All deserve equal opportunity in early polls campaign

With the elections ahead, there is the expected flurry of political activities all around. The participating parties and contestants will all look to win and it is hoped they will adhere to the rules in their campaigns. However, the public is concerned at the campaigns of a certain party and its aspiring candidates even before the election schedule has been announced.

Local leaders are posting up their colourful and lavish posters all over the country, holding press conferences, public meetings to announce their candidacy and asking for votes. And it is only the ruling party and its allies that have the opportunity to do so.

The opposition leaders and activities are kept under constant pressure and fear. By the look of the posters that have been plastered all over for the last three months, one would think that this was to be a party’s internal election. The manner in which the aspiring candidates have displayed their gaudy posters with blatant proclamations of their virtues, is in sheer bad taste.

While Bangladesh Awami League leaders are carrying out their campaign trails on river and rail routes, the opposition leaders and activists, particularly of the BNP, are facing a volley of false cases and other harassment, according to media reports. It is only too evident that these are politically motivated cases, especially when a dead person is accused of violence or a person is accused of sabotage though he has been abroad for long. These cases have dashed the credibility of the law enforcement to the ground.

A level playing field is a precondition to any free and fair election. It is not only unethical, but unlawful too, that the ruling party leaders and workers can go around on a full-fledged advance polls campaign while the opposition is harassed to no end. The ruling party holds its public rallies anytime and anywhere, but when it comes to the opposition, numerous obstacles come to the fore. The top level of government has declared that from now any party can use Suhrawardy Udyan to hold its public meetings. Hopefully, this will apply to others venues all over the country too. If the leaders and activists of the opposition are not allowed to freely campaign, then calling them to the election is a mere farce.

The election commission cannot just sit back inert, using the excuse that the election schedule hasn’t been announced as yet. The parties have begun campaigning in full force, albeit informally, so they must be kept under strict watch. The election commission must keep in mind that they have been appointed on a five-year term and is their responsibility to ensure a level playing field for all parties concerned. If the ruling party can begin its campaign before the announcement of the polls schedule, why can’t others? The commission must ensure that no one can do anything that harms the environment of the election.