Ershad, civil society urge Taranco
Country’s civil society leaders have called upon visiting United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco to help stop the one-sided national polls scheduled to be held on January 5. On Sunday, Taranco received a civil society delegation at his hotel and also held meetings with Jatiya party Chairman HM Ershad, the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran and BNP Vice-chairman Shamser Mobin Chowdhury.
He was scheduled to meet representatives of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, but the meeting did not take place, said sources concerned.
After a meeting between the UN Assistant Secretary-General and a civil society delegation at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel on Sunday afternoon, eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain told reporters “We have urged them (the UN delegation, led by Taranco) to stop the train of one-sided elections.”
“They said their efforts will continue in this regard and we said that we will continue our efforts,” he said.
Dr Kamal said that confrontation and violence must stop. Asked if they recommended the holding of polls under a caretaker government or under the present constitution, he said, “What is acceptable to all should happen.”
Responding to a question, Dr Kamal, also the Gonoforum president, said the election schedule could be deferred under the law.
He said that Taranco wanted to know different aspects of the situation as asked questions which they replied to. Dr Kamal, however, declined to elaborate any further.
Dr Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, a former caretaker government adviser, Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, the secretary of Sushaner Jonyo Nagorik (SUJON) and Dr Shahdeen Malik, a constitution expert, were the other members of the delegation.
Regarding any change to the poll-schedule, Dr Badiul Alam Majumder said, “The Chief Election Commissioner already said that schedule would be deferred if there was a consensus among the parties.” Dr Shahdeen Malik said that the UN wanted elections with the participation of all major parties.
“None of us wants one-sided elections. People of Bangladesh want elections like 2008 where 87 per cent of the voters voted. The UN wants polls with participation of all. The whole world wants it,” he said.
The civil society representatives claimed that Taranco did not bring with him any particular formula from New York.
Earlier in the day, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad told Taranco that he was not going to participate in the election if it would not be a participatory one. Ersahd said this when the visting UN assistant secretary general met him at the former president’s Baridhara residence, President Park. JP secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader and JP presidium member GM Quader briefed journalists about the meeting.
“Our party chairman HM Ershad informed the visiting UN assistant secretary general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, that we will not take part in the January 5 elections unless all political parties participate in them. Besides, the current atmosphere of the country is not congenial for holding fair elections,” Hawlader said.
They also urged the United Nations delegation to take initiatives to ensure that a fresh election schedule is announced so that all political parties can participate in the polls, he said.
“The visiting UN envoy wanted to know about the entire scenario relating to the current political impasse. We have explained our position as well as the overall situation of the country,” he further said in reply to a query.
“We want a ‘respectable solution’ within a short time so that all the political parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), can join the polls,” Hawlader added.
“Our main agenda is the rescheduling of the elections. The polls have to be delayed. It is impossible to hold free, fair and credible elections under the current circumstances. The JP will not take part in the 10th Parliamentary elections sans the main Opposition BNP,” Ershad’s brother, GM Quader, said.
He said that the government should introduce a system for holding fair polls after taking the opinions of all political parties, so that all parties can take part in the election.
“Normalcy and peace cannot be restored in the country if the elections are held under such circumstances. Besides, these elections would not gain acceptance, both locally and internationally,” Quader asserted.
Taranco arrived at Ershad’s residence at 9:30am and held talks with the Jatiya Party chairman for an hour. Hawlader and Quader assisted Ershad during the meeting.
Later, when Taranco during his meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad asked him whether it would be possible to defer the elections, the CEC said, many things can be done if the political parties reach a negotiation.
Talking to reporters before leaving his office about the commission’s meeting with Taranco, the CEC said the UN envoy asked them whether it is possible to defer the election schedule.
“We’ve told them (UN) that many things are possible to do if there’s any negotiation among the political parties. But everything has to be done within the legal framework,” Rakibuddin said.
He, however, told the UN envoy that the issue (deferring election) turned complicated as there is no progress in sight for a negotiation through talks though two weeks have already elapsed since announcement of the election schedule.
The CEC on November 25 announced the schedule for the general election fixing the voting date for January 5 amid BNP’s boycott threat.
Meanwhile, in a related development, US Ambassador to Dhaka Dan Mozena held a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran, said the sources.
-With The Independent input
