US embassy cable - 05DHAKA1117

UNCLAS DHAKA 001117 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, BG 
SUBJECT: CRITICAL UNDP REPORT ON "HARTALS" GENERATES 
ATTENTION 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: UNDP has released a report detailing the 
socio-economic costs and popular antipathy to hartals, or 
nationwide political protest strikes.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  In "Beyond Hartals: Towards Democratic Dialogue in 
Bangladesh," a distinguished panel of Bangladeshi academics 
and journalists, backed by the local SIRIUS Marketing and 
Social Research Ltd, interviewed thousands of Bangladeshis, 
in all parts of Bangladesh, to determine the national impact 
and perspective on hartals.  The polling sample included 
politicians, student leaders, average citizens, and street 
toughs paid to enforce the strikes.  The report also reviews 
the historical pattern of hartals between 1947 and 2002. 
 
3.  Key findings include: 
 
-- 95% of respondents believe that hartals have a negative 
impact on the economy; 
-- 70% believe there are political alternatives to hartals, 
such as public rallies, parliamentary debate, and road 
marches; 
-- 50% believe that politicians gain financially from calling 
hartals; but 
-- 63%, believe that hartals are a legitimate democratic tool; 
-- Between 1991 and 2002, there were 827 hartals called by 
the Awami League or the Bangladesh Nationalist Party with 
almost equal frequency. 
 
3.  The report notes a growing determination by business and 
civil society to pursue "business as usual" during hartals. 
Today's hartals do not generate enough popular support to be 
as long or as violent as were hartals in the 1980's and 
before, and often now coincide with weekends to minimize 
actual disruption. 
 
4.  The economic impact of hartals, it says, is often short 
term for business but long term for students when class and 
examination schedules are disrupted.  However, the cost of 
hartals during the 1990's was an estimated 3-4% of GDP, and 
it was felt by both rural and urban communities.  In the 
formal transportation and street vending sectors, hartal 
earnings are 50-60% less than normal.  Major losses are 
recorded by some factories over lost shipments and customer 
dissatisfaction, leading to permanent loss of business and 
foreign direct investment.  The cost of essential items is 
driven up, which primarily hurts the poor.  Women are the 
most adversely affected group, primarily due to the 
insecurity of hartals that makes it difficult for them to 
accomplish daily tasks or go to work. 
 
5.  The report enumerates a series of long- and short-term 
constructive alternatives to hartals and solutions to the 
underlying problems that promote them, including social 
mobilization that does not involve work stoppages.  To 
address one problem often cited by political parties to 
justify hartals, the opposition's inability to participate 
effectively in Parliament and the existing electoral 
framework, the report suggests reforms that, if enacted, 
should make hartals redundant. 
 
6.  Comment: The report details what everyone in Bangladesh 
already knows: hartals are economically damaging and 
enormously unpopular. 
 
THOMAS 
THOMAS