Reza Mahmud :
People of the country have been caught off guard by conflicting and contradictory statements coming from major stakeholders following announcement of the roadmap for the 13th parliamentary election the Election Commission on Thursday.
Though the BNP, the largest political party of the country, instantly welcomed the decision, the other important parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP) expressed their utmost reservation publicly.
Expressing difference over the target of the roadmap, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said the road map declaration was nothing but efforts to foil the next polls.
The controversies were not among the political parties, but speeches from the EC officials also made the election concept puzzling.
While Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus several times reiterated that the next polls will be historic and utmost free, fair and acceptable, but one of the Election Commissioner on Friday said the next election will be utmost risk-prone.
Such statement from EC made the election atmosphere somewhat panic gripped.
Political analyst said the contradictory speeches from the responsible quarters including political parties and ECs made the people anxious.
When contacted, eminent political analyst Professor Dr. Mahbub Ullah on Friday told The New Nation, “The next general election is most important to the nation as it is going to held after a bloody mass uprising.
The people have become disappointed over getting contradictory speeches from political leaders over the upcoming national polls.”
The professor said a minimum understanding should remain among the political parties.
“If the next polls become risky or somewhat foiled, the whole nation will be frustrated,” he said.
Talking with The New Nation on Friday, “BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said, “The whole nation including the BNP is preparing for the election.
The election will be held in February as per the declaration made by the Election Commission under the direction of Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.”
The BNP leader said everyone is waiting for the polls. But some political parties are saying ‘the EC’s roadmap is an attempt to foil the next election’ is not realistic.
“I think if those political parties find something wrong, that should be resolved through dialogue,” Salahuddin Ahmed said.
Expressing disappointment at the polls roadmap Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher has criticized Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus for what he termed a breach of earlier commitments.
He accused the CA of unveiling an election roadmap before ensuring genuine reforms and visible justice.
Dr. Taher alleged that the announced roadmap is nothing more than a scheme designed to undermine the possibility of holding a truly free and fair election.
Addressing a meeting of “election coordinators” at Kalikapur union in Chouddagram upazila on Friday morning, he said, “The Chief Adviser rushed to declare the election schedule without finalizing the promised reforms.”
He said, the assurance of justice has not materialized. It gives the impression that he (CA) has surrendered to the will of some foreign power and is pushing forward with the polls, which has naturally created deep concern among the people.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A M M Nasir Uddin has said that the 13th National Parliamentary Election is facing entirely new challenges.
The CEC made this remark on Friday at an event at the Electoral Training Institute in Agargaon, Dhaka, organized in preparation for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
The CEC said, “We have to deal with new types of challenges. These challenges did not exist before. Among them are issues related to politics, law and order, and other matters. There were always some law and order challenges in the past, but perhaps the intensity is a bit higher now.”
On the other hand, Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar in the same event has described the next polls as the most risk-prone election in the history of Bangladesh.
He said, “Even if lives are put at risk, no irregularities or malpractice in the election will be tolerated.”
EC Anwarul Islam said, “There is no way back now. If the election is not free and fair, the responsibility will not fall only on the Election Commission, but also on the election officials.”
Describing it as “the most risk-prone election,” he said, “There is no alternative but to overcome all kinds of challenges and ensure a free and acceptable election.”
