A peaceful city election is essential to make it free, fair and acceptable. But it appears that the Election Commission (EC) is not taking the issue seriously to make the polls impartial and free from violence. The Chief Election Commissioner’s (CECs) backtracking from active army deployment to guard election time peace has raised more questions at a time when faith in the government to face a free election is unthinkable.
To the knowledge of all, the government’s youth front activists have been attacking every day most violently the leader of main opposition alliance Begum Khaleda Zia’s entourage. Her car was damaged and other cars of her motorcade also came under furious attacks. Political followers were injured in those attacks. Press reports showed that the police remained bystanders and anything could have happened. There are allegation that many BNP supported candidates in the mayoral election of Dhaka North and Dhaka South also feel obstructed in many ways. The opposition’s mayoral candidate Mirza Abbas cannot come out to campaign for himself.
Media footage showed when the ruling party men were breaking window glass of the vehicle carrying the BNP Chairperson and beating one of her security guards as he was laying on the ground at Bangla-Motor crossing on Wednesday, a policeman was silently passing the scene, but did not intervene. Another picture showed a police officer was moving at the spot with a ruling party man who had a pistol at his back.
The government leaders claim that BNP Chairperson is coming under attacks from common people for scores of death and violence during the last three months’ countrywide blockades and hartals in demand for mid-term election. The general public are angry and showing their anger against Begum Khaleda Zia when she was found in streets doing election campaigning. So the government has nothing to do with such dangerous conduct publicly. But the government has responsibility not to allow anybody to take law into his own hand for committing violence. So the government is denying its responsibility to give her protection if not for anything than to make the election safe and free.
But who are these people? Reports and pictures published in the press about the incidents show that known young activists of the ruling party are busy in street fightings. All these activities were going under the very nose of the police.
The government should have taken this election by holding it free and fair to show how unpopular is Begum Khaleda Zia. But instead, by implying that the Awami League activists are the government it is saying that the real people are not important, their right to vote is not important. What matters is winning the voter less election. This is dangerous politics and the government itself is proving by the violent activities that it is they who lack confidence in people.
We sincerely hope that the government not be misled by those who do not believe in democracy, and who are nobody without police protection. The country belongs to the people and without public support no government is refute for political stability. The mayoral election is the last for the government to prove that election politics has a future.We also believe that for not deploying army the violent elements will feel encouraged to sabotage the election. It will prove once again that peaceful election is not the answer for change of government.
Please allow mayoral elections to be free and fair. Insanity and violence dominate our politics helping the corrupt and irresponsible one to guide politics. It must change.
