Expats to become voters

For last few years, the NRB Council, USA and its sister organization - Bangladesh Expatriates Council have worked hard lobbying lawmakers in Bangladesh to allow the expatriate community that live in the USA to register as voters in Bangladesh. We are glad to report that the Bangladesh Cabinet has approved a draft okaying our long standing demand. You can read the information below from the New Age.

Expats to become voters
Cabinet okays draft law
Staff Correspondent

The cabinet on Monday approved a draft of the Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Bill, 2010 to allow non-resident Bangladeshis to register as voters, fulfilling the expatriates’ long-standing demand.
The expatriate Bangladeshis, as per the draft, would be able to exercise their right to vote in all elections in the country after its enactment.
The law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry proposed the amendment at the weekly cabinet meeting presided over by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
‘The cabinet has approved the amendment to the electoral rolls law to allow the expatriates to register as voters at the places of their origin without considering whether or not they have movable or immovable assets there,’ the prime minister’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting.
The present electoral rolls ordinance has no provision for enrolling non-resident Bangladeshis as voters as the ordinance says people to be registered as voters should be residents in an electoral area during registration.
The Election Commission in July sent the final draft of amendments to the law ministry proposing that the Bangladeshis having dual citizenship could be registered as voters.
‘Bangladeshis who hold dual citizenship in line with the Bangladesh Citizenship (Temporary Provisions) Order 1972 will be registered as voters after the amendment is incorporated into the electoral rolls ordinance,’ election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain told reporters early July after a meeting on the proposed draft.
The draft said people having wealth or dwelling in more than one constituency could register as voters for any of the constituencies as they would wish.
People who have become citizens of other countries after renouncing their Bangladeshi citizenship would not be included in the electoral roll, according to the draft.
The proposed amendment says Bangladeshis living abroad temporarily would be considered as voters of the constituency they come from.
Bangladesh missions abroad would collect voter application forms for dual citizenship holders and send them to the Election Commission after preparing a district-wise primary list, said EC officials. They said that the commission would send the application forms to the district registration officers for scrutiny.

Important upcoming Los Angeles City Hall meeting on Little Bangladesh

There is a critical City-hall meeting this coming Tuesday, April 13, 2010 regarding the naming of Little Bangladesh. It is very crucial that you attend this meeting. This meeting will be with the city's sub-committee.

If our Little Bangladesh proposal is granted by the sub-committee, it will be on the agenda for the main committee to approve. We need everyone to attend and support our community efforts. We all need to share our viewpoints with the city councilmen.

Bangladesh is not mine alone nor is it yours alone. Bangladesh is ours and it is very important for all of us to set aside our differences and values and work together to help promote Bangladesh in America. By crafting our present to include Little Bangladesh, we will be creating a enlightening future for our children. A future that reminds them of their roots and heritages in Bangladesh.

Please attend this meeting and bring your family with you. It is important for the city councilmen to hear all of our viewpoints. Below is the venue for the meeting.

Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Time: 3:30PM
Address: 200 N. Spring St. Room #: 1050
Los Angeles, CA 90012

For Free Parking, please e-mail Anna Nunez (Anna.Nunez@LACity.Org). Please make sure to include the make, model, year, and license plate number of the car you plan to drive to the meeting.

Important upcoming Los Angeles City Hall meeting on Little Bangladesh

There is a critical City-hall meeting this coming Tuesday, April 13, 2010
regarding the naming of Little Bangladesh. It is very crucial that your
attend this meeting. This meeting will be with the city's sub-committee.
If our Little Bangladesh proposal is granted by the sub-committee, it will
be on the agenda for the main committee to approve. We need everyone to
attend and support our community efforts. We all need to share our
viewpoints with the city councilmen. Bangladesh is not mines alone nor is
it your. Bangladesh is ours and it is very important for all of us to set
aside our differences and values and work together to help promote
Bangladesh in America. By crafting our present to include Little
Bangladesh, we will be creating a enlightening future for our children. A
future that reminds them of their roots and heritages in Bangladesh.

Please attend this meeting and bring your family with you. It is important
for the city councilmen to hear all of our viewpoints. Below is the venue
for the meeting.

Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Time: 3:30PM
Address: 200 N. Spring St. Room #: 1050
Los Angeles, CA 90012

For Free Parking, please e-mail Anna Nunez (Anna.Nunez@LACity.Org). Please make sure to include
the make, model, year, and license plate number of the car you plan to
drive to the meeting.

NRB (NON-RESIDENT BANGLADESHI) ISSUES PRESENTED TO THE GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH BY THE NRB COUNCIL USA

NRB Council USA Requests Bangladesh Government to set up a Facilitation Center for Non-Resident Bangladeshis:

For the five (5) million Bangladeshis living abroad, getting information about their country especially the growing investment opportunities in various sectors should not be just more than a click away. We are requesting that The Ministry of Expatriate’s Welfare and Overseas Employment in association with Board of Investment should form a Facilitation Center, which will act as “one-stop-shop” for addressing all the queries of the Non-Resident Bangladeshis regarding opportunities available in the country. This center, through its website and offices, will provide reliable information and data on investment opportunities free of cost besides facilitating clearance of projects on an individual basis as a paid value added service. “The Bangladesh Overseas Facilitation Center (BOFC) would act as an one-stop-shop for enhancing partnership with the Bangladeshis residing abroad by giving authentic and real time information.

