Editorial
Disqualification facing parliamentary nominees
It was parties' responsibility to vet candidates
ONE cannot but be amazed at the large number of parliamentary candidates facing disqualification at the general elections later this month owing to their defaulting on bank loans and non-clearance of utility bills. These individuals belong to all the major parties, namely, the Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Jatiya Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami. What boggles the mind even more is that despite the government's having thrice relaxed the RPO in respect of a repayment or rescheduling of loan repayment and clearing utility bills, these parties went ahead with nominating such a large number of candidates -- 130 to be precise -- for the Jatiya Sangsad elections. It is common wisdom that given the nature of parliament as the focal point of all politics and as the symbolism of morality, the political parties will nominate for it candidates of impeccable reputation. That they did not do so, that indeed they pressurised the authorities thrice to have the relevant provisions amended, is one more reminder of why politics has been taking a beating in this country.
In Bangladesh today, there is great expectation of a change coming into our political culture with the objective of ensuring that politics goes back to its universally acknowledged objective. And that is the promotion of public welfare through a judicious application of the powers of the state. In these past two years, people have looked forward to a fresh new beginning, one that they expected the parties to initiate. That being the expectation, it should have been for the parties to demonstrate a sense of responsibility by being extra careful about the individuals they were nominating for the Jatiya Sangsad polls. A foolproof vetting system ought to have been there and intending nominees should have been subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the party nominating bodies. It is not enough for the parties to suggest that it was the candidates who withheld information on their loans and the like. It is in the larger public interest that all candidates for office have a clean record, that indeed nothing will crop up to show them and their organisations in a bad light Add to that the Chief Election Commissioner's reported comment to the effect that a number of influential loan defaulters are back in the polls race following stay orders from the court. That creates a discrepancy in that while these defaulters contest the polls, those who could not approach the court are having to stay away. However, the Bangladesh Bank is moving to have the stay orders set aside.
The need today is for a new, enlightened political culture in the country. That means the political parties, if they mean to maintain or gain public support, must eschew their old propensity of condoning or looking away from the tainted credentials of some of their members. It is an outrage to have as lawmakers individuals who themselves have a track record of disrespecting the law.
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