Staff Reporter :
The main challenge of the new Election Commission (EC), led by Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, is to gain people’s confidence, say experts.
Besides, it’s also vital issue to observe the poll time government attitude towards the other political parties during the National Elections scheduled to be held in 2019.
The experts were speaking at a roundtable titled ‘Challenges for the New Election Commission’ organised by Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujon) at the National Press Club in the city.
Former Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, former Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, former Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder, Dhaka University teacher Asif Nazrul and former Justice Abdul Matin took part in the discussion.
Shujan President M Hafiz Uddin Khan chaired the roundtable while its Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar presented the key-note paper. ATM Shamsul Huda termed the Election Commission’s status as very low currently, saying it will have work hard to gain people’s trust as well as to uphold the image of the Constitutional body.
“The new Election Commission will have to maintain a good relationship and connection bridge with all the stakeholders specially the country’s all political parties. And it will have to work neutrally in the coming days in a bid to clear people’s any confusion about it,” he said.
Apart from these, Shamsul Huda said the new EC will also have to take an initiative to establish an independent secretariat.
“CEC-led five persons do not mean the whole EC. A total of four thousand officials and staffs are now in EC. It needs to introduce election cadre in order to ensure its independence,” the former CEC said.
He said if the EVM system is introduced during the voting, the persons who will be assigned to run the technology will also have to be acceptable and credible to all.
He also criticised the government to bring the change in the name of the Constitutional body as ‘Election Commission Bangladesh.’
M Sakhawat Hussain said the new EC’s major challenge is to hold the 2019 National Poll in a free, fair and credible manner.
Abdul Matin said Election Commission’s main duty is to hold credible and acceptable polls.
“According to court verdict, Election Commission has been empowered with all responsibilities to arrange the all elections in a free, fair and impartial manner,” he said.
However, he said the government will have to provide all sorts of cooperation to the Election Commission to do its job without any fear and influence.
Ali Imam Majumder said if the government wants to introduce EVM system, it will have to take opinion from the all political parties.
Abul Maksud said ensuring level-playing field for all parties concerned in each election is the major challenge for the Election Commission.
Badiul Alam Majumdar said people do not have confidence in the Election Commission as its previous commissioners failed to do their assigned jobs.
“We expect that the new Election Commission will arrange the next general polls with honesty, integrity, neutrality and boldness,” he said.
In the key notepaper he made some recommendations including reformation of some electoral laws, updating voter list and delimitation of electoral constituencies for the new EC.
