THE CEC’s sudden move to procure 1.5 lakhs EVM machine at a huge cost of Tk 4000 crore just three months ahead of parliament election and the hastily prepared proposal to amend the PRO for using expensive voting machines in the polls had made the whole enterprise controversial.
As all opposition parties are totally opposed to the idea and made it known to the EC when it held dialogue on election in October 2017, the move seems to be quite suspicious. Everyone agrees, the opposition parties concern can’t be ruled out when they say EVM machines can easily manipulate the election results. There is no assurance that the government is anxious to change its constitutional arrangement for one-sided victory in the election.
There is every reason to believe that it is another project for some people to make money. The government may be able to say that the election rigging was not possible because the machines were used. But the glaring example is the last presidential election in the USA. The most sophisticated election machines were hacked from outside by Russia. In our situation there is even no time to train our people to use these machines even if there is good intention of using them honestly.
EC member Mahbub Talukdar has rightly opposed the move to show that there are still sensible people in the commission who could make objective evaluation of the situation. His reason as explained in the note of decent is that unless all parties agree the use of such machine can’t be imposed unilaterally in a sharply divided political environment. What should be the biggest concern for the election is to remove the constitutional impediment created by the government unilaterally. It cannot make it possible for the Election Commission to hold free and fair election.
The EC’s proposal to use the voting machine in at least 100 constituencies also raises many questions as to which will be those constituencies, on what criteria those constituencies will be selected and whether there is any plan to use them to the benefit of particular candidates in particular areas. Such plan will be always a big suspect.
The election commission should not be so eager in the business deal of buying the EVM machines at a cost of four thousand crore takas without making its own position clear about its ability to hold a meaningful national election. The EVM machines will be used to facilitate the government plans to continue in power through an unfair election. Let the Election Commission ensure the parliamentary election will be held after dissolving the parliament as is in India and elsewhere.
There is every reason to believe that it is another project for some people to make money. The government may be able to say that the election rigging was not possible because the machines were used. But the glaring example is the last presidential election in the USA. The most sophisticated election machines were hacked from outside by Russia. In our situation there is even no time to train our people to use these machines even if there is good intention of using them honestly.
EC member Mahbub Talukdar has rightly opposed the move to show that there are still sensible people in the commission who could make objective evaluation of the situation. His reason as explained in the note of decent is that unless all parties agree the use of such machine can’t be imposed unilaterally in a sharply divided political environment. What should be the biggest concern for the election is to remove the constitutional impediment created by the government unilaterally. It cannot make it possible for the Election Commission to hold free and fair election.
The EC’s proposal to use the voting machine in at least 100 constituencies also raises many questions as to which will be those constituencies, on what criteria those constituencies will be selected and whether there is any plan to use them to the benefit of particular candidates in particular areas. Such plan will be always a big suspect.
The election commission should not be so eager in the business deal of buying the EVM machines at a cost of four thousand crore takas without making its own position clear about its ability to hold a meaningful national election. The EVM machines will be used to facilitate the government plans to continue in power through an unfair election. Let the Election Commission ensure the parliamentary election will be held after dissolving the parliament as is in India and elsewhere.
