Discussion on polls-time govt told
Eminent citizens yesterday called for a long-term and sustainable solution to the polls-time administration issue to avoid any political deadlock in the country centring the issue in future.
Dissolution of the incumbent parliament is a prerequisite to holding the upcoming national polls in a free and fair manner, they told a view-exchange meeting.Shushashoner Janya Nagorik (Shujan), a citizens’ body for good governance, organised the event at the Jatiya Press Club on Rajnoitik Shankat Niroshone Karaniya.
Speakers at the programme said both the Awami League and BNP were practicing the politics of assuming power rather than nurturing democracy.
“In the past, the constitution was cited for choosing the polls-time government. But in the end, it didn’t work. The February, 1996 government didn’t last long because people had disagreed with it,” said eminent jurist and Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain.
Terming the country’s present constitution “a self-contradictory document” in the aspect of secularism, Prof Syed Anwar Hossain of Dhaka University said finding a solution to the present political crisis from such a constitution was tough.
He suggested that a national referendum could be held to decide about the polls-time government.
Former election commissioner M Shakhawat Hossain said political parties had been fearful of handing over power as whoever assumed power had tried to demean the opposition.
He bemoaned the fact that the practice of politics in the country over the years has turned into a politics of vengeance. He expressed concern that holding a national election unilaterally would only mount the sufferings of common people.
Shakhawat thought that changes to the Election Commission were required.
In his keynote speech, Shujan secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar proposed two options to form an elected and effective polls-time government.
The first option could be an 11-member body comprised of non-partisan members, while the other could be a 15-member body comprised of five members each from the present ruling and opposition parties and the rest would be non-partisan.
In both the options, the non-partisan members should have to be elected.
“None of the polls-time government members would be eligible for contesting the 10th parliamentary election. Their role, during a 90-day period, would be helping the Election Commission,” mentioned Badiul.
A search committee, comprised of retired chief justices and headed by the senior most among them, could nominate the members.
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud urged the two major parties to make their statements on national polls more clear. For this, he demanded the parties hold executive committee meetings and later make their decisions public.
Presiding over the meeting, Shujan president M Hafizuddin Khan said members of both the political parties were busy with ignoring the rule of law and satisfying the defence forces.
He thought that the country’s political system needed a major change.
-With The Daily Star input
