Flickering hope

With CEC Aziz gone for the time being, the EC still remained controversial because of the two commissioners, S.M.Zakaria and Justice Mahfuzur Rahman, who were chosen by the past alliance government to implement their agenda. The president's action in appointing two more commissioners, ex -IGP Modabbir Hossain Chaudhury and ex-judge of a lower Judicial Court Saiful Alam, added fuel to the fire. In the meantime, the moment CEC Aziz went on leave for three months Justice Mahfuzur Rahman, in an unusual coup-d'etat, declared himself as the acting CEC without concurrence of the council of advisors or the president-cum-chief advisor. The last nail in the coffin was struck when the EC announced the polls schedule, presumably after receiving a signal from the president, without having any discussion with the major opposition block.

With pressure mounting from all sides through siege programs and protest marches resenting the chief advisor's action, President Iajuddin Ahmed has now been spending hours with the advisors to right the wrongs in an effort to conduct the election in a free and fair manner. The package formula for reconstitution of the EC, transfer of secretaries of some ministries having important bearing on the elections, re-fixing of the polls schedule and correction of the voter list could, in all fairness, be expected to heal the wounds in the national psyche and pave the way for a successful election.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

But a new crisis seems to be brewing in the EC because of the outright claim of the CEC in-charge, Justice Mahfuzur Rahman, that none of the new commissioners appointed after Modabbir Hossain Chaudhury and S.M. Zakaria go on leave, even if one happens to be senior to him can replace him, as per EC rules. On the other hand, public perception is that the three days time frame earmarked for correcting the flawed voter list does not appear to be enough in the light of past experiences in this area. It is worth recalling here that in the last Rajya Sabha elections in Indian provinces namely West Bengal, Assam and Kerala allegations of fake voter list and party feuding created an unstable situation.

Indian chief election commissioner, B.B Tandon, and commissioner, K.J.Rao, made several visits to these vulnerable places for creating a level playing field for the parties. People wonder if any of our EC officials would be willing to make an on-the-spot survey to assess how far the guidelines they issued from their ivory tower are being attended to by the field level officials and workers. With BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan's fresh threat that his party will go into action if the CTG bends under pressure, there is apprehension that the political temperature of the country will soar again. People believe that a series of actions like appointments, postings and promotions was taken up by the alliance government since assuming power. Politicization of civil administration and judiciary was done in a naked way in a bid to ensure their return to power.

Precisely speaking, the all-permeating malignancy has trickled down the tiers to grassroots level, and this is very hard to cure by simple surgery at the top. But in politics everybody knows that nothing is ever certain. In West Bengal the Left front won the election despite the fact that about eight lakh voters who were primarily the Left Front's vote bank were deleted from the voter list. The undeniable fact was that the landslide in West Bengal came with a reform-minded Left Front leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharya in the saddle. This underscores the fact that a political party trying to win election does not need to resort to unfair deals if it has a fair track record.

What the political parties must understand now is the deadly serious issue of the country's political and economic future. How far can a party, swept to power through a rigged election, go in placating the electorate? For last couple of months both the 4 party led alliance and the EC have turned a deaf ear to the issue of fake voter list but now, with the Washington based NDI declaring that there are about one crore and twenty two lakh fake voters and asserting that elections held on the basis of such a list will not be credible, the EC has woken up from its deep slumber. Much to everybody's shock and consternation, the EC got embroiled on issues that could be avoided much earlier. With grim experiences over the years, murky politics is the farthest thing on the minds of the desperate people. No one can fully answer these questions, but we do have to analyze the compulsions that drive the brinkmanship of both the alliance and the president-cum-chief advisor.

With clouds hovering on the horizon president Iajuddin Ahmed must understand that governance and neutrality can no longer be kept in abeyance and it will not do to hold the cards close to his chest, he has to unfold his plans. High on his agenda are: Restructuring the EC with appointment of new CEC and commissioners in consultation with his advisors, and fixing accountability of civil servants and transparency in election related jobs. For this job to be done, he needs persons with impeccable integrity, commitment, charisma and dynamism to head the different organizations related to election.

Undeniably true, the president's plans may be inaccessible to folks like us, but not his mind. Shockingly, politicians of all hues have brought this darkness at noon. With pressure mounted on the President-cum-Chief Advisor Professor Iajuddin Ahmed by his mentors in the past government, most of the organs of the state are either under strain or totally marginalized. The furore over the president-cum-chief advisor's role in running the country at this critical hour, and its repercussions on the country's politics, can be rolled back if the president decides which he values more: the designs of the past government or continuation of democracy and stability of the country.

Undeniably true, people are alarmed at the obvious weakening of state power. The public looks forward to the restoration of the guiding and regulating role of the state to a degree, which is necessary. When hundreds and thousands of people agitate in the streets for their right to vote, and scores of them die, the person in charge of the state and custodian of the constitution must answer questions about his capability, culpability and intent.

Md Asadullah Khan is a former teacher of physics and Controller of Examinations, BUET.