US embassy cable - 05DHAKA917

UNCLAS DHAKA 000917 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, BG 
SUBJECT: Opposition announces agitation plans 
 
1. (U) On March 2, opposition Awami league (AL) and its 
leftist allies announced a month-long agitation aimed at 
ouster of the BNP government.  The agitation plans announced 
by AL president Sheikh Hasina include 'no confidence human 
walls' at all 64 district headquarters on March 13 and at 
upazila or sub-district headquarters on March 20, a dawn-to- 
dusk nationwide general strike or 'hartal' on March 27, 
rallies in industrial belts from April 2-4 in support of the 
workers' demands for job security and higher wages, and 
support of a labor organization's call for a 48-hour 
industrial strike on April 5-6. 
 
2. (U) Addressing a huge rally in downtown Dhaka, Hasina 
asked party activists to form 'action committees' in their 
respective neighborhoods to carry out the agitation programs 
in a renewed attempt to unseat the 'failed' government.  She 
accused the BNP government of harboring Islamic extremists 
and the PM and her family of amassing ill-gotten wealth and 
challenged them to test their popularity by calling early 
elections. 
 
3. (SBU) According to an AL organizing secretary, Hasina 
announced "soft" programs of agitation in a shift from her 
hard stance on the oust-government campaign.  He said Hasina 
used the school exams, scheduled to begin from March 10, as 
an excuse not to call hartals for long durations as she has 
started focusing more on the next general election campaigns 
than on agitation.  He believes Hasina is shifting from 
hartal-centered political actions to programs like human 
chains and rallies that draw bigger crowds. (Note: AL 
observed eight days of countrywide hartals from January 29 
to February 15. End note) An AL presidium member, however, 
told Pol FSN that Hasina has been erratic in setting the 
pace of the anti-government agitation. 
 
4. (SBU) Comment: The ineffectiveness and wide indifference 
to the AL's recent strikes in mid-February following the 
murder of former Finance Minister Kibria and a growing 
displeasure within the business community over frequent 
calls for disruptive programs no doubt plays a role in 
reducing the emphasis on strikes in the new package of 
agitation.  However, without a viable alternative and with 
any momentum lost following the Kibria killing, the AL can 
only continue its programs of street political actions and 
hope the BNP government over reacts, perhaps sparking some 
popular support for the AL cause.  End Comment. 
 
THOMAS