Based on a public-private partnership model, the BOFC can be jointly promoted and managed by the Ministry and Confederation of Bangladesh Industries (CBI) to operate as a “not-for-profit trust. Besides providing a data base of investment opportunities, the center could also offer advisory services to Non-Resident Bangladeshis like consular issues, financial services and their stay in Bangladesh. The center will screen the opportunities available in the country before enlisting these for Non-Resident Bangladeshis aiming at tapping prospective investors.

The focus of the center will be to facilitate individuals to come and invest in Bangladesh and it may not meant for large business houses. The will promote overseas NRB’s investment into Bangladesh and facilitate business partnership, by giving reliable information and also by providing paid handholding services to the potential investors. Since NRB’s are the major contributors for the economic growth of Bangladesh, the objective is to bring Bangladesh business and potential overseas investors on the same platform.

So In line with the slogan to build “Digital Bangladesh”, The Government should launch a Bangladesh Overseas Facilitation Center (BOFC) website in which the database and information will be available, for the use of future overseas investors at the touch of a button.


NRB Council USA Requests the Government to Resolve the Following Expatriate Issues:

As Non-Resident Bangladeshis, we would also like to emphasize that The Government of Bangladesh will expedite to resolve the following issues:

1. Non-Resident Bangladeshis should be able to vote in national elections from overseas.

2. As pledged in election manifesto of present Government, we NRBs strongly support offering jobs to less privileged poor people nationwide under Government sponsorship, so that we would not have to take huge burden of supporting our immediate families for the rest of our lives.

3. Secured investment services need to enable to potential overseas investors to benefit from Bangladesh’s rapidly growing economy.

4. Visit Visa fees should be waived for Non-Resident Bangladeshis, who regularly contribute to the growth of Bangladesh economy with their hard earned foreign currencies.

5. At the same token transaction fees for sending needy foreign currencies to Bangladesh should be waived.

6. Bangladesh Government should be held accountable to safeguard NRB’s property rights in Bangladesh, esp. from deceased parents in matters of transfer of ownership.

7. Bangladeshis who had harmed NRBs cannot and should not get overseas visa. They must be declared pariah or persona non-grata.

8. Our Government should make agreement, especially, with USA that NRBs should be able to bring their immediate family members (spouse, children, parents, siblings) within the shortest possible time thereby ensuring family bondage and human rights of the loved ones.

9. NRBs should be able to bring their family asset/wealth without much restriction to their adopted country. Those emigrating must be able to bring as much money as he/she has, so that all other illegal means of money laundering are stopped for good. A Government-to-Government agreement is necessary here to facilitate such a process. Similarly, when an NRB decides to invest in Bangladesh, there should not be any restriction either from the USA on such gainful, legal business ventures. The overall process needed to be transparent, reciprocal and easy for the age of global economy we live in.

10. To apply for “dual citizenship”, currently it is required to provide many confidential information in the form. Expatriates, who are by-birth Bangladeshis, do not feel comfortable to provide such unnecessary information. Most applicants complain about time period required for approval. Few also claim that their entire application package was misplaced or lost.

11. We would like to request Bangladesh Government to review the process and requirements for expatriates applying for “dual citizenship”. Being Bangladeshi Citizens by-birth, we should not be obliged to obtain “dual citizenship” from Bangladesh Govt., even though we are naturalized citizens of other countries. We should be able to retain our original Bangladesh Citizenship; there is no need and purpose of obtaining dual citizenship!

12. NRBs should be allowed to own or inherit properties in Bangladesh based on our birthright; we should always be considered as Bangladesh citizen.

13. Being the largest contributor to the national economy, NRBs should be given higher priority (similar to army and other govt. officials) in the allocation of DIT housing plots.

14. The Govt. recently announced to establish a “Probashi Kallyan Bank” for the benefit of the expatriates. We are urging that only the NRBs should be allowed to buy shares and be able to make secured investment back home through this bank. This will increase remittance and it will improve the future economic growth of Bangladesh.

Also we would like to express our concern that the upcoming NRB Conference scheduled to be held in December in Dhaka, is not properly authorized or not well represented by the overseas Bangladeshis. In the year 2007, the NRB conference was held in Dhaka without proper representation from NRBs and we protested from many States of the United States (a copy of the protest letter sent to the Bangladesh Government is enclosed), but no action was taken. The Government needs to ensure that all the NRB organizations are in agreement when hosting such important events in Bangladesh.

Towards fostering an amicable relationship - visa issue - Bangladeshi visitors and the NRBs

Towards fostering an amicable relationship - visa issue - Bangladeshi visitors and the NRBs

A. Bangladeshis: What is needed from the USA government -
1. Easing visitor visa process for new applicants - takes too long with too many things to fill visa application form, medical tests, etc. Note that American visitors to Bangladesh don't need to go through such tests and lengthy processes for a nominal visitor visa.

