Chief Election Commissioner on Saturday said that Members of Parliament cannot participate in electioneering for local government polls or act as coordinator for party’s election activities. The CEC made the statement following the formation of a body and activities of the ruling party’s election functionalities run by MPs. The electoral code prohibits any Member of Parliament to participate in local government election and campaign in favour of or against any candidate using his/her legal status and facilities.
The Election Commission is the body for ensuring free and fair election. The Commission has the constitutional guarantee for acting without pressure from outside in order to preserve the sanctity of free election. But the Election Commission has failed every time in the past without a shame or with no feeling of guilt. The practice is elections not to be decided by popular vote but by the government. Those who are not government candidates also aware how without the favour of the government none has any chance. Yet the others, including the officially known largest opposition party BNP, is hopping concessions from the government to make the election look credible.
The BNP lost its credibility as an opposition party speaking for the people by joining the election stealing arrangement only to get some favour of the government. In the farcical national election last time they know the election was a robbery and said so in loudest voice. They were given only five seats in the parliament and were happy with it.
Only this month they along with Unity Front observed black day for election robbery in the last general election. Yet they did not feel any embarrassment in deciding to take part in the Dhaka City Corporations election. It has become a fashion with the present political leaders to treat the people as fools. The argument made for joining the untrustworthy election by BNP is that they are using every democratic opportunity in their fight for democracy.
The people are not that fools, they are just helpless. They know about the money business going on under the table in such fraudulent elections to make others join in the game.
The Awami League is most unpopular but the BNP is also not trusted at all. The people are anxious to see change in the present pattern of politics. Both the Awami League and the BNP do not believe in free election or democracy and take politics as dishonest business.
So the nation is looking for an opportunity to bury the present kind of exploitation and lies to have an honest government eager to work for the people. They surely do not want the politics of business to continue. The real change want to have hones politics. The people have lost faith in the election under the present set of business men calling themselves politicians. It is not unknown to them how some by holding political positions became overnight millionaires.
We feel sorry for thousands of dedicated workers and lower level leaders who suffer police harassment and imprisonment but benefit goes to the big ones who think of personal gains.
