Serious Deficiencies In Polls Atmosphere: Seminar

The Election Commission could not create the atmosphere in which the voters would be able to go to polling stations to cast their votes without any fear, election observers, political scientists, academics and lawyers said Wednesday.

Speaking at a seminar at the BIISS Auditorium, they pointed out the serious deficiencies in the election atmosphere when parliamentary elections are only four days away.

The Centre for Governance Studies organized the seminar, ‘Participation and inclusion: Why young, women and minority should vote in general elections’.

Participants said that the election atmosphere had been vitiated by attacks, intimidations and arrests of opposition candidates and their supporters by ruling Awami League men and the EC’s failure to take action against the perpetrators frightened the voters.Chairing the discussions, Bangladesh Political Science Association president Ataur Rahman said even four days before the election the voters were scared about what would the atmosphere on the day of polling.

‘This fear whether they could at all go to polling stations is quite worrying,’ he said.Former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain said the voters were still in doubt whether or not they would be able to go to polling stations to cast their votes.He said the EC has completely failed to organize the election.Sakhawat said the deployment of army did not improve the atmosphere of violence as the army was not free to move unless ordered by the government.Supreme Court lawyer Sara Hossain said that lawlessness was prevailing even four days before the election.She said that the opposition candidates and their supporters were being attacked with the EC turning a blind eye.

Dhaka University law professor Asif Nazrul said the voters were feeling scared to go to polling stations due to attacks continuing on opposition candidates and their supporters.

‘Even after army deployment the situation did not improve because the ruling party wants to send the message that they are untouchable and that they don’t care about the Election Commission, the courts, the police or the army,’ he said.

‘They also want to send the message to the voters that they can do nothing’, he said.Political scientist Rounaq Jahan said the EC imposed bans on the use of motor vehicles and mobile phones without providing the reasons for the restrictions.Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said the minorities were always attacked during elections, but they never got justice.Bangladesh Indigenous People’s Forum general secretary Sanjeeb Drong said the national minorities and religious minorities fear that they could be attacked during elections.Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and opposition Jatiya Oikya Front leader Zafrullah Chowdhury said the youths want to go to polling stations but the activities of EC, the police and the ruling Awami League were sending the message that there was no need for the voters to cast their votes.‘The EC has imposed a curfew-like situation for journalists and voters by slapping bans on the use of motorcycles, cars and mobile phones,’ he said.Zafrullah said that the people expected the army to patrol the streets to boost the voters’ confidence but that was not happening.Awami League leader Yusuf Hussain Humayun said that it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to create an environment in which the voters can go to the polling centres without fear.

News Courtesy: http://www.newagebd.net