Reject 7 Jan election, University Teachers’ Network to people

A platform of teachers from various universities have expressed concern over the 12th parliamentary election slated for 7 January and called the people of the country to reject the polls.

In an open letter, the University Teachers’ Network said the government must solve this strange crisis in a democratic way.

Gitiara Nasreen, professor of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, sent the open letter to the media on Friday on behalf of the platform.

Highlighting various perspectives and situations, the Teachers’ Network said, “Today, the country has plunged into a deep crisis. We hoped that, taking lessons from experiences, there would be an effort among all to hold a free, competitive and neutral election based on the opinion of all. But, we have been frustrated. The election that is going to be held on 7 January will give the people nothing except the renewal of the absolute power of present ruling party.”

The letter stated though the presence of a strong opposition party is the prerequisite of the parliamentary system, but this time it seems it will also become difficult to form a ‘puppet’ opposition like the previous time because many political parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycott this election in the absence of a level playing field. Political parties, which are participating in the 12th parliamentary election with the ruling party or with the support of the ruling party, exist in name only. It is apparent that the election commission issued registration to these organisations in a planned way keeping the 12th parliamentary election in mind.

Parliamentary seats have reportedly been shared before the election. Dummy candidates have been fielded to tackle the pressure of the poll boycott by opposition, as well as to show this election competitive. It is fairly certain that the election is being held through such a strategy, in which whoever wins the polls will be from the ruling party, the letter added.

The open letter said, “Considering all this, unfortunately, we are going to see another unacceptable election on 7 January like that of the elections in 2014 and 2018, and it can easily presume what is going to be the poll results. Considering the economic condition and the geopolitical position of the country, such questionable election can bring the future of the county to a deep darkness. We reject this election. We think the government must solve this strange crisis in a democratic way.”