Over the last few months, a trickling of reports have come out which show that Tulip Siddiq (MP for Hampstead and Highgate) who has been appointed to investigate corruption in the financial sector on behalf of the government, is in fact, entirely submerged in the corrupt financial and political dealings of her own family in Bangladesh.
It would be embarrassing for Keir Starmer, if it wasn’t a perfect example of the vacuous cynical nature of the current Labour government.
How Tulip Siddiq is linked to the Hasina dynasty
Tulip Siddiq is the niece of Sheikh Hasina, the ousted former prime minister of Bangladesh.
Hasina led an authoritarian government who used brutal state violence to silence political dissent and opponents. It is estimated 3500 have been forcibly abducted in her 15 year rule.
Over July and August 2024, hatred for the regime led to a powerful movement which swept her away, led by students in Dhaka. Around 1500 were brutally murdered as Hasina clung to power, as she utilised a state that used violence and corruption to maintain its position.
The Hasina family or dynasty, had been in power for decades. In that time, through their party and position they amassed not just political power across the state, but a vast amount of property and assets.
Corruption is possible through having the right people in the right positions.
It also helps to have violent organisations like the Chhatra league, the student wing of the Awami League, upon which you can rely to intimidate those who organise against you.
The Awami League network was vast, with the right people in the right places. The family tradition established in Bangladesh on how to win and keep power was surely discussed at the dinner table. And it seems some tips were passed down to the next political hopeful in the family: dearest Tulip!
In her bid to become MP, Siddiq used London based activists from the Awami League to help canvas and campaign. Leading members like Shah Shamim Ahmed have posted at length about their involvement in her campaign!
She has denied having any involvement in Bangladeshi politics despite documented evidence which proves the opposite.
The reader will understand that to become an MP necessitates a natural ability to lie brazenly. Tulip has been raised well. The records show, indisputably, her complicity in the murderous Awami regime. She has in the past described her mother and aunt as “two very strong feminists”.
Before becoming an MP, she described herself as a ‘spokesperson’ for the Awami League. In 2017, after her second re-election, she stated at a meeting with Awami League supporters “I want to thank you because without your support, I would not have been able to win my seat.”
There is photographic evidence of her in 2013, alongside her mother (the sister of Sheik Hasina) and aunt smiling with Putin. This was to celebrate a Russian-funded nuclear plant deal in Bangladesh, which allegedly allowed her family to embezzle up to £4 billion.
She lives in a house, owned by a senior figure in the Awami League. She owns another property acquired without payment through her Awami League links.
Of course, it is political opponents who are pushing this forward to see her ousted. But the facts are the facts. She has since been forced to refer herself to the ‘government adviser on ministerial standards’.
In this picture from 11 July 2024, we can see Tulip Siddiq, her mother Sheikh Rehana, and behind them the secretaries of the Awami League Student and Youth wings in the UK, Selim Ahmed Khan and Fakhrul Islam Madhu. No doubt celebrating her recent re-election as a Labour MP.
Siddiq must go!
It is particularly amusing, but also deeply cynical that this was Starmer’s choice for an anti-corruption job: a woman whose entire life has been funded through her family’s duplicitous activity.
Siddiq’s aunt is responsible for the murder, imprisonment and harassment of an untold number of people. Undoubtedly into the thousands. She has never, on record, condemned this.
No one has control over the family they are born into, some might say. That’s true. We do, however, have control on whether or not to use said family for personal and political privileges, which has been the road of choice for Tulip Siddiq.
It will be very funny if she is forced to resign, and good riddance too!
A selection of leading UK Awami League activist celebrating and canvassing with Tulip:
From Dhaka to Westminster: Tulip Siddiq and the transnational corruption nexus
Naimul Islam Atif
As a concerned observer, I find Tulip Siddiq’s situation emblematic of the broader decay in our political institutions. The juxtaposition of her family’s history of alleged corruption in Bangladesh with her role in British politics highlights a troubling trend: the ability of power structures to cross borders and evade scrutiny.
Siddiq’s gratitude to Awami League supporters, as well as her connections to a network mired in allegations, should raise eyebrows. What does it say about our political landscape when such associations are not just tolerated but seemingly rewarded?
Furthermore, the irony of her appointment to an anti-corruption panel cannot be overstated. This speaks volumes about the lack of genuine accountability in our governance. Institutions that ought to champion integrity instead offer a stage for self-serving actors to posture.
It is imperative that we hold Siddiq, and others like her, accountable. Her role as a public servant demands scrutiny, especially given the weighty allegations tied to her familial and political affiliations. British voters deserve leaders who serve the public interest, not personal or familial agendas.
The question remains: are we willing to demand transparency and integrity, or will we continue to watch as these farcical appointments erode our trust in democracy?
