Bangladesh will support a Maldivian candidate for the post of World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for South-East Asia, Deputy Foreign Minister Humayun Kabir has said.
He made the comment in response to a question from journalists at the foreign ministry on Sunday.
The post had been held by Saima Wazed, daughter of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned from the position last week amid corruption allegations.
Elections for the WHO South-East Asia regional director post are scheduled to be held in January.
The deputy foreign minister said Saima Wazed’s appointment had been flawed and that she lacked the proper experience for the post.
He said: “Her appointment was, frankly, an embarrassment for an organisation of that kind. She had no credible qualifications. She had no experience of this sort.”
The deputy foreign minister said: “It’s not surprising about her. That appointment was also flawed. She went there, worked the room, and somehow got the votes. These things always come out. Every single member of the Sheikh Mujib family reeks of corruption… People are able to identify them everywhere now.”
Calling such an appointment at an international organisation like WHO shameful, he said: “It is also a shame for an international organisation. They should not appoint people on the ground of just simply being connected to a family regime. I think international organisations also need to tighten their processes.”