Fear of public scrutiny

When members of the search committee formed by the president were at the presidential palace, Bangabhaban, to submit names of prospective election commissioners, the nation was waiting to know whom the committee would propose.

The search committee, which was supposed to submit its list of names by 8 February, sat for its final meeting on 6 February to choose the prospective election commissioners. The people thought that the committee might submit names on 7 February and the president would take a couple of days more to take a decision as to whom he would appoint as the election commissioners to lead the coming crucial elections.

But things started unravelling fast. The committee submitted its names on that very day of its final meeting. We, the newsmen, were waiting in front of the Bangabhaban gate to see whether the committee discloses its proposed names after submitting the list to the president like they did in the last time, as demanded by civic groups.

The cabinet secretary, Shafiqul Alam, who was playing the role of spokesperson of the search committee, emerging out of Bangabhaban around 7:00 O’clock in the evening, told us that he would brief newsmen at the cabinet division at 9:00pm.

Then we thought the committee would disclose the proposed names at the briefing. And we didn’t know till then that a surprise was waiting for us.

The clock struck nine, but there were no signs of any media briefing and newsmen waiting at the cabinet division became curious as to whether the election commissioners were going to be appointed on that very night. And that is exactly what happened.

To utter surprise of many of us, the election commissioners were appointed with abnormal hastiness on that very day and the announcement came at the briefing around 9:30pm, barely three hours inside the committee’s submission of proposed names.

There was no compulsion for the president to appoint the election commissioners so hastily. Even one of the 16 “distinguished” citizens whom the search committee consulted had asked the president to wait for one or two months to appoint the ECs so that a law could be enacted by then.

One may recall that the country didn’t have any election commissioners for three days after the resignation of the Aziz commission.

The people, who are said to be the owners of the country, had hoped that the names of proposed election commissioners would be disclosed beforehand and some sort of opinions would be formed, even if in the media only, before the commissioners took the oath to discharge their constitutional duties.

Political analysts, and even the country’s politicians, are often heard saying that democracy is not merely holding an election. It’s all about people’s participation in running the state affairs.

This time there was a chance for the people to check out those who were going to discharge their constitutional duties even before they were appointed. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen this time either.

The country’s senior citizens, election experts and political analysts had long been urging the authorities concerned to make public the names of the proposed election commissioners beforehand for public scrutiny so that the country sees no controversy over the election commission, once again, after its formation.

But not to speak of the search committee, no political parties even showed interest in making public the names it proposed as the election commissioners of their choice to the search committee.

The ruling Bangladesh Awami League general secretary, Obaidul Quader, rather called on the search committee to not publish the names submitted by the political parties.

Even opposition political party BNP which has no platform other than the media did not disclose its names, not even through “off-the-record” means.

After Quader’s call, when newsmen asked the BNP leaders whether they want the search committee to make public the lists submitted by the political parties, they showed their reservation.

The strategy of the two arch enemies here is the same. It also suggests the BNP would do the same had it been in the position of AL now.

Exceptionally, a small political party Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, aka BASAD, disclosed its names to the media although it does not have that much stake in Bangladesh’s politics. 

The political parties oftentimes claim that they are in politics for the country and its people. If so, what would be wrong when they made public their decision, at least about the names of prospective election commissioners on this particular occasion?

Playing hide-and-seek or, to put it bluntly, hiding something, particularly in this situation, suggests something different. It is for sure this hiding in no way will help improve the process of people’s empowerment; it will rather serve the interests of the political parties. And here the interests of the political parties mean either clinging to the state power or going to the state power.

Had the parties disclosed the names much before the appointment of the election commissioners, the members of the public would have the scope to scrutinise their track records and then would put forth their suggestions to this end. They would also have the scope to see which political parties have suggested what type of candidates for supervising elections, the only means of people in Bangladesh to exert their will in the state affairs.

A debate could take place between different stakeholders in the society including between the political parties which would eventually help establish a healthy political culture –truly democratic norms.

One can say that these are tactics and strategy of the political parties. Here is the problem. When a political party runs its affairs based on some strategies and tactics and not on principles, it practices ill-politics, not politics in the true sense of the word.

And Bangladesh has been plagued by ill-politics, unfortunately. And it has been so grave that the people think ill-politics is the norm.

We need to come out of such ill-politics, need to come out of the fear of public scrutiny to ensure accountability, to take Bangladesh forward.

* Abu Taib Ahmed is a journalist at Prothom Alo English. He can be contacted at [email protected].