Two days after his term as army chief was extended by another year, General Moeen U Ahmed Tuesday asserted that the army would not follow the examples of military takeover in neighbouring countries. Full Story. Updates with details on potatoes, NSC and editors
The army chief made his stand clear once again as he sat over lunch with the country's leading editors at the army headquarters to give an account of his and the army's role in national life.
On the army's role in running the affairs of the state, he said: "We are subservient to the government and we shall not take any steps so that (the society) becomes militarised."
Moeen repeatedly denied, responding to suggestions, that the army had any policymaking role in running the country. "We do not attend cabinet meetings. We have not sent our officers to man the desks in government offices," he said on an emphatic note.
One editor said the real power lay with the army chief, which prompted him to assert: "Let me assure you that we are not having power."
"We will neither follow Pakistan or other neighbours, nor our predecessors," Moeen said in reference to military coups in Thailand and Pakistan and previous "takeovers" in Bangladesh.
The general touched upon topics ranging from the upcoming polls to failed attempts to rein in prices.
Moeen blamed "the hoarding tendency of importers, buyers and sellers", as well as last year's floods, Cyclone Sidr and the global economy for spiralling prices.
He spoke of the role of the armed forces in tackling the food crisis, saying they had helped farm an extra 342,993 acres yielding an extra 22 lakh tonnes of rice for the upcoming boro harvest.
The army chief stressed the need for the nation to consume potatoes alongside rice to alleviate the food crisis.
" Bhater pashe aloo protidin (potatoes alongside rice every day)" is the slogan the army chief has been spreading throughout the army.
Also at lunch with the editors, the menu was dominated by seven items of potato.
Answering a query on speculation over the polls uncertainty, Moeen said: "Please wait until December 31. Why won't there be elections by December 31?"
"This is the cut-off time and we must not miss the date," he said.
The government and the Election Commission pledged the national polls by the year-end, but many political leaders doubted it.
The army chief dispelled the doubt and said: "The roadmap is there and I don't see any deviation (from it)." But he pointed to some "minor problems", which are seemingly slowing the process.
Moeen referred to the EC, political parties, the government and people as the key players of elections.
Referring to a 1996 circular, Moeen touched upon a 23-member Security Council, designed to ensure national security and accountability of the government.
The NSC, never made effective, was led by the then prime minister to make decisions on defence affairs.
A circular issued at the time by the Cabinet Division said the council had also been given responsibilities to deal with all internal problems tied to security.
The NSC had also been empowered to take decisions or direct the authorities concerned to take actions and make recommendations to the cabinet, if necessary.
Moeen spoke on his recent visit to India in reply to a query by one of the editors and said: "I have invitations (from China and Pakistan) too."
But he said he could not spend so much time visiting abroad.
Moeen also answered questions about the extension of his term as army chief and insisted that it was the "government" that made the decision.
The journalists who attended the lunch meeting include Daily Independent editor Mahbubul Alam, Ittefaq editor Rahat Khan, Amar Desh's acting editor Ataus Samad, Samakal editor Abed Khan, Prothom Alo editor Motiur Rahman, New Nation editor Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Bangladesh Observer editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Financial Express editor Moazzem Hossain, News Today editor Reazuddin Ahmed, UNB chief editor Enayetullah Khan, Manav Jamin editor Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, BTV director general Kamal Uddin, head of news of Channel i Shaikh Siraj, editor-in-chief of bdnews24.com Toufique Imrose Khalidi, New Age editor Nurul Kabir, Bhorer Kagoj editor Shyamol Dutt, Naya Diganta editor Alamgir Mohiuddin, ATN Bangla adviser Saiful Bari and its chief of news Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and Channel 1 head of news Nazmul Ashraf.
General Moeen was flanked by Major General Sina Ibn Jamali, chief of the general staff, and Major General Golam Mohammad, head of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, when he spoke to the editors.
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