CEC must expose the truth

At a juncture of time when candidates of the Jatiya Oikya Front and BNP are being attacked, and many of them being assaulted and sent to hospital by ruling party leaders and activists, the chief election commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda insists that there is a level playing field for all and that the candidates can campaign freely.
On Saturday he had been lauding the role of the election commission while speaking at a press conference in the commission’s Agargaon office in the capital. On the very same day an attack was launched on 12 candidates of the opposition camp. The convoys of various candidates are being attacked and they are being prevented from campaigning. The EC’s words make a mockery of the victim’s woes.
According to news reports, it is not only the ruling party activists that are assaulting the opposition candidates. The law enforcement agencies too are blatantly discriminating against them. Three top leaders in Cumilla including a candidate have been arrested in an explosives case. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for the candidate to campaign. In Mirpur-16 when BNP candidate Ahsanullah’s wife Rina Hasan was campaigning with other women workers of the party, Awami League activists obstructed them. She had to return home. And the police, rather than taking any action against the Awami League activists, came to her home and arrested her. They claim that there is a case against her. Hundreds of opposition leaders and workers are facing similar cases and being arrested. And yet the CEC and his cronies insist that a ‘level playing field’ has been ensured. Is this what they call a ‘level playing field’?

After announcing the election schedule, the CEC said that the public administration and the police were functioning under the election commission. If that is so, the commission must then take responsibility for the repression and attacks against the opposition leaders and workers. The EC may be blind to the method used in sabotage cases, but the people are not. When any such incident occurs anywhere, the police name a few accused and add another list of unidentified people.
Then they simply arrest people as they want, under the ‘unidentified’ category. This is how the leaders and activists of the opposition are being harassed.
The people’s hopes had arisen with the participation of all parties in the 11th parliamentary polls, but that hope is now dying down. The ruling party had begun campaigning in full swing, but in many cases the opposition cannot take to the field. This certainly is not a normal pre- election situation. The CEC says nothing to the violation of the election code of conduct by the ruling party.
The CEC had mentioned 122 inquiry committees to look into violations of the election code. But does the commission have any idea as to whether these committees are functioning and how they are functioning? The CEC had been stern in his words against violation of the code, but in reality the violators are being indulged. If things continue in this manner, there is hardly scope for a fair election.
The CEC and the election commission must be reminded that everyone can clearly see what is going on in reality. Any attempts to hide the truth will be futile. There are only 13 days left or the election. The attacks, cases and repression against the opposition parties must be halted with a firm hand now.