Syed Ulfat Ahmed
Years back, legendary scientist Stephen Hawking said, “Gone are the days we could stand on our own, against the world. We need to be part of a larger group of nations, both for our security and trade.” But, if we look into today’s global scenario, we actually will find some rulers and regimes, who are trying to trash the perception of globalisation either because, they consider am ‘open door’ policy as a potential opponent to their country’s economic interests or a threat to their whimsical or authoritarian rule. In the developing nations like Bangladesh, for example, democracy are being gradually held hostage into the grips of corruption plagued autocracy.
German thinktank, Bertelsmann Stiftung on March 23, 2018 in a research study has already listed Bangladesh amongst the autocratic regimes. Because of severe interference of the autocratic rulers, various institutions including the judiciary had already turned into mere puppets. Good governance and rule of law has already been sent under life support. Back in 2015, when UK Labour Party’s MPP Tulip [Rizwana] Siddiq, daughter of Shafiq Siddique and Sheikh Rehana couple won the election, her aunt Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, proudly told country’s parliament as to how her niece had won the election defeating her Westerner’ contestants.
The Prime Minister also told the parliament that her younger sister Sheikh Rehana [Tulip’s mother] is a British national and lives in UK under financial hardships. She further said, Sheikh Rehana goes at work in bus as she can’t afford buying a personal vehicle.
But the fact is quite different! Sheikh Rehana lives in Hampstead, which is a posh area housing affluent people!
Following her victory, Tulip Siddiq was invited to Bangladesh and were accorded several receptions. One of such receptions titled – Let’s Speak to Tulip Siddiq, MP, was organised at the Radisson Hotel in Dhaka and was sponsored by a fraudulent company namedProchchaya Limited!
In all of these receptions, Tulip Siddiq MP said, her aunt [Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina] is her icon and she wanted Tulip to join politics in Bangladesh.
Controversies centering the UK Labour Party MP:
According to media reports, Tulip Siddiq mediated a very controversial billion-dollar arms deal between Bangladesh and Russia [in 2013]. She also played keyrole behind the ongoing Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, under Russian assistance. Tulip didn’t offer this service for free! In addition to the monthly ‘honorarium’ she has been receiving from her aunt, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since January 2009, Tulip’s mother Sheikh Rehana and several members of the ruling family dynasty in Bangladesh got 3 percent ‘kick-back’ from the Russians and the entire amount has been secretly deposited in several offshore bank accounts.
Dhaka:s largest Bangla daily the Prothom Aloin a report dated April 12, 2015, titled: ‘Tulip accused of concealing Putin link’, wrote: “A British newspaper has published a story alleging that Bangladeshi-origin La-bour candidate Tulip Siddiq concealed information of her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of the most controversial figures in Europe today.
Mail Online reported that Tulip Siddiq was accused of “failing to tell voters that she met Vladimir Putin in Moscow two years ago [in 2013] when a controversial billion-dollar arms deal was signed” [between Bangladesh and Russia]. The report said the Tories accused Ms Siddiq of trying to conceal her extraordinary links to Putin and Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Miinister of Bangladesh.”
Tulip Siddiq, a former aide to Ed Miliband, and who is a Labour Party MP in Hampstead and Kilbern, was at the Kremlin with her aunt, the autocratic leader of Bangladesh who is accused of human rights abuses.
British newspaper Daily Mail also referred to a photograph that shows a smiling Ms Tulip Siddiq alongside Vladimir Putin and Sheikh Hasina, and Ms Siddiq’s mother Sheikh Rehana.
See the video on YouTube: Tulip Siddiq, Russian arms deal and Bangladesh dynasty politics. The report attributed to the Torries as claiming that she appears to have gone to great lengths to cover up her trip in January 2013 – just six months before she won a hotly-contested Labour sele-ction contest in Hampstead – and her links with Hasina.
The report added that the Tories also said she had deleted postings and photographs on her blog which showed how she campai-gned to get her aunt [Sheikh Hasina] re-elected [in a controversial voter-less election held on January 5, 2014. According to the report, the Torries “questioned why her 1,200-word official Lab-our profile made no mention of Putin, the arms deal or being a member of a ruling Bangladeshi dynasty”. British Labour Party MP Tulip Siddiq met Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 15, 2013 with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ms. Tulip also is an advisor to the Bangladeshi PM.
British MP Tulip’s Kremlin Connection: According to media reports, Tulip Siddiq mediated a very controversial billion-dollar arms deal between Bangladesh and Russia. She also played keyrole behind the ongoing Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, under Russian assistance. Tulip didn’t offer this service for free! I. addition to the monthly ‘honorarium’ she hass been receiving from her aunt, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since January 2009, Tulip’s mother Sheikh Rehana and several members of the ruling family dynasty in Bangladesh got 3 percent ‘kick-back’ from the Russians and the entire amount has been secretly deposited in several offshore bank accounts.
Corruption allegations against the family members of Tulip Siddiq: Tulip’s paternal uncle Tarique Ahmed Siddique is the Security Advisor to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister. His wife and daughter are stakeholders in a company named Prochchaya Limited (Incorporatiom Certificate Number C-75659/09, dated March 25, 2009.
This company, in affiliation with a ponzy fund cheat fund company named Destiny Group had smuggled out around US$ 900 millions to different countries, including the United Kingdom and has opened a company named Zumana Investment & Properties Limited [Incorporation Certificate Number 7417417, dated October 25, 2010] in the United Kingdom by investigating dirty money! It is claimed by various newspapers in the UK and the world that Labour Party MP Tulip Siddiq has been maintaining discreet connections with Moscow ever since she met President Putin. Even some of those recently expelled Russian diplomats were visiting the house of Tulip’s mother.
When the politics of mockery would end?
We, the people, who vote our leaders into power do always expect them to be truthful, honest and dedicated. But, we mostly are betrayed by these leaders. This episode of deception, mockery and falsehood seems to be unending. Unless our leaders do not correct themselves, democracy will suffer while the country is not safe in their hands. Syed Ulfat Ahmed is a freelance columnist writing on diversified issues.
