Fielding honest candidates is illusory

But unfortunately, in recent years, most of the MPs are found to have totally forgotten their commitment to the people. Instead they have engaged themselves, sometimes openly, in plundering government exchequer, public properties, private assets etc. When the protectors themselves turn into grabbers, the woes of the people, particularly those of the poor class, are bound to go manifold stiffer.

Thus a realisation has got widespread that the country cannot go with this kind of corrupt, unaccountable, undemocratic, arbitrary legislators. A new breed of honest, efficient people's representatives is the crying need of the hour.

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In a recent seminar in Dhaka jointly hosted by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the Prothom Alo and The Daily Star and enthusiastically participated by a galaxy of country's eminent economists, intellectuals, political leaders of both isles, NGO stalwarts, jurists, social thinkers etc, strong sentiments for fielding honest, efficient candidates for the approaching national polls were voiced. Some follow-up agenda was also eked out. This is something like a prelude to forming an institution to bail out politics from the clutches of dishonest, corrupt, inefficient political elements. Several pertinent questions on this issue may be discussed:

Question one: Will the political parties, ruling and opposition, field honest, efficient candidates? It is almost certain that it will be the prime concern of both the ruling and opposition parties to nominate such candidates who appear most potential to carry them through the election. And who does not know what constitutes, in the context of present day politics of Bangladesh, potency? It is first money and then men and support. The question of money being huge in quantity, it is, in most cases, what may be called black money. Regarding the other point -- men and support -- it more or less means activists, private bands that are also largely got in expense of money mostly snatched through unscrupulous means. What about lining the public on a candidate's side? Painfully, there has, of late, developed a realisation that in the past the public opinion was to be moulded but of late it (public opinion) is to be purchased as well. Cynical though it may sound, the remark may not be any far from the brutal truth. Of course, for the sake of coalition election partners, those selection criteria may be somewhat sacrificed in a very small number of cases.

When pressed to field honest candidates, the ruling and opposition parties may alike argue, "Let us first win the polls. People will surely be served."

Question two: Can this forum carry its nominees through polls? It is highly improbable that this pious desire will be fulfilled. First, how to obtain huge funds to contest the elections? Second, in national polls, candidates vie either under political party banner or as independent. How the forum's candidates will find a way to get into the list of the contestants? Third, how will they obtain the huge work-force spreading network across the country to fight against the major political parties? Fourth, will the leaders and activists be able to encounter the oppression and suppression prescriptions of the ruling parties? Fifth, doesn't the next poll provide too small a time to be born and bloom? So on and so forth.

Question three: Can the existing rules offset the corrupt? Despite many flaws and inadequacies of the laws governing the elections, it is not that these are wholly impotent to ward off the dishonest from entering into the parliament. First, there are rules regulating candidates' expenditures fixing the ceiling probably to five lac taka per head. But these are openly violated by expending manifold higher, in some cases, as revealed by dependable survey reports, two hundred fold higher even. All the election commissions have performed a sacred duty of sleeping over this sort of gross violation of rules. How fantastic indeed! Let alone other laws of election, if this law alone is put into practice the corrupt candidates will find it hard to stand up. Second, the rules defining eligibility of candidates need to be enforced. Sometime back the High Court division asked the election commission to obtain certain information from the candidates regarding their assets, state of being free from bank debts, criminal prosecution in court, etc to be given by them under their own signatures and make them (information) available to the voters. Third, the devices are to be made to settle the election cases, particularly the post-election ones, within a reasonable time-limit and the aberrants of election rules are severely dealt with.

The malady lies with feeble functioning, if not non-functioning, of the organs of democracy as now evident in Bangladesh. To rescue democracy from the brink, its vital limbs are to be given SOS treatment. The election commission is to be made strong and independent having its own controlled secretariat, own budget with full financial powers to transact its business, it is to be made free from the influence of the PMO. The judiciary is to be separated from the executive forthwith without further fuss. The anti-corruption commission is to be constituted as a powerful and independent body. Ombudsmen are to be appointed to oversee political, economic irregularities, corruptions. Long held up local bodies elections should be held. The legislators are to be engaged in law-making process and purged of the duties of distributing money and material in their constituencies which job will be performed by the elected representatives of the local bodies. In this way the lawmakers may be kept away from the greed for money.

Fielding candidates in the polls is a political job to be performed by the political leaders. The members of the civil society cannot overtake the politicians in choosing what type of candidates will be put up by them in the election. The civil society can at best urge upon, exhort, pressurise the political parties to focus on honest, efficient persons to depute them to the election battle of 2006/2007. However, it is naivety to hope that the political parties will budge from their strategy of fielding candidates to be considered most potential in their (political parties') judgement.

AR Shamsul Islam is Retd. Principal, Govt Mohila College, Pabna.