Post Breakfast
Please stick to your mandate
The August 4 elections to city corporations and municipalities have been held in a reasonably peaceful atmosphere but without great enthusiasm (probably due to existing emergency provisions). The first step in the revival of the electoral process has been taken. Its importance will be remembered for the use of the new voters list. For this, the Election Commission and those associated in preparing the voters roll deserve special recognition. It also demonstrated the people's overwhelming support for Awami League supported candidates both in the four Mayoral races (four out of four, with one being elected for the second time from internment) and in the nine Pourashava polls (eight out of nine).
The political paradigm in Bangladesh is complex and it would be foolish to think of it only in terms of black and white. The Election Commission would do well to remember this. I am also constrained to take this opportunity and point out that this election revealed certain weaknesses and problems that need to be addressed urgently. There appears to be lack of suitable training for election officials and their ability to function speedily with regard to matching serial numbers. This caused great discomfort for the voters. The Election Commission had also initiated many rules regarding these elections. Yet, at the end of the day, they appear to have made several compromises both with regard to statements submitted by candidates under affidavit and also amounts spent by candidates during the campaign. Finding solutions to these factors will be necessary and it will be the responsibility of the Election Commission to do so. Their ability in this regard will be a testament to their determination towards the holding of fair and credible national parliamentary election consistent with their own regulatory requirements in the future.
This brings me to the bigger picture -- the holding of the national elections.
As it stands now, we have a very confusing scenario. On the one hand we have very justified demands from political parties that emergency be lifted. Some of them, including the two larger parties have clearly indicated that they might not participate in an election if it is held under a state of emergency. Representatives of various countries have also stated that holding any election under a state of emergency would be undesirable. On the other hand we have the Chief Adviser reiterating recently in Sylhet that 'time is not ripe to lift emergency'. After the August 4 polls the Chief Election Commissioner has also spoken of a possible parliamentary election under a state of emergency. Such an inflexible attitude on the part of the government can only be construed as a vote of no confidence in the maturity and integrity of the voters in this country. Such vacillation also makes it clear that this serious issue is still being debated. This is unfortunate because the greater the delay in taking a decision, the higher the chances of uncertainty -- and that is the last thing that we need.
A confrontational situation is also emerging over the question of holding the upazila elections ahead of the national parliamentary election. The media has reported that such upazila elections may be held in about 300 upazilas on 23 October. It has also been mentioned that election in the remaining upazilas will be held after the national election. I cannot comprehend this kind of inflexible approach on the part of this administration. Instead, as test cases, the administration can undertake election to six upazilas in the six administrative divisions of the country. Such a nominal step can underline the importance of completing the process after the parliamentary election. The responsibility of this caretaker administration is to hold a fair and acceptable national parliamentary election. They should just concentrate on that. Instead, they have opened the Pandora's box and are busy trying to solve (most inconclusively) all the ills that are latent in our country.
I laud them for some of the steps that they have taken to improve governance and to reform the electoral process. It was necessary to correct the electoral rolls and to undertake the difficult task of issuing identity cards. These are fundamental for the holding of a credible national election. This administration has however not stopped there. In their desire to create a more sanitized parliament and to discover 'honest and competent candidates' they have undertaken tasks that they are now having difficulty in completing. This inability on their part is affecting public perception.
Over the last eighteen months, according to human rights activists, tens of thousands have been taken into custody. Many of them have been charged with corruption, some have been sentenced and others still await the framing of charges against them. Different yardsticks are also probably being used with regard to some of the high profile detainees. Instead of completing their trials efficiently and expeditiously, their cases have lingered on. Now, some of them have sought bail and have been released under instructions from the judiciary. Some others have been permitted to leave the country ostensibly for medical treatment. This has further complicated the scenario.
On the other side is the question of encouraging reforms within the political parties. Over and covert methods on the part of certain authorities over the last eighteen months have contributed very little to the exercise. Some members of different political leaderships took the initiative to implement reforms within their respective political parties but have since retraced their steps back into the mainstream. Consequently, the political scenario has assumed greater complexity.
The Chief Adviser has said that he wants full participation of all the political parties in the coming election. That is the right spirit. However, this might not take place if this government continues to muddle its top-down efforts about reforms.
It is also a similar situation with the proposed Representation of the People's Order (RPO) Ordinance, 2008. Most of the political parties have claimed that it does not reflect the suggestions proposed by them during their dialogue with the Election Commission or the government. This is a direct consequence of the lack of transparency that has marked this process till now. The Election Commission has pointed out that they have tried to include as many proposals as possible of the different political parties. They have also suggested that it has attempted a compilation of least common denominators. If that is so, then it should be easy for the Election Commission and the government to publish all the demands made by the individual political parties and then also point out why they would not agree with some of the proposals. This will permit the people to form their own opinion. It will also increase accountability. A paternalistic attitude is sometimes not the best way to find a consensus.
We still have a few months left before the election. What we need is more flexibility as well as consistency during this period. The efforts of the government should be directed now not towards opening of new courses of controversial action but towards the completion of the task at hand. Let the administration just concentrate on its mandate.
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