties and other groups – from government to the media – who are involved with elections.  Our objective is to work with the ruling and the opposition parties to ensure that all sides follow internationally recognized standards of democratic behavior.  Thanks to the UN, the U.S. and others, the next election will be the most observed election in Bangladesh’s history.

In the coming year, we look forward to seeing Bangladeshis fully and freely exercising their constitutional rights of free speech, free assembly, and even civil disobedience if they so choose.  Violence, fear, and intimidation have no place in a democracy.   Moreover, elections should be fought and won at the ballot box, not in the streets, and political parties that profess a commitment to democracy should practice what they preach.  They should defend and exercise their political rights, not surrender them for a campaign of strikes and threats.  Democratic institutions like parliament should be used, and not abandoned.  Dialogue should be sought, not spurned, especially when the national interest is at stake.    

Thank you all for coming, and we look forward to working with you on the challenges ahead.

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Note:  A Bangla translation of this article is also available from the American Center.  If you are interested in the translation, please call the American Center Press Section (Tel: 8813440-4, Fax: 9881677; e-mail: DhakaPA@state.gov; Website: dhaka.usembassy.gov