Sense & Insensibility
Election engineering will be a forgotten art?
ELECTION engineering had evolved into a unique art in this country. It is an acquired technique that can reduce a mountain into a mole-hill, and vice-versa. In politics, those who could master this art, prospered. Those who could not, perished. Applying skill to its exactitude, election and election results can be manipulated to the utmost satisfaction of the engineers and their masters.
Over the years, the skill has been carved and honed into a piece of magnificent art. And in the recent years, with the help of this skill, a motley band of politicians, barrister cum law ministers, police officials and bureaucrats had made attempts to redefine and restructure election and the Election Commission. Know what? They almost succeeded in snatching state power once again by applying this unique art of engineering. But things got a little out of hand at the end.
Today, with the (in)famous "engineers" in jail or remaining bhagawat, there is little chance now that the coming elections will be engineered. This bleak prospect has caused flatulence in many of our "leaders." So, if you walk down the corridor of power you will hear people lamenting: "By God! Those stubborn people in the Election Commission (EC) have thrust their 'hand in our rooti-rojgar!'
What shall we do if we cannot take part in the elections as we always did in the past? It was our seasonal dhanda to earn one thousand crore in five years! What business on earth can get that kind of money! No, no, this is not right. This is not done. We must retort back. Just wait for the home-based (ghorowa) politics to begin."
The Election Commission (EC) has long been cleansed of the clowns who had taken up residence there to implement the blueprint of the engineers (the paler goda was a barrister of "repute" who always carried a copy of the Bangladesh constitution under his armpit). So, after the departure of the "Jokerias," the EC has gotten back its dignity, power and substance to materialise the aspirations of the people.
Yes, aspirations of the people, and not that of some hoodlums as per diktat of the men in the Windy Castle. Therefore, gangs of smugglers and drug peddlers are not to be seen with suitcases-full of money crowding the streets of Banani or Bangabandhu Avenue. They have tucked their tails between the hind legs and fled to the forest where they belong. The days of bliss are gone. They cannot withstand the blizzard.
So, finally, it seems politics is going to be truly "difficult." This time around, there will be no buying of nomination with black money and then tampering with the results in the dark of night by brandishing guns and bombs, thus scaring the hell out of the poor polling officials. O yes, we do remember those days of shame and disgrace.
This time around, electoral laws are going to be much tougher with the incorporation of some provisions, to the utter dismay of some professional politicians. If we think about it carefully we will see that, in fact, the EC is not doing anything out of this world. They are implementing what should have been there in the first place! There is nothing amazing about it. What is amazing, most of these laws were not there when the past elections were held.
What are there in the electoral laws, really? The draft electoral laws say that political parties will have to register with the EC, to begin with. We see nothing wrong in that. We should have everything in order, shouldn't we? Next, political parties will have to submit authentic accounts of the expenditure during the elections.
There is a ceiling for such expenditure and they have to abide by the rule. If they fail to submit the accounts in three months the registration will be cancelled. Nothing wrong in that, either. It is to set things in order. Order is the first condition to make a nation civilised. And only a civilised nation can progress and prosper.
The electoral laws dictate a candidate to submit eight pieces of personal information and limit the election expenditure ceiling. If a candidate exceeds that ceiling and fails to submit authentic accounts, his or her election results, even if he/she wins a seat, will be declared vacant. Subsequently, reelection will be held for that seat. The candidates will have to submit statement of wealth and other information to convince the EC that he/she is a clean candidate.
Election results greatly impact the future development and progress of a country. If some thieves in tuxedos get elected, only doom will be hastened. We have plenty of examples to cite on this point. We are not in a mood to go back to those days of national horror. The time has come to further polish the electoral laws and organise the elections in the given timeframe so that a pro-people government can be installed. Let there be a fresh beginning for the nation in 2009.
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