40 eminent citizens demand organising election anew dissolving parliament

Forty eminent citizens have called on the election commission (EC) and the government to take steps to organise the forthcoming 12th parliamentary elections anew by creating a scope for the participation of all the political parties and their fair contest.

In a joint statement, they also have demanded dissolving the parliament in the third week of January and organising the election within the succeeding 90 days as per the sub-section 123 (3) (B) of the constitution.

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), a civic platform, sent the statement to the media on Sunday.

If the steps are taken, there will be sufficient time and scope for organising talks with the opposition over the issue of polls-time government, reaching a consensus, release or granting bail to opposition leaders and activists, and organising a free, fair and competitive election by announcing a new schedule, it further said.

Expressing concerns, the joint statement also stated that the government and the election commission have taken various steps to organise the one-sided 7 January election as per the announced polls schedule. Just before this election, the opposition leaders and activists were removed from the political arena by filing cases indiscriminately against them, making arrests, torturing and sentencing them through contentious processes.

The statement further said the competition in the 7 January election will be among the ruling party nominated candidates and their dummy candidates and candidates from other loyal political parties. As a result, the citizens of Bangladesh will be deprived of the scope of choosing a true alternative through this election and it would be tough to determine the true public representativeness.

Mentioning the experience of the past two elections, the joint statement also said the accountability of the government disappears due to such controlled elections, the state organisations become subservient to the party government, it destroys the economic management process and the rule of law and order becomes elusive.

Human rights activist Hamida Hossain, adviser to a former caretaker government and SHUJAN president M Hafizuddin Khan, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder, Appellate Division’s retired Justice Md Abdul Matin, Bangladesh Bank’s former governor Salahuddin Ahmed, former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain, Jahangirnagar University’s former professor Anu Muhammad, photographer Shahidul Alam, Dhaka University’s professor CR Abrar, professor Asif Nazrul, economist Ahsan H Mansur, Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik, SHUJAN secretary Badiul Alam Majumder and treasurer Syed Abu Naser Bakhtiar Ahmed, writer Rahnuma Ahmed, election observation group Brotee’s Chief Executive Officer Sharmeen Murshid, journalist Kamal Ahmed, rights activist Noor Khan Liton and Ain O Salish Kendra executive director Faruq Faisel are among the signatories of the statement.