EC divided as 'ganimater maal': Nasiruddin Patwary

National Citizen Party (NCP) chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari has alleged that the Election Commission has been divided as 'ganimater mal' (spoils of war) saying the army took one part, BNP another, and Jamaat-e-Islami another.

He said NCP wants the Election Commission to be a people’s institution.

The NCP had a meeting with Election Commission (EC) senior secretary Akhter Ahmed in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Sunday.

Around 11:00 am, NCP’s southern chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah, chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, joint convener Khaled Saifullah, and joint secretary Zaherul Islam met with the EC secretary at the EC secretariat. The meeting continued until 12:30 pm.

Nasiruddin Patwary came up with the remark while speaking to newspersons in front of the office of the senior EC secretary following the meeting, “When this people’s uprising happened, the Awami League had left behind many assets. They had also shaped this Election Commission to their liking over the past 15 years. The spoils they left behind were divided among the advisers, BNP, and Jamaat. The current state of the country shows that the Election Commission itself has been treated as spoils. The army took one part, BNP another, Jamaat another. But we want to see the Election Commission as a people’s institution.”

The NCP leader also alleged that former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) Major General (retd) Ziaul Ahsan was one of the key architects behind election rigging and the destruction of the institution itself.

He said, “You know that those who had already tried to tarnish our patriotic army over enforced disappearance cases have now come under court scrutiny, and they have been placed under house arrest.”

At the same time, Nasiruddin Patwary demanded that those involved in these activities at the Election Commission over the past 15 years be brought under trial.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the current Election Commission, the NCP leader said, “One comes from the army; then there is one from the judiciary, who, having come from the judiciary, works in favour of a particular party. The one from the civil service also works for a particular party. And the one who came from DGFI or the army is also working there.”

Stating that the National Citizen Party wants the Election Commission to be a “people’s Election Commission,” Nasiruddin Patwary said, “It does not belong to any party. It does not belong to those from the judiciary who have occupied it. It does not belong to those from the civil service. It does not belong to any cantonment… This cannot be turned into a cantonment headquarters. These four obstacles, these invisible forces, must be removed, and the Election Commission must be freed from their deadly grip.”

Pointing out that deceased voters or those who have moved abroad have still not been removed from the voter list, Nasiruddin Patwary said, “At the Election Commission, Awami League officials are still being interchanged… The institution is corrupt. The commission has been divided into four parts. One has been taken by the army, and the remaining three have been divided among the parties. At the field level, the presiding officers are also Awami League people. Then, those in executive roles… There has been no change in the police. There is no security in national security matters. In this situation, we question how the elections will be held in February.”

Commenting that free and fair elections will not be possible in Bangladesh unless these issues are resolved, the National Citizen Party chief coordinator said he remains hopeful about receiving the party’s Shapla symbol. He said, “The Election Commission has said it will issue the notification. They (NCP) have said they must be given their Shapla—either the white Shapla or the red Shapla. The EC has not said so far that it will not give the symbol. A few days ago, the chief election commissioner said they could increase or reduce symbols. Today, NCP has asked the EC to quickly enlist the Shapla symbol and inform the people.”

At this time, NCP’s southern region chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah said that after discussions and working with the Election Commission, they felt these decisions were actually being imposed. Speaking on Saturday, he said that the Election Commission’s “remote control” is elsewhere.

“The Election Commission’s remote control is not in Agargaon; it is operated from somewhere else. Whenever we talk to the Election Commission, it feels like they do not make this decision (on allocating the symbol) themselves. The Election Commission is forced to take this decision.”

Hasnat Abdullah said that NCP is not considering any alternative symbol other than the Shapla. He said, “Why should we take an alternative? A legal explanation would be required for that. We have seen that, so far, the Election Commission has not been able to give us any legal explanation or anything else.”

Hasnat Abdullah said that efforts were made through agencies and various political parties to convince NCP. He said, “There is a lot of interest from other political parties over whether NCP will be given the symbol or not.” He described this as a cause for concern.

Hasnat Abdullah said that the Election Commission must operate based on legal guidelines. He said, “A symbol cannot be given just because an individual wishes so, like a ‘microphone symbol’ on a whim. Cultural and social context should have been considered in awarding the symbol. But it appears that the Election Commission is taking decisions on whim.”

Hasnat Abdullah said that after July, Election Commission member Abdur Rahmanel Mashud remarked that the participation of the Awami League is necessary for elections to be free and participatory. “At this stage, he is making such statements. By sitting on such a commission, he is giving political remarks of this kind. Whether the people participate in an election or not will actually determine whether the election is participatory or not,” he added.

Describing the current Election Commission as “spineless,” Hasnat Abdullah said they firmly believe that this Election Commission has no capacity to conduct a participatory, impartial, transparent, or representative election.