Strengthen EC for fair elections

They said this can be done by establishing a truly independent secretariat free from the control of the executives.

The roundtable on 'Electoral process and national election observation' was organised jointly by the daily Sangbad and Bangladesh Human Rights Co-ordination Council (BHRCC) in the city.

The speakers said the EC plays the most vital role in holding elections while the caretaker government is only a supporting body in the whole process.

They observed that the EC has become a paralysed institution and failed to discharge its constitutional obligation properly because of the interference of successive governments.

Addressing the roundtable, Communications Minister Nazmul Huda proposed for ward-based voter lists to be prepared by involving union parishad members, but senior Awami League lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta opposed the idea.

"We shall have to establish such an electoral system where people's verdict will be reflected,"Huda said, adding the voter ID cards should be introduced to check fake voting.

He criticised the opposition parties for waging agitation against the elected government demanding its resignation when people gave them mandate to run the country for five years.

Opposing the view, Suranjit said that does not mean that one will initiate misrules and continue it for the entire term."

"If people are unhappy with the activities of an elected government they have all rights to demand its ouster," he observed.

Expressing concern over the fair holding of next election, the AL leader said the alliance government has taken all measures for vote rigging.

He said the AL will participate in the election after forcing the government to bring reforms in the caretaker government and Election Commission.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, blasted the entire electoral system and said it's nothing but a farce.

"The election is under the grip of black money holders and criminals," he said, adding his party will think twice before participating in any such farcical poll in future.

Senior journalist ABM Musa called for monitoring pre-election activities of the caretaker government and the EC.

Sharmeen Mursheed, chief executive of the Brotee, urged the EC to take reports of different poll observers seriously and take action on the basis of the reports.

She said the EC is fully dependent on the government for logistic support and manpower.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader ASM Rab, former advisors to caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan and ASM Shahjahan, country representative of Hunger Project Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, BHRCC founder Father R W Tim, Prof Dr Dalem Chandra Barman of Dhaka University and President of Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA) Monira Khan also addressed the programme moderated by Sangbad Executive Editor Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul.