Election commissioners must put words into action
Whether or not the chief election commissioner AKM Nurul Huda understood the significance of his comment regarding the next parliamentary election, we can only hope that he has comprehended the reaction to his comment. Prothom Alo's editorial termed his statement as unwarranted. The CEC said irregularities can’t be completely eliminated in a national election, but the election commission (EC) can take action against the irregularities. People are not convinced by such a statement. The EC did not take any action after the election was rigged in five city corporation elections.
The statement of CEC was so wrong that the second powerful man of the ruling party said persons entrusted with grave responsibilities should talk more sensibly. The CEC is supposed to caution the political leaders. On the contrary, the political leaders warn him. It is a dishonour for the EC and the matter should be taken into account.
The people are frustated by such the CEC's statement and the reactions are visible. A ray of hope was emerged in the statements of four election commissioners, colleagues of the CEC. Speaking to Prothom Alo, they said the CEC’s statement is not of the commission. These four commissioners said they are committed to the nation to hold a neutral and fair election. We thank them for issuing this statement. But they should also remember that mere statements are not enough. The commission has to create a congenial environment to hold a neutral and fair election. It has to ensure a level playing field for all.
People from all walks of life had supported the roadmap which the EC drew up after the commission led by Nurul Huda took over. The commission held dialogues with the representatives of political parties, media and civil society. It raised a hope. After the city corporation elections in Cumilla and Rangpur, people’s expectations rose further. However, it is now difficult to have confidence in the EC after the massive irregularities and vote rigging in five city corporation elections.
Human beings learn lessons from past mistakes and move ahead. They try to fix their mistakes. As per the statements of the EC officials, it seems that EC officials do not want to learn from their past mistakes. When irregularities and vote rigging increase in comparison to earlier elections, and the orders and advice of the EC do not work, EC officials should be concerned. But instead they were busy trying to cover up their failure, saying everything is fine. After the elections to the Khulna city corporation, if the EC would try to fix their mistakes, the voters in Barishal would not have faced any trouble in casting their votes.
The commission has to be more sincere in preventing irregularities in the voting instead of taking action after the deed is done. If the commission holds a fair and credible election, the people will laud them. If not, they will face the consequence of their predecessors.