‘Non-party, neutral govt only way to overcome crisis’
Staff Reporter :
Some former bureaucrats emphasized on the need of a non-party neutral government which is the only single way to overcome the present political crisis in Bangladesh.
The former bureaucrats said this at a seminar held on Saturday titled ‘Abolition of Non-Party Caretaker Government System and Way to Overcome the Existing Crisis’ at the National Press Club organized by Policy Management and Research Society (PMRS), a voluntary social organization for the education, knowledge and research of retired government officials.
Speakers said that the only way to get out the country from this crisis is to restore people’s right to vote, to return to democracy, to ensure the country’s governance through truly elected representatives.
And this is possible by ensuring the establishment of a non-party neutral government for election.
Borhan Uddin Khan, Prof of Law Department of DU, was present as the chief guest while former Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, Md Abdul Qayyum, Former Registrar General of Supreme Court, Iktedar Ahmed, and Former Acting Secretary of Election Commission, Mohammad Zakaria, delivered their speeches.
The former Joint Secretary of government, Bijon Kanti Sarker, presented the key-note paper at the seminar chaired by Md Ismail Zabihullah, chairman of the organization and a former government secretary.
Speakers at the meeting pointed out that the caretaker government system was the formula of a political compromise in 1996 on the basis of national consensus. The ‘Non-Party Caretaker Government’ system is a reflection of the goodwill and demands of all the political parties of the country and, above all, the aspirations of the people.
Bijon Kanti Sarker said that Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque plunged the nation into a great crisis by ordering the abolition of the non-party caretaker government system through a controversial judgment.
“Justice Khairul Haque failed to understand that the system of a non-party caretaker government has been inserted into the constitution as a formula reflecting the people’s goodwill and the consensus of all political parties in the country and by annulling this he plunged the country into an extreme political crisis,” he added.
Iktedar Ahmed pointed out that four judges announced short order in the open court on October 5, 2011, and decided that the 10th and 11th parliamentary elections may be held under the caretaker government system and other three judges gave their opinion in favour of maintaining the caretaker government.
However, ignoring this consideration, the abolition of the caretaker government system on June 30, 2011 has become questionable.”
He also said, “The most disgusting thing is that after 16 months of the announcement of short order in the open court, in the written judgment it left to the discretion of the Parliament the issue of holding the next two elections under the caretaker government which was professional misconduct and fraud on the court.”
He mentioned that the court has not yet given instructions to abolish the caretaker government system. Court used the word ‘protectively’. However, by misrepresenting this order of the court, the nation has been cheated by canceling the caretaker system.
Former Cabinet Secretary ASM Abdul Halim, Former Secretary Abdur Rashid Sarkar, Monirul Islam, Former Additional Secretary Maksumul Hakim Chowdhury, Md. Abdul Jaher and among others were present in the seminar.
