Inside the Rohingya Camp “Elections”
Manufacturing a Mandate
Dhaka Tribune has published my long-form on the Rohingya camp “elections” held in July and August. It was all a bit odd - invitation-only lists, RRRC “observers” who licensed the whole exercise, registered camps that refused to host a poll, no elections on Bhasan Char, women largely absent, and a minuscule electorate.
Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser has tied it directly to the UN’s 30 September conference, yet on the ground it looks like as if a mandate is being manufactured rather than representation. Read the full breakdown here:
https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/389681/the-rohingya-camp-elections
This committee will be brandished as “the Rohingya voice” on repatriation and policy. If legitimacy is the goal, this was not the way to do it.