2. Easing student visa process for students - too much info beyond what is expected. It is also discriminatory when compared against other Asian countries, including next door India, whose students don't face as much hassel as ours. The F-20 form and support of financial aid/guarantee should be good enough to get them the necessary visa. A student must also have a multiple year student visa for the normative period of his/her visa; e.g., 4-5 year for BS/BA, 2-3 year for MS and 5-7 year for PhD (or overall 5-8 year for graduate students). During this time, the student should be able to visit his/her loved ones whenever he feels. Many students from Bangladesh are afraid to visit their ailing parents fearing that once they are back in Bangladesh they may not be allowed to return to the USA. [Some of our foreign students had to wait 9 years before they could go home to see their parents and siblings when they were doing graduate studies. And that too, only after they got a Green Card through their employers.] There is an obvious discrimination of our students against European students who had no problem visiting their loved ones during the summer.

3. Easing restriction on H-1 visa holders so that they could at ease visit Bangladesh and take their spouses with them upon return to the USA.

4. Easing restrictions of Green card holders to be able to bring their spouses to the USA. What is prevalent is simply inhuman, forcing spouses to be separated for years before the other party is called to the US Embassy for visa interview. That process must shorten to maximum of 6 months, reducing family attrition and tension.

5. Easing restrictions of family members of U.S. Citizens to come to the USA - the current process requires almost a year for the non-US spouse to join his/her better half in the States. And that, too, after lots of tests and forms, which are required to be filled by applicants. The naturalization charges are also too high. Parents and siblings now have to wait for more than a decade before they are called by the embassy for interview. By that time, many parents and siblings have become too old and too frail to get excited to move to the USA. Even a child who is more than 18 cannot join his/her US parents immediately and have to wait years before called in for interview for green card. What the US naturalization process is doing to immigrants is simply one of the worst abuses of human right - denying company of their immediate loved ones - parents, siblings and children. It needs REFORM. The fees for the naturalization process must also be reduced significantly to make it easy for people to reunite. The process is so cumbersome with so many forms and papers and tests, very few elderly feel motivated to join their children here. Many believe that the process is made complex and difficult to discourage people to come to the USA. But that is not right from human rights perspective that America preaches.

6. The ordinary citizens should be given priority over political touts and criminals like Saqa Chowdhury. People with criminal records like Saqa Chowdhury who had endangered family properties of the NRBs must be DENIED visa to enter the USA. Such individuals who have intentionally harmed NRB families must be declared persona non-grata by the US State Department and its embassies around the globe.

7. Given Bangladesh's vulnerability against natural disasters and man-made ones, sufficient global efforts are needed to ensure that its tens of millions would be catered from such disasters. America also needs to help Bangladesh develop its energy sector, and rein upon India so that the latter cannot harm the country. American help is crucial for dealing with contentious issues on maritime boundary, dams and barrages with our neighbors.

10. Lowering visa application fee: it has to be mutually done with Bangladesh govt. A high fee only helps the USA, and penalizes Bangladeshis and the family and friends of the NRBs desiring to visit the USA. Too few come to the Bangladesh who are Americans.

B. NRB Issues:
1. NRBs should be able to apply for dual citizenship like Israeli-Americans in this country.
2. They should be able to vote in national elections from the USA.
3. Bangladesh govt must be held accountable to safeguard their property rights in Bangladesh, esp. from deceased parents in matters of transfer of ownership.
4. Bangladeshis who had harmed NRBs cannot and should not get visa from the USA and its allies. They must be declared pariah or persona non-grata.
5. Job discrimination against NRBs must stop so that they are fairly and equally treated as valuable citizens in the USA for their work.
6. NRBs should be able to bring their immediate family members (spouse, children, parents, siblings) within the shortest possible time thereby ensuring family bondage and human rights of the loved ones.
7. NRBs should be able to bring their family asset/wealth without much restriction to their adopted country. Those emigrating must be able to bring as much money as he/she has so that all other illegal means of money laundering are stopped for good. A govt to govt agreement is necessary here to facilitate such a process. Similarly, when an NRB decides to invest in Bangladesh, there should not be any restriction either from the USA on such gainful, legal business ventures. The overall process need to be transparent, reciprocal and easy for the age of global economy we live in.
8. Visa fee for movement to Bangladesh ought to be waived for the NRBs.

Senator Kennedy's death - Bangladesh and her expatriates (NRBs) lose a great friend and mentor

It is a sad day for America. With the death of Senator Teddy Kennedy, America lost one of its most noble souls. He was an articulate advocate of human rights, an unwavering champion of peace against war, and, of course, immigration rights and health-care for all. His was a life very few could aspire for - from childhood upbringing unto death. He was able to see things very few had dared to consider. He was able to discuss things with ease very few dared to discuss. Often times the stand he took were not politically correct. Yet as a man of parts, a visionary, as one of the best citizens of our planet, he took a bold stand and tried to make America better for all its citizens and inhabitants and by that process he touched the lives of too many, even those who lived outside. He knew that we are all connected somehow. What is good for our world ought to have been good for America, too.

In deep sadness, we, the NRBs, recall the demise of this great man whose contribution to the cause of Bangladesh should never be forgotten by our posterity.