24 January 2022, Mon, 2:23

Government takes step to enact controversial EC formation law; Acting Secretary General condemns

Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 24th January, 2022 protesting the process of enacting an intentional law in the name of appointing Election Commissioners.

“Although Bangladesh’s constitution has a clear directives to form election commission (EC) through a law, but it has not been implemented in last 50 years since the independence of the country. The government has ignored the basic demands of the people and proceeded to enact an EC formation Law in order to ease their path for coming to the power. This parliament is not an elected one and as such, this parliament has no moral right to enact such a sensitive and important law.

All political parties, civil societies and people of all classes expect a caretaker government in a bid to hold acceptable and credible election. And simultaneously to form an acceptable election commission which would act under that caretaker regime. But defying those desires of the people, the government moved for enacting EC formation law which is totally a farce with the people.

Government’s proposed law is a law for making a search committee. In past 10 years, entire election process have been destroyed by comprising two consecutive election commission with the recommendations of so called search committee. This time, the government has tabled this law to justify its chosen search committee to materialize their ill-intentions. Earlier, Law Minister Anisul Huq placed the "Appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Bill-2022" in parliament. This proposed bill is not following article 118 (1) of the constitution. Those article categorically stated that, the main purpose of the EC formation law would be to ensure a fair and permanent electoral system. But deviating from the spirit, the government is trying to enact the law in a different way, which would fail to reflect the pulse and expectations of the people. Actually, by placing the bill in the parliament, the government has taken initiative to form an election commission of its own choices.

We think, before everything else, caretaker government should be established. That caretaker government would form an election commission in order to hold a free, fair, credible and inclusive elections. No election can be fair by a government which had been formed through a mid-night farcical election. Under this backdrop, we are sincerely condemning the government’s initiative of enacting EC formation law which is totally ill-intentional and also an immoral step.