Dr. Syed Nesar Ahmad Rumy :
Recent decision of election commission of introducing EVM to the 150 seats of forthcoming parliamentary election irked the political parties excepting few includes party in power. Since taking the responsibility this election commission held dialogues with the different registered political parties. But the BNP, opposition on the street, and its allies did not join the dialogue with election commission as they said it would be futile exercise as the election commission has not that capacity to hold a free, fair, transparent and inclusive general election under this present system of partisan government.
What are the main issues of our electoral system that must be identified truly and the major political parties in the parliament and on the streets must recognize that otherwise every initiative of the commission will be a futile exercise. It may be possible for the election commission to hold a general election without satisfying the parties agitating on the street but legacy of complex political situation will be same as it was. Our history says that and the last generation of our country had this experience and it is still in the mind of the people.
It seems to all of us that new election commission is now stressing mainly environment and security of polling station during vote. In this regard they tell about installations of CC cameras in the polling centers and strictly maintaining law and order situation in the polling centers and its surroundings. But only the maintaining the good environment in polling centers does not ensure the free and fair polls. It is very important that whether the general voters come to the polling centers without fear and intimidation or are they intimidated not to come out of their residences for casting their valuable votes? That has to be duly considered by the commission. If that is so, the commission must have the capacity of directing law-enforcing agencies to create such environment for free, fair and transparent situation outside polling centers. So that the voters can come to the polling centres and cast their votes without fear, intimidations and after that returning back to their respective homes otherwise all initiatives will not be flawless. Out of the night-vote complaints, intimidating general voters not to come to the polling centers was the common features during the general election held in 2018. Other than ruling party no other parties’ candidates made fearless campaign during the election in true sense. About fifteen days back of the polling dates there appeared an environment of intimidation with few exceptions.
All the time it is said that after declaration of election schedule the law-enforcing agency and civil administration come under direct supervision of election commission and this situation continue till the result of the general election or it continues even more. But in reality what we see that under the partisan government, pattern of behaviour of law-enforcing agencies and civil administration are not in that stage as the general people expect from them in election time. Their behavioural pattern is as such that the general people have to think that the entire administration and law-enforcing agencies are not that much committed to the election commission. One of the causes of such attitude might be that they would have thought that the incumbent might come to power again and for that reason they need not be so loyal to the election commission. But in time of non-partisan government the same administration and law-enforcing agencies did not show that attitude mentioned earlier.
It is true and the attitude of our civil administration, law-enforcing agencies are not that much answerable to the people. It seems they always appears to the general people as not as servant but as masters. And general people have not sufficient access to them. People do not feel comfortable to go to them for any service rather they feel shaky to be associated with them for getting any service.
Outside vote centers the general environment for voters is as important as to environment in the vote centers. People’s mindset to go to vote centers from their home must be fearless and without feeling any pressure and intimidation. This must be ensured by the election commission. Now this is a million dollar question whether the election commission is capable enough to ensure this or do they have real supervising authority over the law-enforcing agencies after the declaration of election schedule under this present system of partisan government? Experience and history say that the election commission could not be able to exercise such power according to the expectation of general people in our country and it is now the reality. Everyone watching electoral systems and procedures in our country must admit this reality with few exceptions.
So it is a big question whether our election commission is capable to arrange free, fair and inclusive election. Members of election commission often tell that the prime responsibility of the commission is to hold free, fair and transparent election rather bringing the unwilling political parties to participate in the election. A couple of days back a member of the commission uttered so and it came to the media. But in true sense election commission should not endorse that sort of notion rather the commission should try its best to hold an inclusive general election.
In these consequences there must be a political consensus regarding the election time government among the major political parties otherwise it would be very tough to this election commission to hold an impartial and true election. The situation is such in our country that without political consensus out of the present constitutional provisions is necessary to hold an inclusive and peaceful election for smooth exit or peaceful transfer of power. Without this the endless dilemma will continue with the days to come. The intelligentsias, social and political leaders should come forward to resolve this burning issue the people facing endlessly.
(The writer was civil servant).
