Staff Reporter :
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has termed the statement of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal about the election time violence as ‘suicidal and imprudent’.
Urging the CEC to immediately withdraw his statement, the organisation on Sunday said that such statement -stand with rifles if someone stands with a sword- was tantamount to inciting violence.
“Media reports said that during a dialogue with Nationalist Democratic Movement on Sunday, Kazi Habibul Awal said, ‘If all political parties do not cooperate, we will fail. You should have coordinated efforts, if anyone stands with sword, you will stand with rifle or another sword. If you run, what I can do?”, TIB said.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said such news creates anarchy during election.
“Election Commission is a constitutional body and as the chief of the institution, it is his duty to hold a free, fair and participatory election. But while seeking cooperation of all in election, he has talked about sword against sword or rifles. Such statement incites violence in a sense,” he added.
“His statement is suicidal, imprudent and unacceptable while holding the constitutional post. Such statement is akin to encouraging the use of muscle power, capturing booths or preventing voters to cast votes, what had happened in the last several elections,” he asserted.
TIB expects that CEC will explain his statement and withdraw his statement.
“It should be the commitment of the Election Commission to hold free, participatory and peaceful elections. But such statement of preventing violence by violence clearly proves the failure of the Commission to formulate proper strategy,” TIB said.
TIB thinks that such speech will encourage different stakeholders, political parties or vested quarters to resort to violence.
The Commission should refrain from any kind of remarks that may incite violence during elections and take effective strategy to prevent any probable violence during elections.
